Ontario proposes to move jury duty questionnaires online

Jury box in a courtroom at the Edmonton Law Courts building, in Edmonton on Friday, June 28, 2019. The president of the Canadian Council of Criminal Defence Lawyers is worried the justice system will try to delay jury trials as it deals with COVID-19 at the expense of the rights of those accused of a crime. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Ontario is proposing to move jury duty questionnaires online.

That's one part of a large red tape reduction bill the government introduced this week, which also includes increasing the amount of time retired judges can serve.

Attorney General Doug Downey says allowing prospective jurors to complete their questionnaire online is "the next evolution" in introducing a more modern way of jury selection and management.

The province says the questionnaires are mailed to about 800,000 people a year and ask questions -- such as whether the recipient has been convicted of certain criminal offences -- to determine eligibility to serve on a jury.

People currently have to return the completed form by mail, and those who do qualify may receive a summons to participate in the jury selection process.

The legislation says that people could still request that a paper copy of the questionnaire be mailed to them instead.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 24, 2022.