Speech

September 14, 2009

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Remarks by the Honourable Chris Bentley, Attorney General of Ontario, at the 2009 Opening of the Courts Ceremony on Monday, September 14, 2009.

Your Honour, Chief Justices, regional senior judges, regional senior justices of the peace, members of the judiciary, Mr. Treasurer, distinguished colleagues from the Bar and the Legislature, representatives of the Chiefs of Police, honoured guests, all.

To every one of our justice partners, I would like to thank you for your dedication and the contribution you make every single day to the justice system. I would also like to thank my colleagues at the Ministry of the Attorney General. I do appreciate all of your hard work and support.

I am very happy to be working every day with people who are so devoted to our justice system in Ontario. You have contributed to building this system into what it is today, and I look forward to continue working with you to make it even more efficient and accessible for all Ontarians.

Our system of justice is the foundation of the society we serve.  Every day we strive for excellence in the individual decisions we face.  That excellence must be delivered in a way that works for the people of this province.  Strengthening the foundation and supporting excellence means ensuring that justice serves Ontarians in the way they need it: fast, effective and affordable.  The initiatives that we have been working together on over the past year will achieve those principles.  

One year ago we launched Justice on Target, an initiative to reduce delay and unnecessary appearances in our criminal courts.  We launched it as a collaborative effort with all of our justice participants.  Its success will mean, at its conclusion in now three years, that 500,000 Ontarians will not come to court every year simply to put their case over from one day to the next.  There will be less time spent on cases and appearances that do not need them, meaning more time and resources for those that do.  Greater protection of the rights of those before the courts, safer communities and a stronger system of justice will result. 

We started in three Action Sites, are now in two more and are about to take the initiative to many more.  It is being built from the front lines of justice up: your knowledge and experience are essential to its success.  Early results suggest that the upward trend in time and appearances has stopped and I am confident that your – our – collective efforts at the Action Sites will change it to a downward trend. 

I want to thank all of those involved in the Action Sites and in the initiative itself for their leadership. I’d like to specifically thank Justice Bruce Durno and Ken Anthony, co-leaders of our work and I would like to acknowledge the great support and leadership of Associate Chief Justice Peter Griffiths of the Ontario Court of Justice.

This past May we passed important family law protections. Children will benefit from the best evidence on custody applications. Those fleeing domestic violence, usually women and children, will receive better protections from restraining orders that protect more people in more situations.

And we are working with all of you on a renewed approach to family issues. More information and support for litigants early on, more non-confrontational approaches to resolving issues and a faster, less costly process.

When I stood before you one year ago, I spoke about building on the progress that we made over the previous four years in strengthening legal aid.  It is a system that I have always supported and one I worked in for every one of my 25 years in practice.  I was pleased that we recently announced the largest funding increase in legal aid’s history.  I look forward to working with members of the Bar as we work to make that investment best serve the poorest Ontarians who need access to justice, but cannot afford it.

At a time of serious economic challenge for the province, devastating loss of jobs for many, and increasingly shared contribution and sacrifice for all, the largest ever increase represents a very significant commitment to access and to those who do the work.

Many of you also have been involved in renewing the civil justice system, to make it faster and more affordable. Based on recommendations made by former Associate Chief Justice Coulter Osborne, we have moved ahead with a series of civil justice reforms and they will come into effect on January 1, 2010.

I would like to thank the members of the Civil Rules Committee, and particularly its Chair, Associate Chief Justice Dennis O’Connor, for their work.

The coming year will be an exciting one. There are changes taking place in all areas of the justice system. The Ministry of the Attorney General will, with your support and partnership, continue to work to increase access to the justice system for all Ontarians.

As we open the Courts in 2009, I wish you every success in the coming year. It is an honour to work with you and I look forward to continuing to make progress together.

Thank you.

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Contacts:

Erin Moroz
Minister's Office, 416-326-1785
Brendan Crawley
Communications Branch, 416-326-2210