O.N.C.J. - Ontario Court of Justice (Canada)
Related Citation:
ONCA,
O.N.S.C.
The Ontario Court of Justice is one of two trial courts in Ontario (together with the Superior Court of Justice) that make up the Court of Ontario. The Ontario Court of Justice is composed of provincially appointed judges and justices of the peace.
Since 1990, the ONCJ has replaced the former Ontario Provincial Court (O.N.C.P.).
The legal citation - O.N.C.J. - has been in sue since January, 2004 and continues to date.
In 2004, the Ontario Court of Justice opted for a database and Internet-friendly neutral citation system: O.N.C.J.
Within electronic databases, it may be presented in an alternate legal citation format, without periods, ONCJ.
All ONCJ cases are assigned a permanent ONCJ number with the four-digit year followed by the ONCJ and then a sequentially assigned number.
A sample citation:
R. c. Bishun 2004 ONCJ 354
The ONCJ is the equivalent of a Provincial Court, as known in other Canadian provinces. According to the Government of Ontario in 2009:
"As a statutory Court (a Court created by statute), the Ontario Court of Justice has that jurisdiction which is specifically given to it by the laws of Ontario and Canada. In broad terms, the justices of the peace of the Court have jurisdiction with respect to provincial offences, bail hearings and search warrants. Judges of the Court deal with a wide range of family law cases (including child protection, custody, access, support and adoption) as well as the overwhelming majority of criminal charges laid within the province."
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