Ontario is moving forward with plans to place video cameras inside courtrooms, Attorney General Michael Bryant announced Wednesday.
The electronic devices will be positioned inside courtrooms at the Ontario Court of Appeal as part of a pilot project.
Bryant said it is time Ontario moves in this direction, saying "our justice system is ready for its close-up."
"That close-up is going to be coming into the living rooms of our province as we tune in to the Ontario Court of Appeal."
An implementation team will decide where the cameras are positioned, how many will be used and which cases will be broadcast.
Television cameras have been a fixture in many American courtrooms for years. Many instances of courtroom outbursts and altercations have been caught on videotape.
Similar scenes should not be expected in Ontario courts when the cameras are switched on, lawyer Steven Skurka said.
"There has to be accountability," Skurka said. "People have a right to know what is actually happening in the courtrooms of this country."
"It's just a question of setting the right balance."
The pilot project only applies to the appeals court, but that should not prove to be dull television.
A source told CTV's Paul Bliss it is possible the upcoming murder appeal cases involving Steven Truscott and Robert Baltovich will qualify for broadcast.
Some judges have already expressed reservations about the idea, but Bryant said Ontario's courts need to move with the times.
Despite concerns, judges, lawyers and the attorney general all agree that the defendant's right to a fair trial is a priority.
Ontario is not alone in having television coverage of court proceedings. British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador all allow limited access to the courts by television news outlets.
Dozens of Canadian public inquiries have also been televised.
With a report from CTV's Paul Bliss
