OPENING OF COURTS REMARKS
THE HONOURABLE GEOFFREY B. MORAWETZ,
CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE ONTARIO SUPERIOR COURT OF JUSTICE
SEPTEMBER 25, 2025

Introduction

Thank you, Chief Justice Tulloch.  And also a thank you to Chief Justice Nicklas.  It is a privilege to work with both of you.

Good afternoon everyone. I am honoured to welcome all of you today, including the many distinguished guests, colleagues, members of the Ontario Bar, journalists, members of the public and friends who join us for this important occasion.

In my remarks today, I have much to share about the Superior Court’s work, activities and plans for the future.  This work aims to enhance and preserve the public’s trust in our justice system, the rule of law, and our court’s ability to deliver timely, accessible, and effective justice.

Five Year Strategic Plan

As part of this work, the Court has developed a five year strategic plan – our roadmap to the year 2030.  It outlines the Court’s objectives and how we will achieve them. This strategic plan is based on five pillars:

• First, the court will continue to modernize how it operates.
• Second, is improving its ability to deliver timely justice.
• Third, the court is streamlining processes to enhance and improve access to justice.
• Fourth, the court is sharing more information and conducting more outreach to the media and public to build Ontarians’ trust and confidence in the judicial system.
• Fifth, the court will continue its advocacy for safer and more secure courthouses across the province.

Revamped Ontario Superior Court of Justice Website

Much of this work is already underway.  In fact, you can read more about the Court’s five year plan on our new and improved website, which launched in June.

Whether you are a sole practitioner in a remote rural location, a juror, a self-represented litigant, a journalist or just curious about our court and how to observe a proceeding, everyone can find what they need.

Courts Digital Transformation

As many of you already know, the Superior Court is on the cusp of a significant modernization project – the implementation of an end to end digital solution. Long overdue, this new digital system will replace our currently disconnected technologies with one integrated, seamless platform across all areas of law.

This is a truly user-centered product for everyone: the judiciary, staff, as well as the lawyers and parties before Ontario’s trial courts.  It is hard for me to believe that we are around the corner from this transformation. I first approached Attorney General Downey four years ago with a request that his government procure an off the shelf digital end to end solution.  Ontario is now one of the largest jurisdictions to pursue digitizing an entire justice system. It will fundamentally transform the way that the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Ontario Court of Justice, staff, the bar and litigants operate.

I am thankful to Attorney General Doug Downey.  None of this would have been possible without his commitment to a modern and efficient justice system for Ontarians and his advocacy for the resources required for this transformation.  The collaborative relationship with Attorney General Downey and Deputy Attorney General David Corbett and his staff at the Ministry of the Attorney General has been a defining characteristic in my time as Chief Justice and I am grateful for it.

This digital transformation will roll out in phases.  We are excited to launch the first phase in Toronto right after Thanksgiving weekend for all Family and Civil matters; including Bankruptcy, Commercial, contested Estates, the Small Claims Court, and Divisional Court.

It will then be expanded to Toronto’s Criminal matters in 2027.  After that, it will roll out by region across the rest of the province.

To the entire Courts Digital Transformation team – thank you.  And thank you for the hard work and leadership of Peter O’Keefe, Assistant Deputy Attorney General of the Courts Technology and Transformation Division, Jessica Smith, the Director for this project and Carole Pham De-Leon, senior manager for this project, and special thanks to our Court’s project lead Michelle Bouthiette. Her expertise, hard work and tireless commitment to this project has been invaluable.

I do not expect the roll out to be perfect or without challenges. Supporting each other through this transformation will be vital. Big changes often bring stress and uncertainty, but together, we will navigate them with empathy and patience.  And, together we will put Ontario on the map as leaders of a truly modern justice system.

Technology in Courtrooms

A modern digital justice system also requires the technological infrastructure in our courtrooms to support the use of digital materials seamlessly whether the hearing is virtual, hybrid or in person.

It also requires reliable connectivity and sufficient bandwith in our courtrooms to ensure counsel and litigants can efficiently and effectively use the Court’s mandatory hearing management platform – Case Center.

I am pleased to report that this work is well underway.

By the end of 2026, at least fifty percent of the Superior Court’s courtrooms in each region will be equipped with the necessary technology.  I am grateful to all involved in this critical work for our justice system with special thanks to Pratima Gounden, Eric Ward, Mounir Makarem, Lindsay Fyke, Serge Fournier, David Scott and everyone on your teams.

Litigants, the bar, the judiciary and the public expect reliable technologies that support a digitized modern justice system in all types of hearings – no matter where they are in the province.  This will require ensuring that the remaining fifty percent of Ontario’s Superior Court’s courtrooms are equipped accordingly.  Mr. Attorney General, I welcome the opportunity to continue our collaboration to make this happen for Ontarians.

While the Court has laid a strong foundation to support a more efficient, transparent and accessible justice system, new technologies only go so  far.

Improving Timely Justice

Improving timely justice is the second pillar of our Court’s five year plan. In addition to a properly resourced justice system, the Court must take a good, hard look at its own processes and determine what needs to be eliminated, enhanced and streamlined. That work is well underway.

