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Family

Source: Consolidated Practice Direction for the Toronto Region

Effective Date: October 14, 2025

Part 1: General Matters

B. Courts Digital Transformation: Ontario Courts Public Portal (for filing) & Case Center
  1. The Courts Digital Transformation (CDT) initiative will launch its new digital justice solution for the Toronto region on October 14, 2025.
  2. The Courts Digital Transformation (CDT) initiative is a digital justice solution that replaces existing non-integrated systems with an end to end solution that integrates the filing system, the case management system and Case Center. This digital solution will roll out in phases commencing with the Toronto Region, for all Family and Civil matters; including Bankruptcy, Commercial, contested Estates, the Small Claims Court, and Divisional Court.
  3. Beginning on October 14, 2025, all electronic court filings for Toronto Family proceedings, Civil proceedings (including Bankruptcy, Commercial List and Contested Estates), Small Claims Court proceedings and Divisional Court proceedings and Enforcement must be submitted through the Ontario Courts Public Portal (OCPP) which replaces the Justice Services Online Portal.
  4. OCPP is integrated with the new, internal case management platform. This internal platform, used by court staff to process filings, is now integrated with Case Center. This integration with Case Center will eliminate the need for parties and their representatives to upload already filed material into Case Center. Moving forward, new single upload of filed electronic documents for parties accepted for filing will be uploaded to Case Center by court staff for use before and during hearings.
  5. All confirmation and scheduling forms are to be submitted through OCPP.
  6. If an urgent hearing request is sought, the form must be submitted through OCPP and flagged as time sensitive, and parties must send an email to the appropriate trial coordination office alerting staff of the request. Select this option only if you are submitting documents for a hearing or deadline that is three or fewer business days away, including if you need to meet a timeline for a step in the proceeding established by legislation, court rules, court practice or a court order that is three business days or fewer away. This helps court staff identify and prioritize time-sensitive submissions. Documents submitted for a hearing or deadline that is four or more business days away are not considered time-sensitive.

Note:This option will be automatically selected if the filing has already been deemed time sensitive by the court.

  1. Any document filed through the OCCP, which will be pushed to Case Center by court staff, shall not exceed 500 pages.
  2. Parties must meet all filing deadlines set out in this practice direction to ensure that documents are available in Case Center in advance of the hearing. Parties should still review the hearing bundle in Case Center bundles 24 hours before the hearing to ensure that material that have been filed with the Court and are required for the hearing are present.
  3. Some documents will continue to be uploaded into Case Center by the parties, such as compendiums and materials parties are proposing to be tendered as exhibits. Once a document has been uploaded into the appropriate section of the Case Center bundle for their appearance, the expectation is that document is before the Court. Parties must ensure they do not delete a document after they have uploaded it to Case Center. You can learn more about Case Center on the Court’s website here.
  4. A new account will be required the first time OCPP is used. Please refer to section 1.2 of the OCCP User Guide guidance on how to create an account and other helpful information on how to navigate the OCCP which can be found here.
  5. For questions or help with electronic filing using OCPP, including fee payment through the portal, counsel and parties can contact the Court Services Division’s Contact Centre for Online Services by telephone or email:

Ministry of Attorney General – Court Services Division Contact Centre:

Part 2: Family Matters

C. Family Matters

This section includes specific direction pertaining to Family matters in Toronto. It should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Provincial Practice Direction for Family Proceedings at the Superior Court of Justice, which can be found here: Consolidated Provincial Practice Direction for Family Proceedings.

C.1 Presumptive Mode of Proceeding

For guidelines to determine the mode of proceeding for family matters, effective June 15, 2023, parties should consult “Part III. Guidelines to Determine Mode of Proceeding : Family” in the Consolidated Provincial Practice Direction for Family Proceedings at the Superior Court of Justice. The following summary lists the presumptive modes of proceedings before a judge for family matters in Toronto as provided for in the Guidelines to Determine Mode of Proceeding in Family:

STEP IN COURTIN-PERSONVIRTUALIN-WRITING
TBST CourtX
Urgent Case ConferenceX
Case Conference before a judgeX
Case Conference before a DROX
Settlement ConferenceX
Trial Management ConferenceX
Trial Scheduling Conference (for the sole purpose of completing TSEF)X
Urgent MotionX
Short MotionX
Long MotionX
Motion for contemptX
Motion for Refraining Order (FRO)X
TrialX
AppealX
Hague ApplicationsX
Status HearingsX
14B Motions (on consent, unopposed and simple procedural motions)X

While the Presumptive Modes Guideline will be followed, whether to change the presumptive mode of a proceeding is ultimately at the discretion of the judiciary. The following is the process to request a change to the presumptive mode:

  1. Requests shall be made during conferences to the conference judge or in court to the judge scheduling the next attendance.
  2. For matters that are already scheduled, parties may file a request for a virtual hearing form, which can be found here. The form must be filed through the Ontario Courts Public Portal, and also attached to an email to the following address: [email protected]. The subject line should say “Request for Virtual Hearing” and include your court file number and OCPP reference number. All parties must be copied on this email. The request must be made at least 14 days before the event.

