The province is taking steps to speed up the wheels of justice in southwestern Ontario through the hiring of more court staff, specifically for bail courts.
Attorney General Yasir Naqvi was in London Thursday morning to announce that Ontario is moving forward with key programs, first presented in December, to help reduce trial wait times and improve the bail system in southwestern Ontario.
Speaking at London police headquarters, Naqvi said the city would get one new bail vettor Crown attorney, one new duty counsel bail coordinator, and see the expansion of the weekend and statutory holiday courts.
"These solutions that we are putting forward and putting in action are something that have been recommended over time through organizations like John Howard Society and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association," said Naqvi. "We all collectively feel confident that this is going to release the pressure off our correctional facilities and will ensure better outcomes for individuals who are low risk and vulnerable."
The bail supervision program run out of the John Howard Society of London and District will also spread to St. Thomas, Woodstock, Chatham, Goderich, and Stratford. The existing program in London will be enhanced with mental health and indigenous services.
"We are going to be hiring more staff to accommodate the needs that we are hoping this addresses," said Christina Ninham, president of the Board of Directors for the John Howard Society of London and District. "Four staff will be hired within London and then there will be one separate staff member in each the other five areas."
With an investment of $25-million a year in the criminal justice system, the province hopes to reduce the amount of time it takes for cases to make it through the courts while also freeing up space in overcrowded correctional facilities.
"We have far too many people on remand in our correctional facilities. If you look at the numbers right now 63% of individuals are on remand, meaning they are awaiting trial," said Naqvi. "That's why for us it was extremely important that we have a transformative bail action plan, that we really change the way that we determine bail, and ensure that those individuals who are low risk, who are vulnerable, who can thrive in the community be released into the community. If supervision is required, then lets make sure that we have resources in place through organizations like John Howard Society here in London. But let's get them those services in the community setting as opposed to in a correctional facility like the Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre."
Over the next year, the province also intends to appoint 13 new judges to the Ontario Court of Justice, add 32 assistant Crown attorneys, 16 more duty counsellors, and 26 courtroom staff.