Divisional — Toronto Region

Effective October 14, 2025 This Consolidated Practice Direction for the Toronto Region (“Practice Direction”) supersedes all previous Toronto notices and includes specific Toronto Region direction. It should be read in conjunction with the Provincial Practice Directions, which can be found here: Provincial Practice Directions.

(i) Filing:

34. All filings for Criminal matters must be emailed to the following address:

    Toronto.SCJ.Criminalintake@ontario.ca and must comply with the court filing requirements in R. 4.01 of the Criminal Proceedings Rules and follow the direction in Part I of the Provincial Practice Direction for Criminal Proceedings. (ii) Case Center:

35. Detailed instructions outlining counsel’s responsibilities in uploading materials to Case Center are set out in Part I of the Consolidated Provincial Practice Directions or can be found in Case Center in the Superior Court of Justice: A Guide to Requirements.

36. The status of Case Center expansion for Criminal matters in Toronto is as follows:

    Case Center is being used for summary conviction appeals, prerogative remedies/special motions, Judicial pre-trials, pre-trial motions, bail hearings, bail reviews and trials. In summary, Case Center shall be used for all criminal events except for the following events:

    • Trial Readiness;
    • Assignment Court;
    • Bail Estreatments; and
    • TBST matters.

37. Upon service and filing of documents, counsel must immediately upload the filed documents to Case Center. If necessary, counsel should contact the Criminal Intake Office to obtain a Case Center invite for the event. Uploading to Case Center the morning of or at the beginning of the hearing, must be avoided.

38. Case Center does not replace service and court filing. Crown and defence counsel must serve and file materials with the court by email in accordance with the applicable rules in the Criminal Proceedings Rulesand Criminal Code and in accordance with the notices.
39. Court Services Division must maintain the electronic file in the appropriate system that has been developed for maintaining the court record.
40. Counsel must have a current email on file with the court. Counsel must ensure that their current email address is included on all court filings.
41. Parties must make Case Center a trusted sender by saving casecenter.com in their contacts list, or regularly check their junk folder for emails from Case Center.
42. Upon receipt of an email from Case Center, which will be sent prior to the hearing, click the registration link to register. Counsel can also register in advance at https://ontariocourts.casecenter.thomsonreuters.com/. It is recommended that counsel prepare by creating an account in Case Center in advance.
43. For more information about Case Center including how to upload documents to Case Center and tips for using it, see the links set out in the Consolidated Provincial Practice Directions.
44. If the Court provides any direction at a judicial pretrial that a matter should not use Case Center in an upcoming pretrial motion, plea or trial, or any special instructions regarding whether certain documents can/cannot be uploaded onto Case Center, counsel is responsible for placing this information on the record.

45. Use the following document naming convention when documents are submitted to the court in electronic format. Each document must indicate the following information:

    • Document type
    • Type of party submitting the document
    • Name of the party submitting the document (including initials if the name is not unique to the case), and
    • Date on which the document was created or signed, in the format DD-MMM-YYYY (e.g. 12-JAN-2021)

46. If uploading documents that will require the in-court registrar to stamp as exhibits, please upload these documents individually as only one electronic exhibit stamp can be added per document.

47. If a document is marked as an exhibit during the hearing, Registrars will download the document and retain it in the usual manner exhibits are retained for the court file.
48. Case Center is not to be used for any matter where the accused is self-represented.

49. Items that should not be uploaded onto Case Center:

    • No materials related to child pornography;
    • No document referring to a confidential informant;

    • Unless specifically directed by the court to do otherwise, Crown and defence counsel will not upload the following documents into Case Center:

      • a sealed document;
      • a document for which a sealing order is sought;
      • a privileged document, or a document where privilege is being asserted;
      • any other document where counsel have concerns, until judicial direction is given.