Our Court’s efforts to improve timely justice will not succeed without a shared commitment from all participants in the justice system to adopt new practices.

While our Court will be taking greater responsibility in setting the pace of litigation and enforcing the Court’s rules and practice directions, I also look to the leaders of the Bar to set the example and embrace the responsibility for using court resources most efficiently.

A critical key to achieving our objectives for timely justice is more judicial resources.  Simply put: there are not enough judges to meet the demands of the number of cases in the system.

The stakes are high. Without timely justice, the health and well-being of families and children are in jeopardy.  Without timely justice, criminal cases are at risk of being stayed – never having been heard on their merits.  And without timely civil justice, Ontario’s economic stability is threatened.

Deputy Minister Shalene Curtis-Micallef, thank you for attending today.  I appreciate Minister Sean Fraser’s deep commitment to public service and I am confident your government will do its best to address the needs of Ontarians.

We will soon be reaching a significant milestone in our work towards achieving timely justice for Civil matters  – a transformation of the Rules of Civil Procedure is around the corner.  A transformation that will fundamentally reshape Ontario’s civil justice system.

Civil Rules Review

When I was appointed Chief Justice in July 2019, I envisioned two major transformations for the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.  The first was an end to the paper-based justice system.  The second, which is no less daunting, is a complete reform of the Rules of Civil Procedure. These rules have not been updated for more than 40 years.  My vision for this reform was not just to tinker with the Rules.  Rather, the current state of our civil justice system requires wholesale reform.

In the fall of 2023, Attorney General Downey and I announced a Civil Rules Review (“CRR”).  As part of this project, we assembled a talented team dedicated to this work.  This Working Group was mandated to propose reforms to make Ontario’s civil justice system more efficient, affordable, and accessible for Ontarians.   Just as fundamentally, we asked the Working Group to reimagine our civil justice system to make it more effective and responsive to the needs of litigants.

The CRR’s Working Group, supported by dedicated subgroups of lawyers and academics, set to work on developing a new process model for civil litigation in Ontario. That process model, along with numerous ancillary proposed reforms, was outlined in the Working Group’s Phase 2 Consultation Paper, which was then the subject of broad consultation with justice system stakeholders between April 1, 2025 and June 16, 2025.

The Working Group’s co-chairs, Justice Cary Boswell and Ms. Allison Spiegel, connected with thousands of lawyers and members of the public about these proposals through speaking-engagements. They sparked rigorous debate – which I welcomed.

As many of you may have read, the Phase 2 report responded to the call to reengineer how cases should progress through the civil justice system.   The Working Group asked for feedback from consultees by June 16^th.  They received over 200 submissions from a broad range of stakeholders totalling over 2000 pages of written input.

Members of the CRR Working Group have carefully considered all submissions and are preparing a final report of recommended proposals, an executive summary of which was delivered to the Attorney General and myself on September 12, 2025.  It is clear that the committee conducted a thoughtful review of all consultee submissions, which informed their final recommendations as outlined in their executive summary.   These recommendations include proposals for fundamental reform across each of the core stages of a civil action.

The proposed reform begins with substantively transforming how civil claims are commenced by providing for a single point of entry into the civil justice system. The CRR Working Group proposes eliminating the previous distinctions between actions and applications and adopting a single originating process – a Notice of Claim – as the entry point to the civil justice system for all types of proceedings. The focus of this entry point is on substance over form.

A key thread woven throughout the proposed rule reforms is the imposition of strict deadlines, an objective necessary to bring about the cultural change required to a reform of our civil justice system.

While the CRR Working Group recommends substantial changes to the conduct of civil proceedings in Ontario, the submissions they received have led to significant revisions to the reforms originally proposed in their Phase 2 Report.

Central to those revisions is the creation of a proposed three-track system, with distinct processes for applications, summary hearing cases, and high value cases. These distinct tracks offer reduced processes and cost efficiencies for lower and moderate valued cases and other matters suitable for summary determination, together with improved efficiency and timelines in higher value cases.  The creation of this proposed three-track system will allow for limited, focused oral examinations for discovery in the higher value track while the up-front evidence model is proposed for both the Summary Hearing and High Value Tracks with some modest differences applied between them.

The Attorney General and I are currently studying the CRR Working Group’s findings and recommendations.  At this time, nothing has been decided. Nevertheless, let me reiterate that the status quo is not an option.

Access to justice requires a civil justice system that is effective, timely, relevant and responsive. We do not have that and our province’s economic interest and our country’s national interests, now, more than ever, requires a timely and accessible civil justice system. Access to timely civil justice is a cornerstone of a well-functioning market economy. The public demands change.  We must – and we will – do better.

Once the Attorney General and I receive the CRR Working Group’s report, we will provide our approvals and direction in due course which will be followed by the development of all necessary related implementation plans and transitional requirements.

It is essential that we take the necessary time to ensure an effective implementation of the agreed upon modification to the Rules.  However, I wish to be very clear, substantive changes will be forthcoming.

In the meantime, I extend my sincere thanks to every member of the working group. Each of you generously contributed your time and expertise. You have provided an invaluable public service to all Ontarians.  I also extend my sincere thanks to members of the Bar and other civil justice stakeholders who took the time and effort to provide your insight – your engagement has been nothing short of exceptional.  I am proud to be part of a community that cares so deeply and passionately about our justice system – thank you.

The reform of the Rules of Civil Procedure is poised to be one of the most ambitious, dramatic, and comprehensive civil justice transformations Canada has ever seen.  Provided it is sufficiently judicially resourced, I expect the new Rules of Civil Procedure to deliver timely and accessible justice for all Ontarians. Our aim is to provide parties with a resolution to their dispute within two years of a new case entering the system. Ambitious – yes.  But maintaining the status quo poses the greatest risk of all.

Enhancing access to justice and public trust

Access to justice is the third pillar of our five year strategic plan and our Court has already taken a number of steps towards this work.  Our court recently developed new and comprehensive guides for self-represented litigants to help them navigate their way through the Court process. This work will continue by developing further resources to support self-represented litigants.

To ensure the effective operation of the adversarial system and access to legal representation when needed, self-represented litigants require legal and non-legal support. I am grateful to our Court’s most recent engagement with Legal Aid Ontario to collaborate on piloting solutions to provide more assistance to those appearing in our Family and Criminal Courts without a lawyer.  Thank you to Aileen Page, President and CEO of Legal Aid Ontario.  I look forward to our continued engagement and work together.

I am also keen to resume discussions on the expansion of Ontario’s Unified Family Courts. Expanding these specialized courts will enhance access to justice for Ontario families.  I was encouraged by the momentum on expansion last year.  I hope that we can resume our collaborative work with the Ontario Court of Justice and the provincial and federal governments to advance this important step for all families and children across Ontario.

That spirit of collaboration extends to one of the Court’s most important stakeholders – the journalists who cover our hearings and represent the ‘eyes and ears’ of the public.

Last year my office created a media relations committee, comprised of judges, journalists from every major news outlet, and representatives from the Ministry of the Attorney General.   I am grateful for the work this committee has accomplished to date including developing a comprehensive ‘media guide’ that will be released later this year.

Security

When it comes to modernization and reform, efficiency and accessibility, the Ontario Superior Court is making great strides. Yet, it is all for naught, if our courthouses and courtrooms – physical and virtual – are not safe for all who attend.

I am grateful to the recent steps that have been taken by the government and the police to improve security at our courthouses and I am hopeful for what I expect will be the necessary urgency and collective will to ensure our courthouses are safe and secure for everyone, today, and into the future.

Thanks to the judiciary and the staff

Our Court is Canada’s largest superior court. More than 340 judges, 23 associate judges and a 251 deputy judges, administer justice every day across Ontario. My colleagues hear the province’s most serious and complex criminal matters.  They hear all of Ontario’s civil cases, including commercial matters which last year amounted to more than 75,000 new civil claims and over 62,000 new cases in the Small Claims Court. Our family court judges make decisions about divorce, child custody and protection, adoption, and the division of property. In 2024, it added up to roughly 40,000 new family matters.  The majority of cases at Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice are not diverted away or withdrawn from the justice system.  In other words, the workload of our judiciary is immense.

Our judges face heavier caseloads, more plentiful evidence and far more self-represented litigants. And they do it all with excellence. Our judiciary delivers fair and impartial justice every day. They do so based on the law and the facts, independent of undue influence or political interference. Thank you all for your work and your public service and thankful for the commitment and work of their associations – the Ontario Superior Court Judges’ Association and the Ontario Associate Judges’ Association.

Thank you as well for all the hard work and support of the Court’s Executive, the eight Regional Senior Judges, Associate Chief Justice Faye McWatt and Senior Family Judge Suzanne Stevenson.

At last year’s opening of courts, I described the staff who support the operations of the justice system as the “wizards behind the curtain”. That remains a good description of your many contributions.  Thank you to all employees of the Court Services Division and to the staff of my office, including the Executive and Deputy Executive Legal Officers, counsel, all Regional Managers, Trial Coordinators, Assistant Trial Coordinators, and Judicial Assistants. I recognize your service, your dedication and your hard work to maintain the administration of justice.  You should feel proud of your work. Without you, the justice system would not function.

I would also like to thank and welcome the Ministry’s new Chief Administrative Officer Erika Cotter and the new Assistant Deputy Attorney General of Court Services Division, Katie Wood.  It is clear that you have been well prepared for your roles by the exceptional leadership of your predecessors Paula Reid and Samantha Poisson. You exercise the same solution-oriented approach that has proven key to improving the administration of justice.  Congratulations to you both.  You have my unreserved confidence. I appreciate that we share the objective of providing the people of Ontario with a well equipped, modern and secure justice system. One that is supported by well resourced and trained court staff.

Conclusion

Yes, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice has ambitious goals. They are  commitments to become more effective, efficient, relevant and responsive for all Ontarians. We have momentum. And with the continued dedication of our judiciary, court staff, partners at the Ministry and in the community; we are shaping a justice system that meets the demands of today, anticipates the needs of tomorrow while upholding the principles that define us.

Thank you.  Merci.  Miigwech.