C.2 Electronic Filing and Issuance

  1. Except for specific filing directions related to Ontario Courts Public Portal, all materials that are filed with the court must comply with requirements set out in the Consolidated Provincial Practice Directions including restrictions on material that can be filed for certain events. Anything outside these restrictions will not be reviewed by the presiding judge.
  2. All documents filed electronically shall be filed using the Ontario Courts Public Portal unless otherwise indicated by these Directions.
  3. Time Sensitive Filing: All urgent filing and those that are for a hearing or deadline that is three or fewer business days away, must be filed through the Ontario Courts Public Portal and flagged as time sensitive. This includes if you need to meet a timeline for a step in the proceeding established by legislation, court rules, court practice or a court order that is three business days or fewer away. This helps court staff identify and prioritize time-sensitive submissions. Documents submitted for a hearing or deadline that is four or more business days away are not considered time-sensitive. Further instructions on how to schedule urgent motions and case conferences are set out in section C6 below.

Note: This flag will be automatically selected if the filing has already been deemed time sensitive by the court.

  1. Confirmations forms must be filed through Ontario Courts Public Portal and flagged as time sensitive if three business days or fewer away. Unless specifically set out below, confirmation forms must be filed in advance of all scheduled matters, as set out in theFamily Law Rules and Practice Directions, or the matter will not proceed as scheduled.
  2. All Applications and Motions to Change filed electronically for issuance shall be filed using the Ontario Courts Public Portal along with other necessary documents as required under the Family Law Rules. All affidavit evidence must be commissioned before the materials will be issued by the court. You will receive an electronic copy of your court-issued Application or Motion to change by email, including a court file number and date of issuance. A copy will also be available in each party’s Ontario Court’s Public Portal account.
  3. All documents served or filed electronically shall be named in a manner that identifies it clearly so that it is not necessary to open the document to understand what it is. Specifically, parties are directed to follow the standard document naming protocol set out in the Consolidated Provincial Practice Directions.
  4. All exhibits in affidavits and cases in facta shall be hyperlinked or bookmarked for ease of reference. In the alternative, parties may file/upload an index of exhibits or cases, hyperlinked to the exhibits and/or cases.
  5. For questions about Ontario Courts Public Portal, parties can contact:

Ministry of Attorney General – Court Services Division Contact Centre:

If you have questions about a case, please contact the court office where the case is being heard.

  1. For help with Case Center, parties can contact [email protected]. Parties can also find additional information and direction regarding the use of Case Center, including training and other resources, on our website here.

C.3 Obtaining DRO Conference, Case Conference, Settlement Conference and Trial Management Conference Dates

  1. DRO Conference:
    1. When a motion to change is filed with the Court, a DRO conference will automatically be scheduled by court staff.
    2. On consent of all parties, parties on an application may schedule a case conference before a DRO by emailing [email protected] and asking for a date.
    3. DRO conferences will take place on Tuesdays or Thursdays for one-hour time slots at 9:30 am, 10:45 am or 12:00 pm. and on Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 12 p.m. or 2 p.m.
    4. Case conference briefs for DRO attendances are limited to six (6) pages in length, double spaced and at least 12-point font size. Anything greater than six (6) pages will not be read by the designated DRO. Schedules or tabs attached are not included in the six-page limit
    5. Parties shall file a confirmation form 17F at least three days prior to the event by 2:00 pm, by filing through the Ontario Courts Public Portal and flagging the document as time sensitive.
  2. Conferences before a judge can be booked in the following ways:
    1. On consent of all parties, finding a date using https://calendly.com/conference-booking and emailing Family Trial Office at: [email protected] with the subject line: “Booking through Calendly” and including your court file number and OCPP reference number. All parties must be copied on this email
    2. If there are no dates available through Calendly, the Family Trial Office may be able to provide additional dates. See (c) below.
    3. The Family Trial Office will provide three dates. The date will only be booked upon the party confirming, the chosen date by email at: [email protected]. A Conference Notice will then have to be served on the other side and filed, along with an affidavit of service.
  3. A party booking a conference on the Calendly link above shall add the opposing party (or their lawyer if represented) as a “guest” (option available on form) by including the email address of the opposing party or of the opposing party’s lawyer.
  4. Parties must follow the page limits set out in the Consolidated Provincial Practice Directions as it applies to conferences briefs.