1. The Courts Digital Transformation (CDT) initiative will launch its new digital justice solution for the Toronto region on October 14, 2025.
2. The Courts Digital Transformation (CDT) initiative is a digital justice solution that replaces existing non-integrated systems with an end to end solution that integrates the filing system, the case management system and Case Center. This digital solution will roll out in phases commencing with the Toronto Region, for all Family and Civil matters; including Bankruptcy, Commercial, contested Estates, the Small Claims Court, and Divisional Court.
3. Beginning on October 14, 2025, all electronic court filings for Toronto Family proceedings, Civil proceedings (including Bankruptcy, Commercial List and Contested Estates), Small Claims Court proceedings and Divisional Court proceedings and Enforcement must be submitted through the Ontario Courts Public Portal (OCPP) which replaces the Justice Services Online Portal.
4. OCPP is integrated with the new, internal case management platform. This internal platform, used by court staff to process filings, is now integrated with Case Center. This integration with Case Center will eliminate the need for parties and their representatives to upload already filed material into Case Center. Moving forward, new single upload of filed electronic documents for parties accepted for filing will be uploaded to Case Center by court staff for use before and during hearings.
5. All confirmation and scheduling forms are to be submitted through OCPP.

6. If an urgent hearing request is sought, the form must be submitted through OCPP and flagged as time sensitive, and parties must send an email to the appropriate trial coordination office alerting staff of the request. Select this option only if you are submitting documents for a hearing or deadline that is three or fewer business days away, including if you need to meet a timeline for a step in the proceeding established by legislation, court rules, court practice or a court order that is three business days or fewer away. This helps court staff identify and prioritize time-sensitive submissions. Documents submitted for a hearing or deadline that is four or more business days away are not considered time-sensitive.

   Note: This option will be automatically selected if the filing has already been deemed time sensitive by the court.

7. Any document filed through the OCCP, which will be pushed to Case Center by court staff, shall not exceed 500 pages.

8. Parties must meet all filing deadlines set out in this practice direction to ensure that documents are available in Case Center in advance of the hearing. Parties should still review the hearing bundle in Case Center bundles 24 hours before the hearing to ensure that material that have been filed with the Court and are required for the hearing are present.
9. Some documents will continue to be uploaded into Case Center by the parties, such as compendiums and materials parties are proposing to be tendered as exhibits. Once a document has been uploaded into the appropriate section of the Case Center bundle for their appearance, the expectation is that document is before the Court. Parties must ensure they do not delete a document after they have uploaded it to Case Center. You can learn more about Case Center on the Court’s website here.
10. A new account will be required the first time OCPP is used. Please refer to section 1.2 of the OCCP User Guide guidance on how to create an account and other helpful information on how to navigate the OCCP which can be found here.
11. The OCPP must be accessed from within North America. If counsel or a party is unable to make arrangements to file within North America (for example, by using a process server), they may file by email:
    • Toronto.scj.civilintake@ontario.ca for Civil matters
    • Toronto.scj.familyintake@ontario.ca for Family matters
    • Toronto.commercial.filings@ontario.ca for Commercial List matters
    • Toronto.estates.filings@ontario.ca for Estates List matters
    • Toronto.bankruptcy.filings@ontario.ca for bankruptcy matters
    • DivCourtSchedule@ontario.ca for Divisional Court matters
    • Civiljudgesmotions@ontario.ca for motions scheduling

12. For questions or help with electronic filing using OCPP, including fee payment through the portal, counsel and parties can contact the Court Services Division’s Contact Centre for Online Services by telephone or email:

    Ministry of Attorney General – Court Services Division Contact Centre:

    • CourtsPortal@ontario.ca
    • Tel: 647-438-0403
    • Toll-free: 1-800-980-4962
    • TTY: 416-368-4202
    • Toll-free TTY: 1-833-820-0714

For guidelines to determine the mode of proceeding for family matters, effective June 15, 2023, parties should consult “Part III. Guidelines to Determine Mode of Proceeding : Family” in the Consolidated Provincial Practice Direction for Family Proceedings at the Superior Court of Justice. The following summary lists the presumptive modes of proceedings before a judge for family matters in Toronto as provided for in the Guidelines to Determine Mode of Proceeding in Family:

While the Presumptive Modes Guideline will be followed, whether to change the presumptive mode of a proceeding is ultimately at the discretion of the judiciary. The following is the process to request a change to the presumptive mode:

1. Requests shall be made during conferences to the conference judge or in court to the judge scheduling the next attendance.
2. For matters that are already scheduled, parties may file a request for a virtual hearing form, which can be found here. The form must be filed through the Ontario Courts Public Portal, and also attached to an email to the following address: FamilyTrialOffice-SCJ-Toronto@ontario.ca. The subject line should say “Request for Virtual Hearing” and include your court file number and OCPP reference number. All parties must be copied on this email. The request must be made at least 14 days before the event.

3. Except for specific filing directions related to Ontario Courts Public Portal, all materials that are filed with the court must comply with requirements set out in the Consolidated Provincial Practice Directions including restrictions on material that can be filed for certain events. Anything outside these restrictions will not be reviewed by the presiding judge.
4. All documents filed electronically shall be filed using the Ontario Courts Public Portal unless otherwise indicated by these Directions.

5. Time Sensitive Filing: All urgent filing and those that are for a hearing or deadline that is three or fewer business days away, must be filed through the Ontario Courts Public Portal and flagged as time sensitive. This includes if you need to meet a timeline for a step in the proceeding established by legislation, court rules, court practice or a court order that is three business days or fewer away. This helps court staff identify and prioritize time-sensitive submissions. Documents submitted for a hearing or deadline that is four or more business days away are not considered time-sensitive. Further instructions on how to schedule urgent motions and case conferences are set out in section C6 below.

   Note: This flag will be automatically selected if the filing has already been deemed time sensitive by the court.

6. Confirmations forms must be filed through Ontario Courts Public Portal and flagged as time sensitive if three business days or fewer away. Unless specifically set out below, confirmation forms must be filed in advance of all scheduled matters, as set out in the Family Law Rules and Practice Directions, or the matter will not proceed as scheduled.

7. All Applications and Motions to Change filed electronically for issuance shall be filed using the Ontario Courts Public Portal along with other necessary documents as required under the Family Law Rules. All affidavit evidence must be commissioned before the materials will be issued by the court. You will receive an electronic copy of your court-issued Application or Motion to change by email, including a court file number and date of issuance. A copy will also be available in each party’s Ontario Court’s Public Portal account.
8. All documents served or filed electronically shall be named in a manner that identifies it clearly so that it is not necessary to open the document to understand what it is. Specifically, parties are directed to follow the standard document naming protocol set out in the Consolidated Provincial Practice Directions.
9. All exhibits in affidavits and cases in facta shall be hyperlinked or bookmarked for ease of reference. In the alternative, parties may file/upload an index of exhibits or cases, hyperlinked to the exhibits and/or cases.

10. For questions about Ontario Courts Public Portal, parties can contact:

    Ministry of Attorney General – Court Services Division Contact Centre:

    • CourtsPortal@ontario.ca
    • Tel: 647-438-0403
    • Toll-free: 1-800-980-4962
    • TTY: 416-368-4202
    • Toll-free TTY: 1-833-820-0714

    If you have questions about a case, please contact the court office where the case is being heard.

11. For help with Case Center, parties can contact info.CaseCenter@ontario.ca. Parties can also find additional information and direction regarding the use of Case Center, including training and other resources, on our website here.

1. Although services continue to be available at the court counter, counsel and parties are expected to file and/or request issuance of their civil documents electronically, and pay any associated court fees, by using the Ontario Court’s Public Portal. Documents should be submitted electronically for filing and/or issuance in accordance with the Rules of Civil Procedure.
2. Use the Court’s Standard Document Naming Protocol when submitting documents to the court in electronic format.
3. Once accepted by the court registrar, a document will be considered to have been issued or filed on the date indicated by the registrar in the confirmation sent by the registrar.
4. Filings must comply with any restrictions placed on the length of material that can be submitted in connection with each event, such as limits on the number of pages for an affidavit or conference.
5. Filed materials should include any prior orders or endorsements that were issued and that are relevant to the request(s) being made.

