Toronto convention centre to serve as backup location for jury selection

By Paola Loriggio, The Canadian Press

Some prospective jurors in three Ontario cities will be summoned to convention centres and other locations as the province resumes jury selection following a six-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Off-site locations will be used for jury selection in Toronto and nearby Brampton as of this week, a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Attorney General said — among them the Metro Toronto and Pearson convention centres. Plans for an Ottawa location are also in the works.

The additional locations are meant to ensure that “health and safety measures — including physical distancing — can be properly implemented,” Maher Abdurahman said in an email.

At the Toronto convention centre, the ministry expects that up to 250 people could attend for jury selection, Abdurahman said.

The Pearson site in Brampton will be connected virtually to a courtroom for jury selection for all matters involving an accused person in custody, he said.

The Ontario Superior Court temporarily halted in-person operations in mid-March due to concerns over the novel coronavirus, with all criminal and civil matters suspended or adjourned until June.

Dozens of courthouses reopened in July, with more doing so this week.

However, Chief Justice Geoffrey B. Morawetz previously said jury selection and jury trials would remain on hold until September at the earliest.

Jury trials have resumed in some locations with juries that had previously been selected, Abdurahman said. Prospective jurors can now also complete an online pre-screening and check-in to request a deferral or to be excused without having to go in person.

Jury selection brings together large groups of prospective jurors, which raised concerns about the possibility of maintaining proper physical distancing and other health measures.

In a document issued last week, the ministry said government staff visited the Toronto convention centre and conducted a risk assessment to identify any further controls that could help curb the spread of the virus during jury selection.

It called for, among other things, a staggered arrival for prospective jurors, mandatory face masks for the public and staff, and a deferral for any members of the public unable to wear a mask for medical reasons.

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