TORONTO -- The Law Society of Ontario says it will create a unisex space where barristers appearing before the province's top court can change into their robes and network.
The regulator says it will transform what is now the men's robing room at the Osgoode Hall courthouse in Toronto into a gender-neutral facility, which will require modifications to ensure personal privacy in the washrooms.
The law society says it is working out the details as well as the timeline of the project as it works to ensure the facilities are "inclusive and welcoming."
The announcement comes after a Toronto lawyer launched a petition to scrap a small change room reserved for so-called "lady barristers" in favour of a unisex space.
The online petition created by Breanna Needham highlighted the discrepancy between the women's space, which holds 12 lockers, and the men's, which has close to 70.
Needham said the robing rooms also serve as spaces where lawyers discuss their work and make connections, and women should not be excluded from those potentially career-advancing experiences.
The issue has surfaced in the past and some other courthouses in Ontario already have unisex common areas, she said.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the petition had close to 900 signatures.
Needham welcomed the announcement, calling it "good news" on Twitter. "Looking forward to hearing more about these changes (& the anticipated timeline)," she wrote.
Lawyers are required to wear black, flowy robes to appear in Superior Court and at the Ontario Court of Appeal, and the law society says on its website that it is "generally bad form" to wear robes outside the courthouse.
"Change is coming!," the society said in a series of tweets Wednesday. "Once complete the space will be open to all. ... In the meantime, please continue to respect people's privacy."
