Changes to the Committee Process
1. How has the Committee’s process changed?
As a result of legislative amendments to the Justices of the Peace Act that were proclaimed into law on August 2, 2011, the Committee’s process has changed from an annual province-wide advertisement-based recruitment process to a vacancy-based process.
The effect of these amendments is that the Committee will no longer be advertising annually for applications for justice of the peace positions in each region of the province. Instead, the Attorney General will now be requesting the Committee to advertise for applications only when there is a vacant justice of the peace position in a specific location.
Applications are accepted only during the Committee’s advertising period for a specific justice of the peace vacancy. Applications are no longer accepted on an ongoing basis.
2. I previously applied and was told that I have a classification that would be valid for a two-year period. What happens to my classification now that the process has changed?
All current classifications became null and void as of August 2, 2011 with the proclamation of the legislative amendments.
3a. I applied in the fall of 2009 and I was told that I could re-apply during the Committee’s advertising period in September 2011. When may I re-apply now that the process has changed?
Please consult the letter you have received from the JPAAC Coordinator regarding the process change.
3b. I applied in the fall of 2010 and I was told that I could re-apply during the Committee’s advertising period in September 2012. When may I re-apply now that the process has changed?
Please consult the letter you have received from the JPAAC Coordinator regarding the process change.
Committee Process
4. What is the role of the Justices of the Peace Appointments Advisory Committee?
The Committee’s responsibility under the Justices of the Peace Act is to classify candidates for appointment as “Not Qualified”, “Qualified” or “Highly Qualified”. Classifications are based on a thorough review and evaluation process. The evaluation process may or may not include an interview. Classifications are reported to the Attorney General, who recommends candidates for Order-in-Council appointments to the Ontario Court of Justice.
5. Will I know what my classification is?
No. As with similar committees of this kind, your classification is not disclosed to you.
6. How long will a classification be valid under the new process?
Your classification for an advertised vacancy is valid until that vacancy is filled.
7. When may I apply under the new process?
You may apply for an advertised position during the period stated in the advertisement.
8. Can I submit an application even if there is no advertisement?
No. Applications are accepted only during the Committee’s advertising period for a specific justice of the peace vacancy. Applications are not accepted on an ongoing basis.
9. When will there be an advertisement for applications?
The Committee advertises for applications for vacant justice of the peace positions upon the request of the Attorney General.
10. How will I know that a vacancy exists?
All vacancies are advertised. As well, vacancies will be posted on theJPAACwebsite.
11. May I be notified if a vacancy arises?
If you would like to receive e-mail notification of advertised vacancies, please go to the Advertisements page of the Committee’s website at www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/jpaac/advertisements and click on the “Subscribe to Vacancy Notifications (via E-Mail)” link on that page.
12. What happens after I submit my application?
You can expect to receive an acknowledgement letter following the closing date for applications. There may be a delay in acknowledgement due to the volume of applications received.
A panel of Committee members will review and evaluate your application. The Committee may/may not choose to interview you as part of the evaluation process.
The evaluation results in a classification, which will then be reported to the Attorney General. The Attorney General may, at his/her discretion, recommend you for appointment as a justice of the peace to the Lieutenant Governor in Council to fill the vacant position.
13. I will be 65 years of age by the deadline date for the application. Can I still apply?
No. The Committee does not evaluate candidates who are 65 years of age or over at the deadline date for the application.
13a. I will be less than 65 years of age at the deadline date for the application, but I may be 65 years of age before the Committee finalizes my classification. Can I still apply?
A period of time will ensue before the Committee reports classifications to the Attorney General. Be advised that the Committee does not classify individuals who have reached the age of 65 years.
Section 6 of the Justices of the Peace Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. J.4, as revised by the decision of Mr. Justice Strathy of the Ontario Superior Court in the Association of Justices of the Peace of Ontario, Brenna Brown, Moreland Lynn and Meena Nadkarni Applicants v. Attorney General of Ontario [2008] O.J. No. 2131, provides that every full-time or part-time justice of the peace shall retire when he or she reaches 65 years of age. 2009, c. 33, Sched. 2, s. 39 (5).