C.4 Early Judicial Intervention and Procedural Direction

Toronto will have a judge available on Monday mornings from 9 am – 11 am to address limited urgent or procedural matters, which appointments can be booked in accordance with the guidelines below. If the Courts are closed on a Monday, the appointments will be scheduled for Tuesday. These attendances will be virtual attendances using Zoom.

  1. The appointments for To Be Spoken to Court (TBST) attendances should be booked:
    1. If an early attendance before a judge can help the litigants attempt to put temporary arrangements in place to avoid the need for an urgent motion or other urgent attendance (this is limited to files where no case conference has been held);
    2. To obtain procedural directions including determining what the next step should be, consistent with subrules 2(2) and 2(3) of the Family Law Rules, and whether any part of the case needs to be expedited;
    3. Where one or both litigants plan to bring an urgent motion or seek an urgent case conference date. This does not apply where an urgent motion cannot wait to be addressed at TBST Court; or
    4. In lieu of a 14B motion, parties may also attend TBST Court to request that their matter proceed to a combined case/settlement conference under r.17(7.1) or section 9 of the Consolidated Provincial Practice Direction.
  1. Parties may schedule a 20-minute appointment for these attendances on any Monday morning when the Court is open between 9 am – 11 am (or Tuesday if the Court is closed on Monday).
  2. For TBST Court, parties shall only file a TBST Court Brief, which can be found here or the documents required under r.17(7.1) including Form 17G where applicable. Anything longer than three (3) pages will not be read by the judge. All facts that will be relied upon must be included in the TBST Court Brief and no additional facts can be added during submissions. The TBST Court Brief shall be filed through the Ontario Courts Public Portal andflagged as time sensitive if three business days or fewer away.
  3. TBST attendances will be focused. Unless a party is moving without notice both parties must certify that they have fully discussed the issues with the other side in advance. If the issues have not been discussed in advance with the other side, the matter will be rescheduled.
  4. Parties can schedule appointments at TBST Court through Calendly, at this link: https://calendly.com/tbstcourt
  5. No confirmation form will be required for these appointments.
  6. The Judge presiding over the TBST attendance will be able to make any orders that can be made at a case/settlement conference.

C.5. Scheduling Short Motion Dates

Short motions (being less than one hour) can be brought on any Tuesday or Thursday, except for the last full week of each month. This means that, except for the last full week of each month, these motions can be brought on any Tuesday or Thursday that the court is open without having to obtain a motion date from the Court.

  1. Parties can schedule short motions by contacting the Family Trial Office by email at: [email protected].
  2. All motions will be scheduled for a 10 a.m. start. The judge will vet the list at the opening of court to determine the order in which the motions will be heard. Participants will be kept in the waiting room while the judge vets the list by calling one matter at a time. All participants will then be brought into the virtual court when their matter will be heard. Where appropriate, parties are expected to continue settlement discussions until their motion is heard. Mediation services through 361Mediate will remain available throughout the day.
  3. All motions require factums, served and filed at least two days before the motion.
  4. The court welcomes counsel and parties to provide draft orders with their motion materials in Word. Draft orders should include the legislative authority for the requested provisions in accordance with the new requirements under the Family Law Rules.
  5. A bill of costs shall be filed along with motion material, if costs are requested by a party on the motion.
  6. No Books of Authority containing the full text of authorities may be emailed or filed. Each party’s factum shall instead hyperlink authorities to a publicly available, free website such as CanLII. The factum must include paragraph references each time a case is cited in the factum.
  7. Excerpts of authorities that are not available on a free public website, such as excerpts from textbooks or unreported decisions, should be collected in a small brief of excerpts of unreported authorities and filed electronically in PDF format.

