Our mission

The Ministry of the Attorney General is responsible for administering justice in Ontario. Within the ministry, the Court Services Division is responsible for the administration of the courts.

The mission of Court Services Division is to commit to a people-first culture, support pandemic backlog recovery, modernize the delivery of accessible and accountable court services, and support a well-trained, professional, and stabilized workforce to deliver quality services for Ontarians.

Our vision

Court Services Division will take a people-first approach to build a modern court service that respects the diverse needs of employees and justice participants, including the members of the public.

Our values

  • collaboration
  • respect
  • innovation
  • professionalism
  • service excellence
  • inclusion
  • accountability
  • integrity

Court Services Division Strategic Plan

The Court Services Division’s Strategic Plan was updated and launched in 2022. This latest Strategic Plan outlines our division’s post-pandemic recovery vision, mission, values, priorities, and performance goals and measures. The plan aligns with and supports the Ministry of the Attorney General’s mission to modernize the justice system and deliver more services remotely and online to ensure that vulnerable individuals and families have an accessible, responsive, and resilient justice system that inspires public confidence and upholds the rule of the law.

2022–2023 Court Services Division Strategic Plan

Vision: CSD will take a people-first approach to build a modern court service that respects the diverse needs of employees, and justice participants including the public.
Category People first Backlog recovery Modernization Training and stability
Priorities:
  1. Promote a culture of anti-racism, reconciliation, accessibility, and inclusivity
  1. Support pandemic backlog recovery and ensure continued access to justice for all Ontarians
  1. Streamline and transform court processes to modernize court services
  1. A well-trained and stabilized workforce to support the delivery of quality services for Ontarians
Performance goals
  • Investment in supporting a culturally relevant and responsive justice system
  • Support diversity dialogues and training focused on Black, Indigenous and racialized communities
  • Ensure barrier free diverse recruitment
  • Lead/support the implementation of virtual court hearings to augment in-person hearings.
  • Support staff and justice participants with processes and procedures that reduce the caseload backload for all lines of business.
  • Work effectively across the justice sector with staff and stakeholder groups by sharing resources and ensuring access to technology
  • Engage justice participants to encourage innovative alternates to address service delivery challenges; encourage new ideas, innovation and smart-risk taking
  • Support/lead the delivery of training to court staff
  • Implement/support the CSD long-term Staffing Strategy.
  • Implement/support the CSD Short term staffing strategy
Performance measures*
  • Positive outcome on Accessibility survey
  • Continued support of mental health courts
  • Supporting Indigenous Persons Court.
  • Representation on local Indigenous Peoples Committees
  • Ensuring diversity questions for interviews
  • Participation in ministry MCIP and DIPP
  • Collaborate with Indigenous communities.
  • Feed into ministry wide backlog metrics
  • Statistics on uptake of new processes such as online filing
  • Recruitment and onboarding statistics for backlog reporting
  • Statistics on uptake of new modernization initiatives
  • # of modernization initiatives launched
  • # of modernization pilots in place.
  • Identify training taken by CSD management team
  • # of training sessions delivered to staff
  • Uptake on use of CCR positions within the region
  • Staff recruitment and turnover

*Measures can be quantitative as well as qualitative.

Role of the Assistant Deputy Attorney General

The Assistant Deputy Attorney General (ADAG) of Court Services Division (CSD) oversees the administration of Ontario’s courts and is responsible for legislative, regulatory, and operational policy and program development related to improving the court system. The ADAG is supported by 3 corporate directors, 7 directors of court operation, and 3 executive legal officers.

CSD corporate structure

CSD has 3 corporate branches, each of which is managed by a director who reports to the ADAG of CSD. The corporate branches are responsible for:

Corporate Support Branch
  • Business planning, controllership/audit and financial reporting for expenditures and revenue
  • Infrastructure and facilities planning
  • Workforce and strategic planning
  • Training design, development and delivery
  • Management of court information and data relating to cases processed, documents filed, and hearings scheduled
  • Centralized front-line services, such as Defaulted Fines Control Centre, bail & restitution. and deputy judge per diem/expense processing
Operational Support Branch
  • Legislative and regulatory changes with respect to court operations, including participation on civil and family rules committees
  • Legal and operational support and advice in all practice areas
  • Operational policy, program development and justice reform strategies in all practice areas
Program Management Branch
  • Judicial library services, court forms, and court website services
  • Program support in the areas of court interpretation, court reporting and jury management
  • Family mediation and information services development and contract management
  • Oversight of the municipally administered courts that hear Provincial Offences Act matters
  • Management of obligations, relationships and activities under the Writs System Licence Agreement with Teranet, Inc.
  • Judicial library services, court forms, and court website services

Regional structure

For the provision of court services, the division is organized into 7 administrative regions. Each region is managed by a director of court operations (DCO) who reports to the ADAG of CSD. Regions are responsible for:

  • Delivering local criminal, civil, small claims, and family court services, including providing frontline services to the public at court counters
  • Maintaining records, court recordings, files, exhibits, and databases
  • Providing judicial support services, including administrative support, and support for in-person, virtual and hybrid hearings
  • Managing and supporting juries
  • Overseeing the enforcement of court orders
  • Managing and overseeing fines, fees, and trust funds
  • Providing support for local court security committees, emergency management planning, and business continuity priorities and projects
  • Managing regional justice participant relationships and communications on local and regional matters
  • Implementing divisional modernization initiatives at courthouse locations
  • Reporting on monthly/annual performance measures and key performance indicators (KPIs)
Map showing the geographic regions of the Court
Map: North-West, North-East, East, Central-East, Toronto, West, Cental-West