Achi news desk-
Cait Alexander stood shoulder to shoulder with the NDP MPP and critic of the Attorney General Kristyn Wong-Tam on Thursday morning, calling for reforms to the justice system.
Alexander says that a criminal case against her ex-boyfriend has been canceled twice.
“A restraining order – that’s the only decision the Canadian justice system could muster for my attempted murder by my ex-girlfriend,” he said during an appearance at Queen’s Park.
Alexander says the alleged assault took place in July 2021. She is now speaking out, hoping her words will lead to change in the justice system.
“I have now spoken to countless women who have had their debilitating gender violence cases either thrown out, or resolved with a bond of peace,” she said.
Currently, Ontario courts are experiencing a multitude of issues. Critics say they are understaffed and lack resources, and that issue needs to be dealt with urgently.
Speaking to reporters, Wong-Tam said the tough rhetoric on crime is falling flat without courts that are adequately equipped to deal with cases, rather than throwing them out.
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“The backlog is staggering,” said the MPP for Toronto Centre. “53,000 cases are gathering dust at the Landlord Tenant Board. Civil cases now take five years to go to trial, and Ontario courts are dead last in wait times across the country. “
In July 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that a reasonable delay to a trial is 18 months for provincial cases and 30 months for cases before the superior court. That decision became better known as the Jordan Decision.
The intention was to establish a timetable for when a trial must be heard, although, together with the myriad of issues facing the court system at the moment, it has led to considerable frustration.
“I was raped 789 days ago,” Emily Agar told reporters at Queen’s Park. “The Jordan Decision set a precedent that allowed a maximum of 540 days for this rapist to be heard and adjudicated. It has now been 147 days since the charges were stayed due to his right to a speedy trial.”
Lawyer Lorne Honickman told Global News that although the situation was not good before the pandemic, it got worse during the global outbreak.
In fact, things have become so dire that Honickman says that ‘crisis’ would be a more accurate choice of wording.
Inadequate staffing is a significant issue that he has been hearing about and believes that in order to properly deal with what is causing problems for the court system in the province, a multi-pronged approach will be required.
“The federal government must appoint more superior court judges,” he told Global News during an interview.
Honickman also pointed to the need to hire more staff and administration.
Global News contacted the province for comment on the calls for change and was directed to its criminal case backlog reduction strategy, which was introduced in October 2021. It included a $72 million investment towards hiring more prosecutors and vets bail, as well as more compensation for court staff.
In an email, a spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office said, “We will continue to build on the progress being made in reducing and resolving cases before the courts while keeping Ontarians safe.”
& copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
