The Justices of the Peace Review Council periodically updates its Procedures Document to clarify and streamline its processes to ensure that the procedures reflect current practices, and to support the remedial objectives of the complaints process. On May 12, 2026, the JPRC amended rules 3, 6, 12 and 15.

The amendments to rules 6 and 15 clarify how materials from the investigation stage of the complaints process, including a justice of the peace’s written response to a complaint, may be used at the hearing stage of the complaints process.

A further amendment to rule 6 clarifies one of the criteria referred to by complaints committees when considering whether to make an interim recommendation to a Regional Senior Judge that a justice of the peace be non-assigned or re-assigned to a different court location pending the disposition of the complaint.

The amendments to rules 3 and 12 clarify the form and scope of the Notice of Hearing. A Notice of Hearing is the originating document for a public hearing of the JPRC and includes the particulars of the allegations against the justice of the peace and a copy of the original letter of complaint that started the complaint process.

Further amendments to rule 3 formalize the JPRC’s existing communications policy and establish new rules on how the JPRC will address voluminous, repetitive, vague and/or abusive correspondence. These new rules are intended ensure the efficient use of JPRC resources in processing complaint correspondence.

The current version of the JPRC Procedures Document is available here: https://www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/conduct/files/JPRC-procedures-EN.pdf.