Cases collapse at Toronto's newest courthouse amid 'staggering' number of closures caused by staff shortages

A case involving the alleged sexual assault of a minor is the latest to be thrown out at Toronto's newest courthouse due to the “staggering” number of courtroom closures fuelled by staffing shortages at the facility, according to an Ontario Court of Justice ruling published last week.

A case involving the alleged sexual assault of a minor is the latest to be thrown out at Toronto's newest courthouse due to the “staggering” number of courtroom closures fuelled by staffing shortages at the facility, according to an Ontario Court of Justice ruling published last week.

The shortages have plagued the facility for many months, Justice (JP) Peter Fraser wrote in his decision, and the closures have become a near-daily reality.

The most recent charges stayed due to the closures were against a young person, identified only as C.L., accused of the sexual assault of another young person.

C.L.’s trial was scheduled for March 23, the decision reads, but four of the 12 courtrooms were closed that day and only 15 minutes of court time could be allotted to the matter. The next day, on March 24, five of 12 courtrooms in the building were closed, and the matter could only be addressed for one hour.

The trial could not be completed in the given time and was adjourned to July.

At this point, it had been over two years since the charges had been placed on C.L.. Citing his Charter right to a trial within reasonable time had been breached, the youth applied to have the charges stayed – an application granted by the court in June.

The new Toronto courthouse, located on 10 Armory Street, opened in February 2023, and took over criminal proceedings from six Ontario Court of Justice courthouses in Toronto, North York, and Scarborough – a decision the union representing many of its workers says it warned the government would cause hardships for both staff and those within the system.