Appointments Process
The Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee was formed in 1988, and the Justices of the Peace Appointments Advisory Committee, in 2007. These committees operate independently of the Ontario Court of Justice. As a convenience, information about their procedures and their work are included here.
Frequently Asked Questions
The current application form is available either by downloading it from the Ontario Courts website at: www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/jaac/application/ or by contacting the office of the Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee at JAAC@ontario.ca. (The downloaded version is MS Word format.)
Oral and written French as indicated on the application form are mandatory requirements in order to apply for a bilingual imperative judicial vacancy. If you apply for a vacancy identified as bilingual imperative, you will be required to complete a standardized French language proficiency test at the application stage, on which you must achieve a Superior level of proficiency to proceed further through the process.
If you are required to complete a language proficiency test, you will be contacted by the Committee Secretary. French proficiency tests are valid for five years (as per the French Language Services Office of the Ministry of the Attorney General).
Candidates will receive test results after an appointment has been made to fill the vacancy they were tested for. If you have been tested within the last five years, you must submit a copy of the evaluator’s report when applying.
Yes. If you wish to arrange for French language testing independently and at your own expense prior to applying, contact the Committee Secretary at JAAC@ontario.ca for information on how to arrange for Ontario government-approved testing. French proficiency tests are valid for five years (as per the French Language Services Office of the Ministry of the Attorney General). You must submit a copy of the evaluator’s report when applying.
If you have been tested as part of the JAAC application process and wish to be re-tested within the five-year period, you may do so independently at your own expense. Contact the Committee Secretary at JAAC@ontario.ca for information on how to arrange for Ontario government-approved testing. You must submit a copy of the evaluator’s report when applying.
No. The Committee requests that you use only the space provided on the application form and do not attach a separate cover letter.
Other than a sentence indicating the vacancy location(s) you are applying to, and a standard e-mail signature with contact information, do not include a message to the Committee in the body of the e-mail.
No. The minimum requirement to apply to be a judge in the Ontario Court of Justice is 10 completed years at the Bar of one of the Provinces or Territories of Canada.
No. The Committee only requires four references, as described on page 12 of the application form.
Yes, you could include the names of judicial officers if you have their permission to do so.
Please refer to the Security Release and Disclosure Form and question #9 on page 9 of the application form.
If the Committee receives sufficient information that the complaint is frivolous or lacking in foundation, then such a complaint will not be a bar to your being considered and interviewed. However, the candidate is responsible for ensuring the removal of such a complaint. The candidate will not be recommended until the complaint has been disposed of.
The Committee requests that you do not send in copies of your curriculum vitae, reference letters or additional materials.
This information is not given to the applicants or the public.
We encourage applicants to continue to apply to any advertised judicial vacancies that may be of interest to them, should they wish to seek a judicial appointment.
Generally speaking, the Committee does not re-interview candidates who have been interviewed in the previous 12 months. If you have recently been interviewed, your subsequent applications will be considered based on your previous interview and other information that is available to the Committee members. However, the Committee may, in its discretion, re-interview where it deems it appropriate.
The number of candidates to be interviewed for a judicial vacancy will normally be a maximum of 16 over a two-day period. However, the Committee will also consider, in preparing its recommendations, candidates that have been interviewed in the previous 12 months.
Interviewees will generally be asked questions on topics such as, but not limited to, details contained in their applications, current events, social justice issues and challenges confronting the justice system.
No. Interviewees will not be advised of their status in the selection process.