The JPAAC’s responsibility under the Justices of the Peace Act is to classify candidates for appointment as “Not Recommended”, “Recommended” or “Highly Recommended.” 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.

No. Your classification is not disclosed to you.

No. You may not contact the JPAAC directly to ask about your application, interview or classification.

No. Applications are accepted only during the advertising period for a specific justice of the peace vacancy. Applications are not accepted on an ongoing basis.

To assist candidates with preparing for the next application process, JPAAC has posted the new application form to give candidates an opportunity to review the questions and arrange for court observations in the regions they wish to apply. It is for reference only and not for submission.

To be informed of future vacancies, please register at: Subscribe to Vacancy Notifications (via e-mail). You may also wish to check JPAAC’s Advertisements page which will be updated when vacancies are posted.

The JPAAC advertises for applications for vacant justice of the peace positions upon the request of the Attorney General.

All vacancies are advertised and posted on the JPAAC website, here.

If you would like to receive e-mail notification of advertised vacancies go to the Advertisements page of the JPAAC website and click on the “Subscribe to Vacancy Notifications (via E-Mail)” link on that page.

This is the JPAAC vacancy notification e-mail list. If you are new to this registry and wish to be informed of future vacant justice of the peace positions, sign up here to receive all notices of advertised vacancies for justice of the peace positions throughout the province.

You will receive an acknowledgement e-mail following the receipt of your application. Incomplete or late applications will not be processed for review by the JPAAC.

A panel of committee members will review and evaluate your application. Once the evaluations are complete, the JPAAC will determine which applicants will be interviewed. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Due to the high volume of applications and the thorough work done by the JPAAC, the entire process takes many months. During this time, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. The JPAAC does not provide updates on the status of the process or individual applications. The JPAAC appreciates your understanding and patience as we undertake this process.

Following the evaluation and interviews, all candidates will be classified. The results of the classifications will then be reported to the Attorney General. The Attorney General may, at their discretion, recommend a candidate for appointment as a justice of the peace to the Lieutenant Governor in Council to fill the vacant position.

All applications received become the property of the JPAAC and will NOT be returned.

All communication from the candidate is to be made through the JPAAC Coordinator at JPAAC.Info@ontario.ca. It is not appropriate to contact members of the JPAAC at any stage of the application and evaluation process. However, contacting the JPAAC Coordinator for the purposes of updating your personal contact information or any changes to referees is permitted.

Updates to personal and/or referee contact information are permitted. You must e-mail the JPAAC Coordinator at JPAAC.Info@ontario.ca and advise of the change. The change will be noted on your file.

In addition, you must inform the JPAAC of any changes to personal and other matters (see question 7D of the application form) such as a claim, complaint, review, suspension, sanction or any disciplinary action by a professional organization or regulatory body or involvement in litigation at any time after you have submitted your application.

No. The JPAAC does not provide feedback to candidates. There are also no debriefs provided after the interviews.

The process involved in classifying candidates is lengthy. From the time of the posting of an opening until the position is filled will take many months. Once you have received the acknowledgement that your application has been received, please do not contact the JPAAC Coordinator regarding the status of your application.

A description of the role of a justice of the peace can be found here.

No. The justice of the peace bench is a lay bench. There is no requirement that an applicant for the position have legal education 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 education and mentoring program prior to presiding on their own.

However, it is important that you understand the role of a justice of the peace and fully appreciate the challenges facing new appointees to the Bench. Please ensure you prepare and consider whether becoming a justice of the peace is the right fit for you. Candidates are encouraged to review JPAAC’s website and watch the webinars (2025 will be broadcast after the process is launched) for additional information about the role and the Committee’s process. You will also need to complete court observations for each vacancy/region to which you are applying.

For justice of the peace positions designated as “Indigenous,” candidates of Indigenous heritage with an in-depth understanding of the indigenous communities that vacancy serves are encouraged to apply. Applicants who are not Indigenous persons must demonstrate their cultural competency and in-depth understanding of the Indigenous community in the vacancy to which they are applying to through education, employment and community engagement.

