It has been over five months since the COVID-19 pandemic largely shut down in person hearings at the Cobourg Courthouse on William Street. Court operations have been limited to urgent matters that are dealt with over audioconference and some videoconference.
This has left many people – lawyers, litigants, police, service providers, court service workers, and community stakeholders – with questions about when full operations will resume and how.
In the background, various parties have collaborated in order to come up with solutions and adapted procedures to bring the courts back online amidst the global health crisis and usher the justice system into the 21st century.
“If there is any positive out of COVID, it is that the courts were forced into the digital era. It’s something that has been talked about and considered for quite some time. But, as the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention” said Northumberland County Crown Attorney, Russell Wood.
The Crown Attorney’s office is responsible for prosecuting all criminal offences, other than drug charges, in the area.
Even though the courts were partially closed, it didn’t stop the charges from coming in.
As a result, the system has a sizeable backlog that must be addressed.
Much of this involves people who have yet to make an appearance on their matters, obtain disclosure or retain a lawyer to assist them.
Previously, matters were dealt with by way of “presumptive adjournments,” which meant that they were simply put off for several weeks while alternative procedures could be implemented.
That time is now.
Today’s Northumberland has learned that the new virtual case management court is scheduled to begin in Cobourg on Wednesday, September 23rd.
That means that individuals with matters on the criminal court list that day will be able to attend the court through video or audio conference to have their matter addressed.
In pre-pandemic times, such appearances would involve an attendance at the courthouse where people would often have to wait several hours in a busy and often crowded courtroom. A situation that would clearly be contrary to current COVID health guidelines.
In the meantime, Crown Attorney Wood encourages people with outstanding criminal charges to reach out to his office to obtain their disclosure package, which is the evidence collected during the investigation.
This process, unlike the former in person and paper method, can now be accomplished very efficiently over e-mail by contacting VirtualCrownCobourg@Ontario.ca.
The County Courthouse also expects to resume in-person hearings on a limited basis for trial matters as of the week of September 14th.
Similar re-openings have occurred in neighboring jurisdictions of Peterborough and Lindsay with extensive safety precautions in place. Criminal trials have been conducted without any reported COVID exposures.
For future updates and more information, people are asked to check out the Ontario Court of Justice website at https://www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/covid-19/.
This site is regularly updated and has a specific page for self-represented individuals who may be feeling particularly anxious about their outstanding legal matters.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
