Ontario jurors will be compensated $120 per day from the first day they serve starting Wednesday, a significant increase that some advocates applaud but add that more support for jurors is needed.
Attorney General Doug Downey said at last Thursday’s opening of the courts ceremony in Toronto that the jury fee structure in the province hadn’t changed since 1989, an area of the justice system he called “neglected.”
Under that structure, Ontarians called for jury duty were paid nothing for the first 10 days of trial. From days 11 to 49 of the trial, jurors received $40 daily, and $100 from Day 50 onward.
“I know we can all agree that juries play a vital role in our justice system. And I, for one, am very grateful when ordinary citizens from all walks of life answer the call and participate in the judicial process,” Downey said. “In some cases, people are not receiving any compensation for fulfilling their civic duty, all while making personal and economic sacrifices.”
Jurors who are not paid by their employers during trials will receive $120 per day starting on Day 1 of their service, Downey announced.
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“This long overdue reform will remove financial barriers, ease burdens on families, strengthen participation in one of our most vital aspects of democracy,” he said.
Mark Farrant, CEO of the Canadian Juries Commission, said he welcomes the move, adding that the increased compensation can help make juries more representative of Canadian society. Much of the population works in the wage sector or gig economy, he said, and it’s likely many Ontarians have been willing to serve on a jury in the past but couldn’t afford to do so due to low compensation.
“Historically, juries have been made up of older Canadians, retirees, people working for large corporations or in unionized sectors where their salary or wages may be continued,” said Farrant.
Anna Wong, president of the Toronto Lawyers Association, also called the pay increase “a welcome reform.”
“It recognizes that the cost of living has gone up since the existing structure for juror compensation was set up,” Wong said.
Farrant added there’s still work to be done to improve the support system for jurors as some provinces still have jury pay “well below minimum wage.”
In Nova Scotia, jurors are paid $40 per day and in Alberta, jurors receive $50 per day, government websites say. Farrant said he hopes Ontario’s move could push other provinces to take the same measure.
Farrant said he’d also like to see more post-trial mental health support available for jurors. But the pay increase is a good start, he said, because it’ll likely mean more Ontarians will be more willing to serve. The justice system uses a jury of one’s peers, he added, so representation is important.
“We’ve known that the juries haven’t been as reflective as we wanted them to be so this is another step in the right direction to improve diversity on juries.”
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