If selected for an interview, candidates for Indigenous vacancies will be asked to submit documentation to support their Indigenous self-identification. This documentation may include:

1. Proof of Identity with a government-recognized First Nations, Métis, or Inuit card; it can include:
   1. certified copy of a status card from the Government of Canada;
   2. certified copy of a Métis Citizenship Card from one of the five Métis Provincial Affiliates or recognized Territorial organizations – Métis Nation of Alberta, Métis Nation of Ontario, Manitoba Métis Federation, Métis Nation Saskatchewan, Métis Nation British Columbia, Northwest-Territory Métis Nation. Additionally, a membership card form the Métis Settlements General Council showing membership in a Métis Settle of Alberta;
   3. certified copy of an Inuit Beneficiaries Group; Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, or other claim regions such as Nunatsiavut, Nunavik, and Inuvialuit; or a Nunavut Trust Certificate Card;
   4. if someone has lost their card, we will accept a letter from the above groups confirming the individual is a registered member;
   5. written confirmation of membership by a recognized band council that has enacted its own band membership code or Traditional passport
2. For community members without clear documentation, we will accept the following to show kinship and identity:
   1. statement of who their First Nation or Inuit community, or Métis settlement of origin is and signed consent to contact said community to corroborate the claim;
   2. a copy of their parent’s proof of identity (see list above) or a written letter confirming their parent was a member of the community or settlement;
   3. a copy of their sixties’ scoop application or acceptance for claim or documentation from child family services that indicates a parent was First Nation’s, Métis, or Inuit;
   4. documentation showing a parent was entered:
      1. in the Indian Register according to the Indian Act,
      2. on the band list of an individual band,
      3. as beneficiaries of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement or other claim regions such as Nunatsiavut, Nunavik, and Inuvialuit,
      4. disenfranchisement documentation.

Indigenous candidates may apply to any justice of the peace vacancies for which they have an interest and not just those designated as “Indigenous”.

Vacancies are advertised by location referencing the name of a municipality where a criminal court of the Ontario Court of Justice is located (e.g., London, Cornwall). Assignments will be at this court location and other courts within the region.

You will be assigned to a location for a vacancy to which you applied. Assignments will include criminal and provincial offences courts in your region as well as telewarrant. Occasionally, you may be asked to preside at other courts in Ontario.

A justice of the peace must remain in the vacancy to which they are appointed and cannot apply to be considered for a transfer for a minimum of at least five years. Please ensure that you are able and willing to preside in the court(s) you are considering before applying to a particular vacancy.

It is important for you to consider how you will manage travel requirements as well as any personal obligations. If selected for an in interview, you may be asked to describe your plans, especially if you do not live near or within the community for the vacancy to which you have applied.

Maps showing the location of courts in each region can be found here.

*Please be advised that these maps may be outdated and should be used for reference purposes only.

Full-time presiding justices of the peace are paid $172,010 per annum; in addition, they have a comprehensive pension and insured benefits package, including annual vacation of twenty-two (22) working days.

Section 6 of the Justices of the Peace Act provides that 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.

No.

Yes. Justices of the peace often preside in courts throughout their region which can involve considerable travel. Travel is also required for initial and continuing education. All justices of the peace, regardless of the region or vacancy to which they are assigned, can expect to be assigned for up to one full rotation in telewarrants. Please consider your ability to travel to all courts in the regions to which you have applied, especially if you do not live near or within that community.

Generally speaking, where a justice of the peace is appointed to sit at a base court location and the justice of the peace does not live within that community or near to it, the Court will expect the justice of the peace to move either to the community or to within a reasonable distance of it within 4 months after the justice of the peace is appointed. The Court has a policy that outlines relocation expenses that are eligible for reimbursement.

You may apply for an advertised vacancy during the period stated in the JPAAC advertisement.

As the JPAAC updates its application form regularly, ONLY the form posted during the advertising period is accepted. Previously posted forms will not be considered

To assist candidates with preparing for the next application process, JPAAC has posted the new application form to give candidates an opportunity to review the questions and arrange for court observations in the regions they wish to apply. It is for reference only and not for submission.

An updated form that can be completed and submitted will be posted with the court locations once the vacancies are advertised.

When a vacancy for which you wish to apply is advertised, download the current application form. Read the application thoroughly, observe the courts, review the Frequently Asked Questions to answer questions and complete the form. E-mail your application as an attachment in PDF format to the JPAAC as detailed in the instructions. Other than updating your contact information or referees, you are not allowed to make changes to your application after the closing date.

You are required to use the current prescribed application form, which is available during an advertising period only. Please ensure that you read the application instructions carefully and in full and provide detailed and complete answers.

To assist candidates with preparing for the next application process, JPAAC has posted the new application form to give candidates an opportunity to review the questions and arrange for court observations in the regions they wish to apply. It is for reference only and not for submission.

