The Family Resource Committee and the Central West Family Forum have provided the following information as of April 15, 2026, regarding the Milton Court House.
- Construction on our on-site filing office has been completed and the on-site filing office will reopen early next week (and be moved back inside from the portables outside).
- On site mediation services continue to be available in the Milton SCJ without financial eligibility for legal issues covered by LAO (ie parenting issues and child support).
- There has been a significant increase in parties attending the MIP and the majority of litigants are now attending.
- 14b motions are being processed within 2 business days and OCJ is between same day and a week.
- Divorce orders are being processed within 14 weeks.
- The OCJ is typically scheduling case and settlement conferences within a 2-month window.
- Presently, the OCJ is undergoing a hybrid model for attendances where many attendances can be conducted entirely virtually if all the parties agree.
- The SCJ raved about the DROs and their success in our region including their assistance with the reduction of the number of matters on the trial list. At the beginning of the trial sitting there were approximately 80 trials and with the assistance of mediation, DROs, and settlement this list decreased substantially (to less than 10 trials).
- Early case conferences and triage court in SCJ continue to have open availability every week.
- Halton Police Services has expanded their unit for victim services.
- In other regions there has been an expansion of integrated domestic violence courts wherein both family and criminal courts are being heard simultaneously to enable better access to justice. There is no current plan for this in Milton.
- Legal aid has been processing family legal aid certificates faster with the majority of certificates processed on the day of the application (70% of cases).
- In March 2026, Legal Aid expanded financial eligibility for family duty counsel assistance in the OCJ such that parties earning less than $45,440 are now eligible. No change has been made to the eligibility for legal aid certificates.
- Legal Aid has expanded the availability of legal aid settlement conferences for files where one party has a legal aid certificate. These conferences are similar to a normal settlement conference but are before legal aid in house counsel rather than a judge. They are typically held virtually. There is no cost to participants.
- In November 2025, Milton was approved for the Family Senior Counsel Program by legal aid (FSC Program). This program connects clients in family law and child protection files who face unique challenges with receiving legal services or have complex or complicated legal needs with dedicated and experienced FSC lawyers. Clients who qualify and cannot find a lawyer in their area to represent them (or have exhausted their options for changing lawyers), can be referred to this program by completing the form on the legal aid website (https://www.legalaid.on.ca/in-briefs/legal-aid-ontarios-new-family-senior-counsel-program/ ).
- There is a major reduction of OCLs in the central west region with many previous OCLs retiring, leaving the region, or being called to be judges. If counsel are interested in being an OCL, it is recommended that they apply.
- There is a need for further legal aid counsel in our region. If counsel are interested in taking on legal aid files, it is recommended that they apply to legal aid be empaneled.
