Ottawa Courthouse

First time at the Ontario court house and was required to go through the security access team. Very professional and patient as they proceeded to appropriate my nail clippers as they were not allowed in the building. I couldn’t believe it, we have legalized cannabis but I can’t take a 2 inch long set of nail clippers into a court house. Other than that the court case was quick, the two lawyers were well prepared, the judge was too lenient.

The Ottawa courthouse has a reputation for being the slowest and most incompetent in Ontario. An application for default judgment can take more than 6 months to obtain although only a rubber stamp is required. Previous comments are correct - you should file your application in another courthouse if allowed.

The phone is ll self help and no help at all. Can never reach anyone!

I think the court house needs some sort of charging stations. I sat in the court house today (I was a witness and received a subpoena) for 7 hours and a place to charge a phone or laptop would be helpful.They are doing a fairly good job keeping everything clean and disinfected because of Covid. I do find the screening at the door not very helpful and when your going through security and putting everything in their grey bins they aren’t being disinfected between people so everyone’s personal belongings are in contact with everyone else who has used them too.

Courtrooms could use a good cleaning , security should explain and give instructions on going thru security check

Don't bother asking for help at the information desk. I am simply trying to sit in on a case and used the schedule provided online to find the room, however all the rooms are numbered and you can't tell from the list what room they'll be in. I approached the gentleman at the info desk at 9:15am on January 31 to ask him which room corresponds with the room information provided online and he said I see you don't take care. Your list is all wrong

Well here we are at Ottawa's Courthouse. It's a fairly modern building, well lit, professional and courteous (if overworked) staff. The staff I dealt with were quite pleasant and my overall experience was positive.Lost my favourite pocket knife upon entry though, but it's just something that didn't occur to me. Oops.

My experience with the small claims division here is terrible. If you're able to bring a claim to a different court house, please do so! They never pick up the phone here and don't return your calls. I've had to leave 3 voicemails before someone got back to me 3 weeks later and they're supposed to return your call within 24 hours. Maybe they're understaffed but still, small claims is supposed to be fast and expeditious - a court for the people! Started a claim a year ago and it's moving very slooowly. Always busy here and filled with people. Expect to spend an hour here before you get a simple question answered. My experience representing others at other court houses is much better!

They never respond to phone calls, and never call back when you leave a voice message. They mail back documents saying the documents don't meet the court requirements. When you mail them everything per their requirements, they run out of excuses and claim they've never received your mail. I have lost faith. Nobody cares, and there is no justice system.

I went in for family court and asked the front information" desk what court room I had been assigned to appear in and they told me the wrong one! Luckily for me I was able to find someone that could point me in the right direction even though I was a bit late I was able to attend. If I had not shown up the judge would have issued a bench warrant for my arrest (on top of the 400$ court fee). At my court hearing I had to represent myself because I couldn't afford a lawyer and didn't "qualify" for legal aid even though I haven't been working due to being injured now how's that for "justice" ?"