An updated form that can be completed and submitted will be posted with the court locations once the vacancies are advertised.

Applications for justice of the peace vacancies are accepted during an advertising period only. Submit your completed application by email to JPAAC.Application@ontario.ca.

Applications submitted outside of the advertising period, or not sent to JPAAC.Application@ontario.ca will not be accepted.

The Ontario Courts of Justice operate in both official languages, English and French. Justice of the peace positions designated as “bilingual” require a Superior level of proficiency in French, in addition to a high degree of proficiency in English. If you apply for a position identified as bilingual and are selected for an interview, you will be required to complete a customized language proficiency test on which you must achieve a Superior level of proficiency.

If the JPAAC requires you to complete a language proficiency test, you will be contacted by the JPAAC Coordinator. Candidates will receive results of French language proficiency after appointments have been made.

In addition to achieving a Superior level result on the customized language proficiency test, you will also be required to demonstrate your fluency in English and French during the interview.

French proficiency tests are valid for two years.  If you have been tested as part of the JPAAC application process and wish to be re-tested within the two-year period, you may do so independently at your own expense. Contact the JPAAC Coordinator at JPAAC.Info@ontario.ca for information on how to arrange for Ontario government-approved French language testing.

Details regarding your testing outcomes may be provided in the Supplementary Information section of the application form. You may also be asked to submit a copy of the evaluator’s report.

Only applications received by the closing deadline can be considered by the JPAAC. Late applications will not be considered. All applications received become the property of the JPAAC and will NOT be returned.

If you are applying to more than one vacancy, you will submit only one application by email to JPAAC.Application@ontario.ca.

For a complete list of vacancies, please see Instructions for Completing JPAAC Application Form.

Interested candidates are encouraged to apply again when a vacancy is advertised. A new application must be submitted for each process. The Committee recommends that interested candidates continue building their skills and abilities to meet all of the qualifications and selection criteria for a justice of the peace and include the updated information in the new application.

No. Each application must be submitted on the current prescribed application form with content supporting the specific advertised vacancy(ies). During an advertising period, the form can be downloaded here. The JPAAC makes changes and refinements to the application form for each discrete process.

To assist candidates with preparing for the next application process, JPAAC has posted the new application form to give candidates an opportunity to review the questions and arrange for court observations in the regions they wish to apply. It is for reference only and not for submission.

An updated form that can be completed and submitted will be posted with the court locations once the vacancies are advertised.

No. The JPAAC will review only the documents requested in the prescribed application form.

If you are selected for an interview, you will be asked to email a scanned copy of your highest post-secondary degree(s) or diploma(s) or certificate(s) you have earned or an official transcript (together with a certified translated copy/ies, if applicable) by a specified deadline date for submission. If you fail to submit proof that you meet the education requirement, your interview will be cancelled. Applicants are urged to compile this information as soon as possible and have it ready when requested. This does not apply to any applicant being granted an interview where the equivalency requirement applies as set out in subsection 2(1.3) of the Justices of the Peace Act.

Yes. Candidates who hold university/college degrees/diplomas from outside Canada are required to supply the JPAAC with a translated certified copy of the degree/diploma/transcript when submitted in a language other than English or French.

IMPORTANT: If you are selected for an interview, you must submit proof that you meet the education requirement. You will be asked to email a scanned copy of your highest post-secondary degree(s) or diploma(s) or certificate(s) you have earned or an official transcript (together with a certified translated copy/ies, if applicable) by a specified deadline date for submission. If you fail to submit proof that you meet the education requirement, your interview will be cancelled. Applicants are urged to compile this information as soon as possible and have it ready when requested. This does not apply to any applicant being granted an interview where the equivalency requirement applies as set out in subsection 2(1.3) of the Justices of the Peace Act.

Proof of Post-secondary Education: Yes. If you are selected for an interview, you must submit proof that you meet the education requirement. You will be asked to email a scanned copy of your highest post-secondary degree(s) or diploma(s) or certificate(s) you have earned or an official transcript (together with a certified translated copy/ies, if applicable) by a specified deadline date for submission. If you fail to submit proof that you meet the education requirement, your interview will be cancelled. Applicants are urged to compile this information as soon as possible and have it ready when requested. Applicants would be well advised to contact their post-secondary institution as soon as possible to give adequate time to process the request for proof of post-secondary education.

Equivalency for Post-secondary Education: If you do not have any post-secondary education and completed the Equivalency portion of this application instead, you are eligible for an interview and will be exempt from providing copies of certificates and diplomas.

The JPAAC has noted some common mistakes that applicants make in filling out or submitting their application which has resulted in the application not being considered. The following is a sample of the mistakes that the JPAAC received from different applicants:

1. did not complete all required sections of the form.  For example, did not report any court observations.
2. vacancy locations for which you wish to be considered not indicated on the application form.
3. did not provide the required four referees, two of which must be work/professional and two of which must be from the community.
4. did not fill out Section 10. Authorization/Attestation.
5. did not indicate that you meet the legislated requirement of having a university degree or a diploma granted by a college of applied arts and technology or another institution as noted under subsection 2(1.1) of the Justices of the Peace Act, or that you meet the equivalency requirement subsection 2(1.3).
6. does not have the required 10 years of full time paid or volunteer work experience.
7. applied to a bilingual justice of the peace position which, as noted in the advertisement, requires a Superior level of proficiency in French. As you did not indicate that you would be able to conduct hearings in French without further training, you therefore do not meet this mandatory requirement for consideration for a designated bilingual position.
8. used the wrong application form or a form from another process.
9. applied to a location not currently advertised.

The above is not a complete list, but it includes some of the most common mistakes. Please check your application thoroughly before submission to ensure it is complete. Incomplete applications will not be considered by the JPAAC. Please carefully read instructions on how to name the file and e-mail it to JPAAC.Application@ontario.ca. Applications cannot be amended following the closing date of an advertised 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 will result in a “Not Recommended” classification.

All applications received become the property of the JPAAC and will NOT be returned.

During the evaluation process, JPAAC members will consider very carefully how the candidates meet the General Selection Criteria for the position. Throughout the application process, candidates shall provide evidence that they meet all of the General Selection Criteria. In addition, the candidate review process will consider the desirability of reflecting the diversity of Ontario’s population in appointments of justices of the peace and an assessment of the skills, abilities, and personal characteristics of candidates against those desired in a justice of the peace.

You must send an e-mail to the JPAAC Coordinator at JPAAC Coordinator at JPAAC.Info@ontario.ca explaining that you wish to update your personal contact information and provide the necessary updated information in that e-mail.

You may withdraw your application for a vacancy at any time in the process, before or after the closing date for applications. All withdrawals must be clearly stated in writing. E-mail the JPAAC Coordinator at JPAAC.Info@ontario.ca and in your message state the specific vacancy location(s) from which you wish to withdraw along with your full name and home address. You may withdraw your application for a single vacancy or for all vacancies for which you have applied in this manner.

The application requires that you are able to demonstrate an understanding of the role of a justice of the peace. Imperative to the evaluation of your application will be your insights from observing justices of the peace, presiding over different types of courts for which justices of the peace preside, including criminal bail court, criminal case management court, provincial offences early resolution court, and provincial offences trial court. We strongly recommend that applicants make every effort to observe each of these courts in action for each of the vacancies to which they have applied. The application form (question #5A) requires applicants to detail the observations that they have made within the past 12 months.

All applicants even those who have a legal education or experience in the criminal justice system need to conduct court observations.

The Committee encourages candidates to start court visits as soon as possible. Given the brief advertising period, it is important to plan ahead as you will need to attend 3 different types of courts where justices of the peace preside. The specific type of court you would like to observe may not always be scheduled so you may need to attend several times.

Please note: the new Interim Observer Policy – Accessing a Criminal Court Proceeding, effective July 16, 2025.

Justices of the Peace preside in hearings respecting criminal law and Provincial Offences Act (POA) matters.

With respect to the criminal law, they preside over almost all judicial interim release (bail) hearings in the province and the majority of criminal remand courts (appearances that occur prior to a trial). Additionally, they also preside over other criminal hearings. They receive informations (the documents that commence criminal proceedings) to confirm or consider the issuance of process by either a summons or a warrant. They are responsible for receiving and considering the denial or issuance of search warrants and other matters of criminal process.

With respect to the provincial offences jurisdiction, justices of the peace exercise jurisdiction over the whole range of provincial offences and offences against municipal by-laws such as traffic offences. In this regard, their duties include issuing process, receiving applications for warrants, and presiding over provincial offence trials under various statutes.

For further reading about the role of a justice of the peace, please visit here.

To observe these hearings, we recommend that you contact the relevant courts in the vacancy to which you are applying and ask for a schedule to observe hearings where a justice of the peace is presiding. Finding the right court, at the right time that is hearing the matter you wish to observe may take some effort. You must plan ahead as the specific type of court you would like to observe may not always be scheduled so you may need to attend several times. Please be patient and remain courteous to busy court staff.

To request information for hearing access, please contact the relevant courthouse, preferably by email, using the subject line, “Hearing Access Request” and identifying the type of case you want to attend and for information related to the schedule to participate as an observer. Please ensure to include your name in the request.

A court staff may ask you for a specific case name or number. In these instances, please ask for the next available case or court (bail, POA, etc.) where a justice of the peace is presiding.

At all times, when observing, please remain courteous and allow the participants to complete their matters without interruption.

Access to Daily Court Lists and Court Locations

The daily court lists online service provides information about upcoming appearances in the Ontario Court of Justice. The daily court lists include the case name, time, room number and reason for the court appearance. In order to access the daily courts lists at the Ontario Court of Justice, please click here.

For example, if you would like to observe a bail hearing, you will be able to see this information on the daily court list as it indicates the type of hearing for each matter. To reach out to a court location, the email contact information for Ontario Court of Justice locations is available here and phone numbers are available here. This link also provides a complete list of Ontario court locations sorted alphabetically by city. If you wish to observe a bail hearing, please first determine which court location to visit. Subsequently, view the respective daily court list of the court location.

However, if you wish to observe a provincial offences court proceeding, the list of all POA courts is available here. You will be able to find the court location addresses as well as the email addresses for inquiries.

Please contact local court staff for information about a matter you believe is ongoing that is not shown on the website. For a specific courthouse information, please visit here. Please click on the courthouse location where there is an email address for general inquires.

Please note: Should you have any difficulty connecting with court to make these observations, please inform JPAAC at JPAAC.info@ontario.ca so the issue can be reviewed.

The classification process may or may not include an interview.

Yes. During the classification process for a vacancy, the JPAAC considers information from a number of sources, including the application provided, references, security and disclosure checks and other interviews held before the Committee.

Please make every effort to accommodate the date and time assigned for the interview. The JPAAC has many interviews to conduct and scheduling is a challenge. If you have a legitimate reason that you cannot attend at the time and date assigned, the JPAAC will try to reschedule your interview.

All contact with JPAAC is to be done through the JPAAC Coordinator at JPAAC.Info@ontario.ca.

The JPAAC policies and processes for the review and evaluation of candidates are in compliance with the accessibility provisions under the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001. Please contact the JPAAC Coordinator at JPAAC.Info@ontario.ca to advise of the accommodation required.

The JPAAC will classify you.

The JPAAC 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 JPAAC 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 interview panel will consist of at least three (3) JPAAC members – and likely more – who will be present at the interview, including judicial members of the Ontario Court of Justice as well as public members appointed by the Attorney General of Ontario.

You do not need to bring anything to the interview, unless requested ahead of time by the JPAAC.

Yes. You may be asked to destroy those notes at the conclusion of the interview.

Please carefully consider who you choose as referees. Applicants are required to provide two professional and two community referees. These referees should be able to directly speak to your experience and must be able to answer questions about you and your involvement.

Please choose a mix of references who can speak to your different work and community service experiences. All four referees must be different people. You may not use the same referee for both a work and community service referee. Referees need to be specific people and cannot be offices, such as “the Volunteer Coordination Office”. You must provide current and complete contact information for all referees.

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 at JPAAC.Info@ontario.ca immediately. Please also ensure that you advise JPAAC if the availability of your referees changes, and they can no longer be contacted.

Referees may be contacted any time after your application is submitted; however, they may not be contacted at all, at the discretion of the JPAAC.

Submit any request for change to the JPAAC Coordinator at JPAAC.Info@ontario.ca with an explanation in writing for the change and the JPAAC will consider your request.

Candidates for appointment as a justice of the peace who are and/or have been members of one or more professional organizations or associations are required to permit the organization(s) to disclose to the JPAAC or the Attorney General any complaints, charges, insurance or compensation claims made against them.

Professions with organizations or associations include but are not limited to: accountant, forester, lawyer, military officer, nurse, paralegal, police officer, social worker and teacher.

You must complete and sign a separate form for each professional organization or association to which you are and/or have been a member.

Applicants who are required by their profession to have professional indemnity insurance will be asked to disclose this on their application and permit the insurance carrier to disclose any claims made against them.

Although the JPAAC does not make appointments, the JPAAC 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.