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ARTICLE · 31 JANUARY 2022

Changes To The Rules Of Civil Procedure Coming March 31, 2022

McLeish Orlando LLP
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The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a significant backlog in Ontario court cases. This backlog continues to worsen and is causing unprecedented delays in the judicial system.

CanadaLitigation, Mediation & Arbitration
Lindsay Charles
Lindsay Charles
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Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a significant backlog in Ontario court cases. This backlog continues to worsen and is causing unprecedented delays in the judicial system.

On March 31, 2022, significant changes to the Rules of Civil Procedure will take effect that enforce stricter timelines and add rules to ensure parties are moving cases forward. While these changes will not drastically improve the backlog of cases on their own, they demonstrate a concentrated effort towards running efficient and short trials.

Major Changes

Pre-Trial Conferences

An addition to the Rules will require pre-trial conferences to be scheduled for a date no more than 120 days and no fewer than 30 days before the date when trial is scheduled to begin or the first day of the sitting during which the trial is expected to be held. This new timeline is to be taken into account by the Registrar when placing an action on the trial list. The new Rule will apply to actions

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