TORONTO - Ontario Chief Justice Warren Winkler says there is a large appetite for review and reform of the province's family courts and it's time to implement a unified system.
Winkler's comments were echoed by the top judges in Ontario's lower courts Tuesday.
Currently, there are 17 "unified," or dedicated family courts scattered in various pockets of Ontario, but none are located in Toronto.
The province last month pledged to review the handling of child custody cases following the death of seven-year-old Katelynn Sampson of Toronto, who was permitted to stay in the care of a woman who had a criminal record for drugs, prostitution and violence.
The girl's caregiver, Donna Irving, is charged with second-degree murder.
Chief provincial court Justice Annemarie Bonkalo worries the courts might not always be able to meet the challenge of handling a high volume of family law cases, like child protection, custody and support cases.
