Staff Preparing for Massive Backlogs When POA Courts Resume

Thursday, 28 May 2020 11:21

Staff in Oxford County are getting ready for when POA courts open, hopefully on July 3rd. They will be scheduling matters that have been adjourned since March 16, plus all the new items that have come in during this time.

OXFORD COUNTY - It could be a long time before you can stand in front of a Judge.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Chief Justice of Ontario has extended the cancellation of POA courts in the province until July 3, at the earliest. If you had a matter scheduled in POA court between March 16 and July 3, 2020, you are not required to attend. Your matter will be rescheduled for a future date not yet determined. Once the Chief Justice of Ontario has approved the resumption of POA courts, you will receive a notice with the rescheduled appearance date.

Manager of Customer Service with the County of Oxford Suzanne Schmid says the backlog is going to be significant.

"We will be trying to schedule all of the matters that have been adjourned from March 16, until the end of June and then all of the matters, that occurred within that time frame as well, so I don't have an exact number but it is significant."

Schmid says this is unprecedented and things are going to be extremely busy when the courts do resume, however they are preparing for it right now.

"We have staff working all the time, we can key in tickets, we can accept all documents coming in and we are looking at scheduling the matters, we have organized them all for when we do resume. We are also focusing on the collection efforts. Anyone who has a fine, it is still due, the fine is still outstanding, so once the state of emergency is over and the timelines are back to normal, we will be proceeding with enforcement efforts."

She adds they are not entirely sure what POA court will look like when they do resume.

"We are looking to be able to do more matters remotely, using audio and video, that does require legislative change."

Schmid says you can still contact them over the phone, however you cannot enter the building.

"If people do want to request an early resolution meeting or request a trial, they can contact us, we are able to assist with extensions of times to pay and for those with fines outstanding, we are here to accept payment as well."

Things will definitely look different when the courts resume but it's entirely certain what changes will be made at this time. Schmid also notes that while it will be extremely busy in Oxford County when the POA courts resume, it is going to be even busier in some of the bigger centres and bigger cities.

The Oxford County Provincial Offences office is closed for in-person visits; however, the POA staff are available to assist you by phone at 519-537-4890 or by email poa@oxfordcounty.ca. For additional information, please visit, ontariocourts.ca and oxfordcounty.ca/Services-for-You/Fines-Provincial-Offences.