C.6 Scheduling Urgent Matters

  1. Urgent matters (whether conferences or motions) should be filed through the Ontario Courts Public Portal and flagged as time sensitive. Urgent attendances are to be scheduled for the TBST Court on Monday mornings. Parties can schedule appointments at TBST Court through Calendly, at this link: https://calendly.com/tbstcourt (see part C4 above) or, if there are no slots available, by contacting the Family Trial Office at [email protected]:
  2. If the matter is of such an urgent nature that it must be heard prior to the next TBST Court, urgent dates can be obtained as follows:
      1. A party must serve the material on the opposing party or parties, by email and email the conference material and affidavit of service through the Ontario Courts Public Portal, flagging it as time sensitive. Parties must also send an email request for an urgent conference date to [email protected], attach their materials to the email, and copy all other parties. The subject heading shall read “Urgent Case Conference” along with the File Number and Portal reference number.
      2. The trial coordinator will seek direction from a presiding judge as to whether the conference is urgent, and whether it will be heard or set down for the TBST court.
      3. If the matter is deemed to be of sufficient urgency, the conference coordinator will provide the parties with the date, time and the contact information for the conference call or videoconference for the case conference. If an urgent conference is sought prior to the TBST court date:
      4. No confirmation form is required prior to an urgent conference once the parties have confirmed the date and time with the conference coordinator’s office.
    2. If an urgent motion is sought prior to the TBST court date:
      1. A party must serve the motion material on the opposing party or parties by email (if not an without notice motion) and file the motion material, a draft order and a populated restraining order if appropriate (and affidavit of service if not a without notice motion) through the Ontario Courts Public Portal, flagging it as time sensitive. Parties must also send an email request for an urgent motion date to [email protected], attach their materials to the email, and copy all other parties (if not a without notice motion). The subject heading shall read “Urgent Motion” and include the court file number and OCPP reference.
      2. The trial coordinator shall seek direction from a presiding judge as to whether the motion is urgent, and whether it will be heard or set down for the TBST court. There is no change to the threshold for urgent motions that existed pre-COVID.
      3. If the matter is deemed to be of sufficient urgency, the trial coordinator will provide the parties with the date, time and the contact information for the conference call or videoconference for the motion.

C.7 Confirmations

  1. Each party to a motion or conference must file either a Form 14C Confirmation of Motion or Form 17F Confirmation of Conference, or the parties may file one jointly, no later than 2 p.m. three business days before the date of the motion or conference. These should be filed through the Ontario Courts Public Portal and flagged as time sensitive.
  2. The parties or their counsel shall consult with each other prior to filing their Form 14C Confirmation of Motion or Form 17F Confirmation of Conference, unless the parties are self-represented and prohibited from communicating by court order.
  3. Where Form 14C Confirmation of Motion or Form 17F Confirmation of Conference forms have not been filed by at least one party, the conference or motion will not be scheduled on the event list and, as a result, will not be heard by the court. Costs may also be ordered against a party who has not filed the confirmation.
  4. Form 14C Confirmations of Motion or Form 17F Confirmation of Conference forms must only list the specific issues that are to be addressed at the event. They should also indicate which materials the judge should review with clear reference to the specific volume, tab and page numbers of the Continuing Record. Failure to provide this information may result in the materials not being reviewed by the judge or the motion not being heard on that day.
  5. Form 14C Confirmation of Motion or Form 17F Conformation of Conference forms must also include an appropriate time estimate for the entire motion or conference, including time required by the other party. Parties will be held to the time stated on their confirmations.

C.8 Motions

Short Motions

  1. Motions that are expected to take one hour or less may be scheduled on a Tuesday or Thursday (except for the last full week of each month) by serving and filing the motion material (including a factum or Summary of Argument) through the Ontario Courts Public Portal within the timelines set out in the Family Law Rules and confirming the date by email to [email protected].

Long Motions

  1. Motions that are expected to take more than 1 hour (including the other party’s reply and cross motion, if any) must be scheduled as long motions and scheduled through the Trial Coordinator in the family court office. Long motions can be scheduled either (a) with the other party’s written consent or (b) with the court’s permission, by filing a Form 14B Motion Form under section 14(10) of the Family Law Rules.
  2. The Trial Coordinator will continue to schedule dates for long motions when requested by the parties. The Trial Coordinator will vacate any long motion date unless the Notice of Motion along with supporting materials and affidavits are served and filed within 10 days after the motion has been scheduled.

Factums, Summaries of Arguments and Briefs of Authorities

  1. A properly drafted factum or Summary of Argument is required on all motions except as noted below. If the moving party does not file a factum or Summary of Argument where required, the motion will not be scheduled.
  2. For short motions, the times for service and filing of moving party’s factum or Summary of Argument should be filed in accordance with the requirements relating to other motion materials in section 14(11) and 14(11.1) of the Family Law Rules.
  3. For long motions, each party’s factum or Summary of Argument must be filed at least seven days before the hearing of the motion.
  4. No factum or Summary of Argument may exceed 20 pages without leave of the court.

