On September 17, 2020, recent amendments to the Ontario
Class Proceedings Act, 1992 were proclaimed into force
effective October 1, 2020. The amendments were made as part of the
Smarter and Stronger Justice Act, 2020, which received
Royal Assent on July 8, 2020. The amendments to the CPA will,
subject to specified exceptions, only apply to class proceedings
commenced on or after October 1, 2020.
The amendments (which we have written about previously
here) are the first significant overhaul of the CPA since the
legislation's inception. Among other things, the changes
will:
- make it easier for courts and defendants to address
unmeritorious cases at an earlier stage by allowing
pre-certification motions to dispose of or narrow the issues;
and
