Ontario Judicial Council
The Role of the Ontario Judicial Council
The Ontario Judicial Council was established by the Courts of Justice Act, R.S.O. 1990, Ch. C.43 to investigate complaints made by the members of the public about conduct of provincially-appointed judges.
In addition, it approves the continuing education plan for provincial judges. The Council has approved criteria for continuation in office and standards of conduct developed by the Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice which are called the Principles of Judicial Office.
Any complaint about the conduct of a federally-appointed judge in Ontario should be directed to the Canadian Judicial Council in Ottawa.
Composition of the Council and Terms of Appointment
The Ontario Judicial Council includes:
the Chief Justice of Ontario (or designate from the Court of Appeal)
the Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice (or designate from the Ontario Court of Justice)
the Associate Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice
a Regional Senior Judge of the Ontario Court of Justice appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council on the recommendation of the Attorney General
two judges of the Ontario Court of Justice appointed by the Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice
the Treasurer of The Law Society of Upper Canada or another bencher of the Law Society who is a lawyer, designated by the Treasurer
a lawyer who is not a bencher of The Law Society of Upper Canada, appointed by the Law Society
four persons, neither judges nor lawyers, who are appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council on the recommendation of the Attorney General
The judges appointed by the Chief Justice, the lawyer appointed by the Law Society of Upper Canada, and the community members appointed by the Lieutenant Governor hold office for four year terms and may not be re-appointed. In the appointment of these members to the Council, the importance of reflecting Ontario�s linguistic duality and the diversity of its population and ensuring overall gender balance on the Council is recognized.
Making a Complaint
If you have a complaint about the conduct of a provincially-appointed judge, you must state your complaint in a signed letter. The letter of complaint should include the date, time and place of the court hearing and as much detail as possible about why you feel there was misconduct. If your complaint involves an incident outside the courtroom, you will need to provide as much information as you can about what you feel was misconduct on the part of the judge. For more information, see the Council�s brochure, Do you have a complaint?
Unique Facebook User ID:
Last Updated: Jun 05, 2013 12:45 AM
Type of Post:
Place of Post: