Written by David Sterns on April 22, 2025

LITIGATORS— The Civil Rules Reform Report proposes that every civil case in Ontario be subject to a mandatory scheduling conference within one year of issuance.

According to the Report (PDF p. 13), approximately 60,000 civil actions were commenced in Ontario last year. Each of these would now require early judicial oversight—even if only for the 15 minutes the Report suggests is sufficient.

Let’s do the math:
60,000 cases × 15 minutes = 15,000 hours of court time annually, just for scheduling.

Even assuming that 15 minutes is enough—and that no case requires more time—how will the courts absorb this demand?

Ontario has approximately 280 Superior Court judges, many of whom are assigned to family, criminal, or divisional court matters. Only a subset hears civil matters full-time—and those judges are already stretched thin.

Add to that:
• Complex motions and certification hearings
• Urgent injunctions and contempt proceedings
• Case conferences, summary judgment motions, and now… more trials, as discovery is curtailed and early resolution becomes harder

Without a massive increase in the number of judges, this “streamlined” system could end up bottlenecking the very access to justice it claims to promote.

#AccessToJustice #CivilReform #OntarioLaw #Litigation #FraudVictims #RulesOfCivilProcedure #JusticeForAll