14. I wish to contact the Committee regarding my application. Whom should I contact?
All communication from the candidate is to be made through the JPAAC Coordinator. It is not appropriate to contact members of the Committee at any stage of the application and evaluation process.
15. Will the Committee consider additional information after the closing date of an advertised vacancy?
No. Candidates are to consider carefully the information submitted in their application. Only updates to personal and/or referee contact information are permitted.
16. What if I am invited to attend an interview and require special accommodation?
The Committee’s policies and processes for review and evaluation of candidates are in compliance with the accessibility provisions under the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001. Please contact the JPAAC Coordinator to advise of the accommodation required.
The Justice of the Peace Position
17. Do I require legal experience?
No. The justice of the peace bench is a lay bench. There is no requirement that a candidate for the position have legal training or experience in the justice system. As a result, justices of the peace have varied educational, business and community backgrounds. All new justices of the peace, regardless of background, go through a rigorous training and mentoring program prior to presiding on their own.
18. What are the salary and benefits for a full-time presiding justice of the peace?
Full-time presiding justices of the peace are paid $121,376 per annum; in addition, they have a comprehensive pension and insured benefits package, including annual vacation of twenty-two (22) working days.
19. How long may a justice of the peace serve?
In addition to the decision noted in FAQ 13, a justice of the peace who is 65 years of age or older may continue in office until he or she reaches 75 years of age, subject to the annual approval of the Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice. 2009, c. 33, Sched. 2, s. 39 (5).
20. Are there part-time justice of the peace positions available?
No. The Committee has the mandate to classify candidates for full-time justice of the peace positions.
21. Are there additional procedures if I apply for a position advertised as “bilingual”?
Courts in Ontario operate in both official languages, English and French. Bilingual justice of the peace positions require a Superior level of oral and written proficiency in French, in addition to a high degree of proficiency in English. If you apply for a position identified as bilingual, you may be required to complete a standardized language proficiency test, on which you must achieve a Superior level of proficiency.
If the Committee requires you to complete a language proficiency test, you will be contacted by the JPAAC Coordinator. Should you have any questions about the results of the test, these MUST be directed to the evaluator.
22. I am a native person. May I self-identify on the application form?
Yes. The Committee encourages native persons to self-identify on the application form.
23. How demanding can I expect the role of a justice of the peace to be?
While most duties fall within a regular business day, a justice of the peace may be required to work at any hour of the day and on weekends or holidays. Justices of the peace are expected to travel within the region to which they are assigned, and occasionally elsewhere in the province. For example, justices of the peace appointed in the Central East Region are subject to assignment to the Telewarrant Centre. Assignments of justices of the peace are at the direction of the Regional Senior Judge or Regional Senior Justice of the Peace.
24. What is the Telewarrant Centre?
The Telewarrant Centre is located in the Central East Region and operates 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. A justice of the peace assigned to the centre will consider Search Warrants and other emergency applications by law enforcement agencies around the province. Shifts are 12 hours in length and a regular rotation of this assignment can be at either the Newmarket or Oshawa Criminal Courthouses. A full rotation lasts 5 weeks and consists of 7 day shifts and 7 night shifts. All justices of the peace in the Central East Region will be assigned to work at least one full rotation per year at the Telewarrant Centre.
25. If I am appointed as a justice of the peace and I have to re-locate, will I be paid for my re-location expenses?
No. If you are required to re-locate to accept your position, any re-location costs are borne by you.
26. I understand that I will be assigned to a base court in my region. What is a base court?
A justice of the peace is assigned a base court. He/she will likely have an office, or an office shared with a colleague, at his/her location.
For details regarding the base court locations, please refer to the Base Court Description webpage at www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/jpaac/base-court-description.
Request for transfer of a justice of the peace’s base court within the first five years of appointment will only be granted in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Chief Justice.
27. Where are the base courts?
Maps showing the location of base courts can be found on the Advertisements page of the Committee’s website at: www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/jpaac/advertisements.