14 B Motions

  1. A Form 14B Motion must be through the Ontario Courts Public Portal. A Form 14B Motion Form should be accompanied by a proposed Order (Form 25).

Compendiums

  1. A Compendium* containing the documents and evidence that are essential to the hearing of the motion may be provided for long or complex motions. A party wishing to file a Compendium should file it with their factum. A joint Compendium may be filed with the respondent’s factum.

*A compendium would normally include the Notice of Motion, Affidavits and Financial Statements, as well as excerpts from the evidence and exhibits that will be referred to in the argument of the motion.Urgent Motions on Notice

  1. A party may seek an urgent motion on notice without a case conference in situations of urgency or hardship including issues such as abduction, threats of harm or dire financial harm. A party seeking such a motion must file all of the required materials except for a Form 14C Confirmation.

Urgent Motions without Notice

  1. A party that is seeking a motion without notice to the other party must also set out why notice is unnecessary or not reasonably possible. A factum or Summary of Argument is not required for an urgent motion that has been brought without notice.

C.9 Case Conferences and Settlement Conferences

  1. Parties may request that a conference occur by teleconference with or without the consent of both parties or their counsel by filing a Form 14B Motion
  2. Counsel or the parties should communicate before any conference in order to attempt to resolve the issues that are in dispute, unless the parties are self-represented and prohibited from communicating by court order.
  3. The first case conference on a motion to change a final order or agreement shall be scheduled before a Dispute Resolution Officer (DRO) in accordance with Part C.3 of this practice direction.
  4. A DRO conference can be held on matters other than motions to change only as directed by the court upon request by a 14B Motion or at another court event.
  5. If the matter is not resolved at a settlement conference, a Trial Scheduling Endorsement Form, endorsed by the Court) must be completed prior to the matter being scheduled for trial.

C.10 Trial Management Conferences

  1. A trial management conference will normally be scheduled by the family court office for the week before the assigned trial date.
  2. The completed Trial Scheduling Endorsement Form must be filed by one of the parties in advance of the Trial Management Conference and each party must file an Offer to Settle and Outline of Opening Statement, in lieu of the Trial Management Conference Brief.

C.11 Trial Records

  1. The Applicant must file a Trial Record at least 30 days prior to the scheduled trial date. Failure to do so will result in the matter being removed from the trial list, unless the court orders otherwise.

C.12 Motions to Change

  1. Commencing March 8, 2021, Motions to Change, not on consent, shall proceed to a DRO conference. See paragraph C.3 above.

C.13 Self-Represented Litigants in Family Matters

  1. Self-represented litigants are expected to comply with the process set out in this Practice Direction.
  2. Members of the public can call or email the Ministry of Attorney General – Court Services Division Contact Centre for assistance if they have technical issues with e-filing through Ontario Courts Public Portal or with Case Center.
  1. Litigants can find contact information and other resources that can assist them in navigating the family justice system on our website here.

C.14 Binding Judicial Dispute Resolution

  1. Binding JDR is available in appropriate family law cases throughout the Toronto Region. Please review Rule 43 of the Family Law Rules and the Consolidated Provincial Practice Direction for Family Proceedings for more information on Binding JDR and the forms that are required.

C.15 Miscellaneous (interpreters, entering orders, etc.)

  1. The court is only responsible for providing interpreters in specific circumstances, otherwise parties are responsible for ensuring they have made their own arrangements for an interpreter to attend. If an interpreter is required for any matter, the trial coordinator must be notified when the matter is scheduled.
  2. If, due to the nature of an order, the order needs to be entered on an expedited basis, arrangements should be made with court staff by emailing: [email protected].
  3. For all general inquiries, please call the court office. Court staff cannot provide legal advice. All inquiries with respect to procedure will be referred to the court website.

C.16 Summary of Email Addresses

  1. [email protected] to be used for:
    1. Arranging expedited entry of an order
    2. General Inquiries
  1. [email protected] to be used for:
    1. To schedule an urgent motion or urgent case conference, if it is too time sensitive to wait for the next TBST date, or if there are no available spots on the next TBST court list, and attaching the court materials for vetting.
    2. To obtain a case conference date if a party will not provide consent for available dates or if no dates are available through Calendly
    3. To book a long motion date
    4. On consent, to schedule a DRO conference on a court application (Form 8). (DRO conferences on Motions to Change (Form 15) are automatically scheduled by the court upon filing.)
  1. The Ontario Courts Public Portal is to be used for:
    1. All filings in family cases