It’s only the preliminary summary of his final report, but former associate chief justice of Ontario Coulter Osborne has already made 81 written recommendations for improving access to justice in the Ontario civil courts. [See news report and press release.] One recommendation that’s attracted the most attention so far is Osborne’s call to expand small claims courts’ jurisdiction to $25,000 and remove the opportunity to apppeal judgments below $1,500. Osborne says this would increase access to justice for lower- and middle-class citizens.
Osborne’s recommendations address 17 other areas of civil justice reform, from litigation management to trial scheduling, technology, venue, and even civility in and out of the courtroom. “The overworked maxim – ‘a lawsuit is not a tea party’ – should not remotely be taken to justify uncivil or unethical behaviour,” Osborne scolds in his civility recommendation.