Application Process
28. How do I apply?
When a vacancy for which you wish to apply is advertised, download the Application Form from the Committee’s website at: www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/jpaac/application. Read the application package thoroughly, review the FAQs to answer questions, complete the form and submit the package as detailed in the instructions. If you are applying to more than one vacancy being advertised at the same time, you must indicate all vacancy identifiers on the same form. Be thorough since changes are not allowed to your application once submitted with the exceptions listed in FAQ 15 above.
29. Which application form should I be using?
As of 2012, the first time you apply for an advertised vacancy, you are required to use the full Application Form. Please ensure that you read the application instructions carefully and provide detailed and complete answers (see FAQ 15 above). The form can be downloaded from www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/jpaac/application.
If you are applying within two years of your last full application under the Committee’s revised process, you MUST use the Supplementary Application Form when you apply for an advertised position. Please ensure that you read the application instructions carefully. This form is also available at the above website.
If you are applying two years after your last full application under the Committee’s revised process, you must use the full Application Form again when you apply for an advertised position.
29a. Which application form should I use if I previously applied between April 4, 2009 and August 1, 2011?
Please reference the letter which you have received from the JPAAC Coordinator regarding the process change. The letter will indicate which form to use.
30. What if I missed the deadline to file my application?
Applications received after the closing date will be returned to the candidate.
31. If I have previously applied, when may I re-apply?
You may submit an application for each advertised position using the appropriate form.
32. Can I re-file the application I filed previously?
Each application must be submitted on the current Application Form or Supplementary Application Form, with content supporting the specific advertised vacancy(ies). The form(s) can be downloaded from the Committee’s website at www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/jpaac/application.
33. May I complete a new full Application Form instead of the Supplementary Application Form during the two-year period?
No. In all cases when applying for a “new” advertised vacancy, within two years of the date of a previous application where the “full” Application Form was used, candidates MUST use the Supplementary Application Form. This includes those individuals whose applications were accepted for classification for a previous advertised vacancy that, to date, has not been filled. The only instance where a candidate should use the “full” Application Form once they have already applied under the Vacancy-based Process is two years from the date of their most recently submitted full application under the Committee’s current Vacancy-based Process.
34. How many copies of my full Application Form or Supplementary Application Form do I need to file?
You must submit the signed original plus 8 signed copies for each region to which you are applying. For example, if you are applying simultaneously to two vacancies in base court locations within the same region, you are required to submit the signed original and 8 signed copies. If you are applying simultaneously to two vacancies in base court locations in different regions, you are required to submit the signed original and 16 signed copies.
35. I understand that when submitting a Supplementary Application Form, I am also required to attach a copy of my original full, previously-submitted Application Form. What if I cannot find a copy of the original full Application Form?
You are advised that you are required to attach a copy of your original full Application Form when applying by Supplementary Application Form. This means that during the two years following the completion of the full Application Form, you MUST RETAIN a readily accessible copy of your original Application Form for submission with the Supplementary Application Form in order to apply to subsequent vacancies during the two-year period. It is recommended that you keep both a hard copy and an electronic version.
36. Where do I find the Vacancy Identifier and Region with respect to an advertised vacancy?
The Vacancy Identifier and Region can be found on the Advertisements page of the Committee’s website at: www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/jpaac/advertisements.
37. May I attach additional information and/or letters of reference to my application form?
No. The Committee will review only the documents requested in the prescribed application form.
38. I do not have a copy of my diploma, degree or an official transcript. Do I need to obtain one?
Yes. Your application must contain evidence of your scholastic completion at the post-secondary level. Filing instructions indicate that you are to attach one photocopy of your degree, diploma or official transcript to the back of the signed original application form which you are submitting. Any documents submitted will not be returned.
There is no need to submit evidence of completion of individual courses which you have completed.
39. What will the Committee do with my application if I do not file the required copies or if my application is incomplete?
The following is a sample of the deficiencies the Committee has received during our previous application periods:
- boxes not checked;
- signatures missing;
- pages/copies missing;
- use of incorrect forms;
- handwritten application;
- evidence of degree/diploma omitted and explanation not provided;
- altered full application when submitting the Supplementary Form.