6. Filing in person at the court office or by email (using the applicable email addresses indicated in this practice direction) is available where parties:

   1. have documents that are sealed or are in support of a sealing motion or,
   2. are unable to submit documents electronically due to an accessibility or technology limitation. You can contact the Accessibility Coordinator at the courthouse if you require accessibility services.

7. Unless the court directs otherwise, where counsel and parties deliver materials by email, they must:

   1. retain any documents that were originally signed, certified or commissioned in paper format until the day on which the case is finally disposed of or, if no notice of appeal is served in the case, the time for serving the notice has expired; and
   2. promptly make the original document available for inspection and copying on the request of the court, the registrar or any party to the case.

8. For questions about Ontario Court’s Public Portal parties can contact:

   Ministry of Attorney General – Court Services Division Contact Centre:

   - **[CourtsPortal@ontario.ca](mailto: CourtsPortal@ontario.ca)**
   - **[Tel: 647-438-0403](tel:+16474380403)**
   - **[Toll-free: 1-800-980-4962](tel:+18009804962)**
   - **[TTY: 416-368-4202](tel:+14163684202)**
   - **[Toll-free TTY: 1-833-820-0714](tel:+18338200714)**
   

9. When documents are submitted to the court in electronic format, the document name must be saved as follows:

   • Document type (including the form number in family cases);
   • Type of party submitting the document;
   • Name of the party submitting the document (including initials if the name is not unique to the case); and
   • Date on which the document was created or signed, in the format DD-MMM-YYYY (e.g. 12- JAN-2021),

   For example, documents should be saved as follows:

   • Expert Report – Defendant – Loblaws – 13-MAR-2021
   • Financial Statement Form 1 – Respondent – A. Wong – 21-NOV-2021
   • 11b Application – Defence – Nathanson – 12-JAN-2021

10. Document names shall not include firm-specific naming conventions, abbreviations, form numbers or file numbers.

11. Court fees are prescribed by regulation and are generally payable at the time a document with an associated fee is submitted to the court.
12. Where a document is submitted through Ontario Court’s Public Portal payment is made through the portal.
13. Where a document is submitted in person, payment is made in person.
14. Where a document is submitted by email or mail (where permitted), payment can be made over the phone through a secure credit card transaction or by mail using a cheque, and must be processed before the document will be accepted for filing and/or issuance. Court office phone numbers and mailing addresses can be found on the Ministry of the Attorney General’s website.
15. Parties who cannot afford to pay court fees may request a fee waiver Information about requesting a fee waiver can be found in the Ministry of the Attorney General’s Court Fee Waiver Guide and Forms. Fee waiver certificates apply to fees not yet paid.
16. Cheque payments must be made out to the Minister of Finance and, if mailed or couriered to the court, must be accompanied by a letter that indicates the court file number and title of proceeding, identifies the document that was filed by email, date of the email filing, party who filed the document by email and the name of the representative of the party (if any).

17. The moving party shall provide the Case Center invitation and the Zoom link for the hearing to all responding parties and known stakeholders (as is the case in Commercial matters) as soon as they become available.
18. Rule 57.01(6) requires that every party who intends to seek costs of a proceeding must serve and bring to the hearing, a costs outline (Form 57B) not exceeding three pages in length. Parties seeking costs of a motion shall serve their costs outlines on all other parties, and file them using the Ontario Courts Public Portal.
19. Factums and draft Orders submitted through the Ontario Courts’ Public Portal should also be submitted in Word format.
20. Compendiums shall be filed and uploaded to Case Center in accordance with Rule 4.05.3 and section 28 of the Consolidated Civil Provincial Practice Direction.
21. No adjournment for any motion before a judge or associate judge will be granted within 2 days of the scheduled hearing date, except in extenuating and exceptional circumstances.