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Online hearings

Hearings on the merits and applications before a judge alone or before a panel

The Court offers pleaders (counsel or party) the choice of coming to Court for the hearing of their appeal or participating in the hearing via videoconference. When an application is placed on the roll, the Court office will send the parties or their counsel, as the case may be, a notice of hearing containing all the necessary information for the videoconference. Upon receipt of the notice of hearing, a pleader (counsel or party) may notify the Court office that they wish to appear in person in Court for the hearing of the application.

Please note that a virtual hearing may not be appropriate for certain appeals or applications, in which case the Court office will also contact those concerned.

Joining a Online hearing session via the Teams platform

The Court of Appeal uses the Microsoft Teams platform to hold its online hearings. The online hearings are easy to use and secure and also make it possible to record proceedings.

The email sent by the Court office confirming the date and time of the hearing will contain the necessary information for pleaders to connect themselves, including the conference number and the link to connect directly to the online hearing.

Pleaders are asked to read the document entitled Technical Conditions and to contact the Court office with any questions they may have regarding the use of this platform.

Public nature of hearings and Guidelines Concerning the Use of Technological Devices in Courtrooms

The use of online hearings does not prevent the public from attending hearings, given that the open court principle subsists (subject to the exceptions that apply under normal circumstances). The rolls for the Court are posted on the Court’s website, as usual, ( https://courdappelduquebec.ca/en/rolls/ ).

Members of the public (including journalists) can attend online hearings via audio. By emailing a request to the office of the Court in Montreal or Quebec City, depending on the hearing venue (Office of the Court in Quebec City: courdappelqc@judex.qc.ca; Office of the Court in Montreal: courdappelmtl@judex.qc.ca), they will be able to receive the relevant information.

It should also be noted that the Guidelines Concerning the Use of Technological Devices in Courtrooms apply to online hearings, with the necessary modifications. Thus, subject to the exceptions set out in said Guidelines, no participant is authorized to capture a screenshot, record the hearing or broadcast it by any means whatsoever.

Guide to Best Practices and Aide-memoire

In order to help counsel and parties prepare for and participate in the online hearings that the Court of Appeal is now holding, the Court has prepared a Guide to Best Practices and an Aide-memoire that contains all the necessary information. Members of the public who want to know how to attend online hearings will also find the necessary information in the Guide. 

 

Hearings in courtrooms

In the case that a hearing is held in a courtroom, you will be required to comply with the following measures:

  • If you are ill or have been in contact with a person who has symptoms of COVID-19 or has tested positive for COVID-19, do not come to Court;
  • It is still strongly recommended that masks be worn in the common areas of the courthouse as well as in the courtrooms.
  • Those present in the courtrooms should, to the extent possible, maintain a distance of at least one metre between them.
  • Come to Court no more than 30 minutes before your hearing;
  • On arriving at the Court and before entering the courtroom and when leaving it, use the hand sanitizer that has been made available;
  • Bring your own water bottle; pitchers of water and glasses are no longer provided;
  • A document filed at the hearing must be accompanied by its technological version on a USB key.

Contact information for the offices of the Court