The above is not an exhaustive list of deficiencies, containing only the most common. Please check your application thoroughly before submission to ensure it is complete. Applications cannot be amended following the closing date of an advertised vacancy (see FAQ 15 above). It is the intention of the Committee to return incomplete applications without classification.
40. What will the Committee do with my application if I do not indicate that I meet the requirements of the vacancy?
To be considered for a vacancy for an advertised justice of the peace position, you must clearly indicate that you meet all of the requirements of that vacancy. Failing to demonstrate that you meet the requirements of the vacancy and the General Selection Criteria may result in a Not Qualified classification.
Please Note: the Committee is unable to evaluate candidates who fail to meet or demonstrate that they meet the minimum qualifications for consideration. It is the intention of the Committee to return incomplete applications without classification.
41. After I submit my application, what should if I do if I want to update my personal contact information listed on page 1 of the application form?
You must re-submit, to the JPAAC Coordinator, an updated paper copy of page 1 of the application form with a covering letter advising of the updated information.
42. Should I attend court while preparing my application?
You should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the role of a justice of the peace. The Committee strongly recommends that you attend various courts where a justice of the peace is presiding, such as a Provincial Offences court and Bail court. Should you be unsure of which court you are attending, justices of the peace are identified by a green sash over their robes.
Interviews
43. Will I be interviewed as part of the evaluation process?
The evaluation process may or may not include an interview.
44. If I am interviewed for a vacancy, can the details from that interview be used in the classification for another vacancy I apply to?
Yes. During the classification process for a vacancy, the Committee considers information from a number of sources, including the application provided, references, security and disclosure checks and other interviews held before the Committee. However, the Committee may also choose to re-interview a candidate who has applied for another vacancy.
45. When can I expect to be notified if I am selected for an interview?
The Committee receives a significant number of applications, all of which are thoroughly evaluated. As a result, a considerable amount of time may elapse between the submission of an application and the request by the Committee for the candidate to attend an interview. There may be a very short period of time between an invitation to a candidate to attend an interview and the date of the interview. The Committee may/may not choose to interview you as part of the evaluation process.
46. Who will be present at the interview?
There will be a panel of four or more members of the Committee, at least one of whom will be a lay member from the region of the base court to which you have applied and another of whom will be a judicial member.
47. How should I prepare for the interview?
You should familiarize yourself with the role of a justice of the peace.
48. What do I need to bring to the interview?
You do not need to bring anything to the interview.
49. May I make notes during the interview?
Yes. However, any notes that you make during the interview must be left in the designated location in the interview room.
50. What if I am not able to attend my interview?
The Committee will make every effort to re-schedule your interview.
51. Are my travel expenses and any related costs to attend the interview paid by the Committee?
No. The candidate incurs all travel expenses and related costs to attend the interview.
52. What happens after the interview?
The Committee will classify you. Please see FAQs 4, 5, 6 and 12 above.
Additional Steps
53. When should I advise my referees of my application?
You should contact all referees, in advance of your application, to advise them of your application and of the role of a justice of the peace.
If the contact information for a referee you have provided has changed, you must submit this information to the JPAAC Coordinator immediately. The Coordinator will record that information and provide it to the Committee.
54. When will my referees be contacted?
Referees may be contacted any time after your application is filed; however, they may not be contacted at all, at the discretion of the Committee.
55. What do I do if I want to change a referee after my application is submitted?
Submit any request for change to the JPAAC Coordinator with an explanation for the change and the Committee will consider your request.
56. Security and Disclosure Checks
Please note that candidates will be required to provide permission for the Committee to conduct various security and disclosure checks. The security check consists of a name search through the Canadian Police Information Centre (C.P.I.C.) to obtain information on criminal convictions.
Candidates for appointment as a justice of the peace who are or have been members of a professional organization are required to permit disclosure by the organization to the Committee or the Attorney General of any complaints, charges, insurance or compensation claims made against them to that organization.
57. If I am appointed as a justice of the peace, how soon would I be expected to assume my duties?
Although the JPAAC does not make appointments, the Committee understands that the usual timeline for assuming one’s duties is short, approximately two to three weeks – potentially sooner – after receiving notification of the pending appointment.
March 20, 2013
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