Civil Rules Committee

1. Function

The Civil Rules Committee may make rules of court for the Court of Appeal and Superior Court of Justice in relation to the practice and procedure of those courts in all civil proceedings, subject to the approval of the Attorney General. This power is granted under the Courts of Justice Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.C43, s.66.

The Civil Rules Committee does not make rules relating to the practice and procedure of proceedings for which the Family Rules Committee may make rules.

The Committee meets throughout the year to discuss proposals for rule changes expressed by the judiciary, lawyers, and the Ministry of the Attorney General.

The Committee is not part of the Ministry of the Attorney General. For information about agencies created under legislation see: http://www.pas.gov.on.ca/scripts/en/generalInfo.asp#1.

To access the civil court rules, visit:
Rules of Civil Procedure
Rules of the Small Claims Court

2. Committee membership

Membership of the committee is prescribed by the Courts of Justice Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.C43, s.65(2).

The twenty-nine committee members include judges, lawyers, representatives of court services and members of the private bar.

The 4 members appointed by the Attorney General are appointed by ministerial letter pursuant to the Courts of Justice Act, s.65(2)

Civil Rules Committee Composition

Current to November 2020

Court/ Ministry/ Other	Appointed pursuant to Courts of Justice Act	Member position	Member Name
Court of Appeal for Ontario	s. 65(2)(a)	Chief Justice of Ontario	The Honourable George R. Strathy Chief Justice of Ontario
	s. 65(2)(a)	Associate Chief Justice of Ontario	The Honourable Michal Fairburn Associate Chief Justice of Ontario
	s. 65(2)(b)	Judges of the Court of Appeal for Ontario	The Honourable Justice Kathryn Feldman (Acting Committee Chair) The Honourable Justice Peter Lauwers
Superior Court of Justice	s. 65(2)(a.1)	Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Justice	The Honourable Geoffrey Morawetz Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Justice
	s. 65(2)(a.1)	Associate Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Justice	The Honourable Faye E. McWatt Associate Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Justice
	s. 65(2)(c)	Judges of the Superior Court of Justice	The Honourable Regional Senior Justice Stephen Firestone The Honourable Regional Senior Justice Paul R. Sweeny The Honourable Regional Senior Justice Bonnie R. Warkentin The Honourable Justice Todd L. Archibald The Honourable Justice Mark Edwards The Honourable Justice Louise Gauthier The Honourable Justice James McNamara The Honourable Justice F. Myers
Ontario Court of Justice	s. 65(2)(a.2)	Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice or designate	The Honourable Lise Maisonneuve Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice Represented by the Honourable Justice P. Monahan
Small Claims Court	s. 65(2)(d)	Small Claims Court Judge	The Honourable Justice L. Ntoukas
Ministry of the Attorney General	s. 65(2)(e)	Attorney General or designate	Mr. Joshua Hunter, counsel
	s. 65(2)(f)	Law Officer of the Crown	Mr. Sunil Mathai, counsel
	s. 65(2)(g)	Courts administration	Assistant Deputy Attorney General, Court Services Division, Beverly Leonard Ms. Linda Omazic, counsel
Lawyers in the private sector	s. 65(2)(h)		Mr. Stephen J. Wojciechowski Ms. Karen Perron Mr. Ranjan Das Ms. Kathryn Manning
	s. 65(2)(i)		Mr. W. A. D. Millar
	s. 65(2)(j)		Ms. Neena Gupta Mr. Stephen Cavanagh Mr. John E. Callaghan Mr. Marvin J. Huberman

Total membership: 29
Quorum requirement: 10

3. Contact

To suggest improvements to the civil court rules, please contact:

Senior Legal Officer
Secretary
Civil Rules Committee
Court of Appeal for Ontario
130 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario M5H 2N5

Learn more about the Court of Appeal for Ontario