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2026 Opening of the Courts of Ontario

The Opening of the Courts ceremony for 2026 will be held on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at 3:30 pm.

The ceremony will feature remarks from the Chief Justice of Ontario and President of the Court of Appeal Michael Tulloch, Chief Justice of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice Patrick Boucher, and Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice Sharon Nicklas.

Chief Justice Tulloch will also present the annual Catzman Award for Professionalism and Civility.

The ceremony can be watched live at https://www.youtube.com/live/iyJqT7UgXNw.

(September 24, 2026)

Public Statement by Ontario’s three Chief Justices

Public Statement by Ontario’s three Chief Justices Regarding a Cybersecurity Incident Related to the Ontario Courts

(September 2, 2026)

Rules of Civil Procedure

Today, new amendments to the Rules of Civil Procedure came into force. In particular, the amendments:

• Require that any person signing a factum or expert report must certify that they are satisfied any quotations purported to be taken from an authority accurately reflect the text of the authority, and incorporate this requirement into the Form 53 Acknowledgment of Expert’s Duty [rules 4.06.1, 53.03];
• Clarify that when motions for leave to appeal under specified provisions of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act are heard by a single judge, those motions are subject to the ordinary rule 61.16 appellate single judge motion procedure [rule 61.03.1];
• Revise the procedure for a party to bring a motion in the Court of Appeal or Divisional Court for review of an order made on motion by a single judge of either court under sections 7(5) and 21(5) of the Courts of Justice Act, by allowing more time to serve and file the notice of motion, reducing the time for either party to file subsequent materials, and creating a presumption that the motion is to be heard in writing [rule 61.16]; and
• Eliminate the requirement for lawyers to estimate the time needed for motions in the Court of Appeal and Divisional Court [rules 61.03; 61.16].

Please refer to Ontario Regulation 275/26 for the full text of the amendments.

(September 1, 2026)

Judicial Appointment

Justice Lisa Brownstone Appointed to the Court of Appeal for Ontario

(July 6, 2026)

Amendments to the Criminal Practice Direction

The Court of Appeal released today one amendment to the Criminal Practice Direction. This amendment, which is found at s. 16 of the Criminal Practice Direction, provides direction regarding appeals and motions involving information subject to confidential informer privilege.

(July 3, 2026)

2023-2024 Annual Report

The Court of Appeal is pleased to share the Court’s 2023-2024 Report. The Report provides an overview of the Court’s activities in the 2023 and 2024 calendar years, with court data spanning a ten-year period. We invite you to take some time to explore the Report.

(July 2, 2026)

News – Archive