What's New

November 22, 2007 - The Honourable Coulter Osborne's findings and recommendations are available on the Ministry of the Attorney General website. Click here to view the report.

Mandate of the Civil Justice Reform Project

On June 28, 2006, Attorney General Michael Bryant asked the Honourable Coulter Osborne, former Associate Chief Justice of Ontario, to lead the Civil Justice Reform Project (CJRP). Mr. Osborne was asked to propose options to reform the civil justice system to make it more accessible and affordable for Ontarians. Recommendations for action were to focus on proposals which will produce meaningful results in enhancing access to justice for Ontarians and which will be suitable for implementation within a reasonable amount of time.

In conducting this review, the CJRP engaged in province-wide consultations, researched relevant civil justice studies and literature, recent reforms in other jurisdictions, and considered available quantitative and qualitative data.

The work of the CJRP took into account the following principles and considerations:

• Access: Recommendations should promote access to justice for both represented and unrepresented litigants.
• Proportionality: Recommendations should reflect the principle that the time and expense devoted to civil proceedings should be proportionate to the amount in dispute and the importance of the issues at stake.
• One size does not fit all: Recommendations should recognize diversity and the different issues facing different jurisdictions, particularly larger urban centres such as Toronto.
• Culture of litigation: Recommendations should recognize that rule and other regulatory reform alone might not adequately respond to problems in the system. Ways to foster "cultural change" among the bench and bar should be considered.