A new online portal meant to streamline access to Ontario’s court system is leaving some lawyers grappling with unpredictable delays and facing new hurdles in managing their cases, they say months after the platform’s initial rollout.
The Ontario Courts Public Portal launched in Toronto in the fall, with the purpose of allowing people to file documents, pay fees and find virtual links for court hearings in non-criminal matters, including Superior Court family, civil, small claims, bankruptcy, Divisional Court and enforcement cases, as well as provincial court family cases.
Digital access to criminal cases is set to expand next year in Phase 2, and the Ontario government is looking to have the system – which it touts as more transparent and accessible – deployed across the province by 2030.