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Both courts preside over child and spousal support and child custody and access; however, under federal law, the Superior Court has sole jurisdiction in all cases involving divorce and the division of property. Under provincial law, child protection and adoption cases must be commenced in the Ontario Court of Justice.

The judges and the justices of the peace of the Court preside over adult criminal, youth criminal, family law, child welfare, and provincial offences matters, in ance with the jurisdiction conferred upon the Court by the laws of the Province of Ontario and Canada.

There is a file kept on every criminal and family case in the Ontario Court of Justice. You can access your file at the Court Services Division counter at the courthouse where your matter is proceeding. Ontario court addresses are listed on the Ministry of the Attorney General website.

At the Court Registry. As a general rule, all court documents are a matter of public record unless a legislative provision or court order restricts public access. Documents subject to a sealing order (these are rare) cannot be inspected by the public, including members of the media.

The Court of Ontario has two divisions: The Superior Court of Justice (the higher or general division) The Ontario Court of Justice (the lower or provincial division)

The Court of Appeal for Ontario is the highest level of court in Ontario and hears appeals from the Superior Court of Justice and the Ontario Court of Justice. The Chief Justice of Ontario, the Associate Chief Justice of Ontario, and approximately 30 other judges sit on the Court of Appeal.

2.1 General principle of public accessibility In general, once process is issued (meaning an Information is sworn and an arrest is made or a summons is served), criminal court files and documents are publicly accessible, unless legislation, a common law rule or a court order restricts access.

The general rule in Canada is that court hearings are open to the public and may be reported in full. However, courts also have significant common law and statutory powers to ensure that proceedings are conducted fairly and to protect the integrity of the courts' processes.

The Superior Court of Justice is one of the busiest trial courts in the world. The Court has jurisdiction over criminal, civil, and family cases, and is the largest superior trial court in Canada.