Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on civil court cases in Canada
Description: Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on civil court cases in Canada
Following a 21% decline in active civil cases in 2020/2021―likely due to court closures as a result of the pandemic―the number of active cases before civil courts in Canada rose (+10%). Family cases account for approximately one-third of all cases in civil courts.
Total number of active family cases, by province and territoryNote 1
Family cases | % change from 2020/2021 | |
---|---|---|
2021/2022 | ||
Canada | 245,964 | +13% |
Prince Edward Island | 1,115 | +6% |
Nova Scotia | 11,408 | +4% |
New Brunswick | 5,858 | -16% |
Ontario | 118,694 | +24% |
Alberta | 55,993 | +7% |
British Columbia | 51,195 | +6% |
Yukon | 376 | -7% |
Northwest Territories | 686 | -8% |
Nunavut | 639 | +12% |
Ongoing cases
In 2021/2022, 55% of active family cases were ongoing from a previous year, up from 52% in 2019/2020.
Ongoing cases | |||
---|---|---|---|
2019/2020 | 2020/2021 | 2021/2022 | |
Canada | 52% | 54% | 55% |
Prince Edward Island | 63% | 61% | 64% |
Nova Scotia | 65% | 68% | 66% |
New Brunswick | 57% | 60% | 53% |
Ontario | 44% | 46% | 49% |
Alberta | 54% | 56% | 55% |
British Columbia | 64% | 64% | 66% |
Yukon | 60% | 50% | 58% |
Northwest Territories | 59% | 56% | 54% |
Nunavut | 41% | 39% | 35% |
Number of days to the first decision in casesNote 2
In 2021/2022, it took longer for a first decision to be reached in family cases―1 day more than in 2020/2021 and 17 more than in 2019/2020. This is likely due to delays as a result of pandemic-related court closures.
Median number of days to first decision, family cases | |||
---|---|---|---|
2019/2020 | 2020/2021 | 2021/2022 | |
Canada | 79 | 95 | 96 |
Prince Edward Island | 123 | 119 | 121 |
Nova Scotia | 138 | 138 | 139 |
New Brunswick | 72 | 64 | 56 |
Ontario | 66 | 81 | 85 |
Alberta | 71 | 80 | 80 |
British Columbia | 126 | 142 | 147 |
Yukon | 66 | 77 | 90 |
Northwest Territories | 107 | 124 | 120 |
Nunavut | 42 | 29 | 26 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Civil Court Survey, 2021/2022
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