Ottawa’s first Indigenous peoples court to be announced Friday
The provincial government will announce the opening of Ottawa’s first court for Indigenous peoples this week, CBC News has confirmed.
A ceremony to make the news official will take place Friday afternoon inside the Ottawa courthouse on Elgin Street, which sits on traditional Algonquin territory.
According to a memo shared with courthouse staff and obtained by CBC News, Ontario Court Justice Celynne Dorval has invited members of the Ottawa Crown Attorney’s Office, Legal Aid Ontario, the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, and the Defence Counsel Association of Ottawa to the opening.
Members of the Aboriginal Legal Services, the Odawa Native Friendship Centre, and Tungasuvvingat Inuit are also expected to speak at the ceremony to provide more details about how the new court will operate.
This Indigenous peoples court has been several years in the making, with assistant crown attorneys, defence lawyers, and others working on the project ahead of Friday’s announcement.