Participating in Online Courtroom using Zoom

Rules of engagement for online court participation

Although your court matter is online, expectations and requirements on conduct and professional behaviour in the courtroom is the same as if you were attending the courtroom in person.

For online court participation:

• Sign into the Zoom meeting 15 minutes before your court matter to ensure you're ready when your matter is called and to avoid interruptions to the proceedings
• Your Zoom screen name should be your legal first and last name
• There will be matters scheduled for the same timeframe. This may result in a waiting period before your matter is spoken to.
• Before speaking in court, state your name for the record and speak clearly
• The judiciary should be addressed in the same manner as if you are attending the physical courtroom
• Ensure your camera is turned on before speaking in the online courtroom during a Zoom trial
• Join the meeting from a well-lit space and avoid the use of filters or backgrounds
• Dress appropriately for the formal court environment
• You may have water during your court proceeding, but no food, beverages, gum chewing or smoking is allowed
• Join the meeting from a quiet and private area to avoid distractions and ensure privacy
• Mute your microphone until your matter is called by the court and you must speak. If joining by telephone, pressing *6 will mute and unmute your microphone.
• Failure to remain muted or any disruptions to court proceedings may result in individuals being removed from the meeting
• It is ideal to use a headset with a microphone to reduce background noise and improve clarity
• Cell phone ring volume must be muted
• Do not carry on conversations while court is in session
• Close all other applications so you are not distracted or interrupted during the proceeding
• If joining from a portable device, it should be either fully charged or plugged into an external power source
• You must be connected to the Internet to use Zoom.
• If you have technical difficulties during the proceeding, use the "virtual hand" on Zoom. If joining by telephone, pressing *9 will enable your raised hand feature.
• If you are disconnected from the proceeding, immediately try to rejoin the proceeding. If you're unable to rejoin, call 905-687-6590, option 3.
• In accordance with Section 136 of the Courts of Justice Act, it's an offence for members of the public to copy, record, publish, broadcast or disseminate any court matter or any portion of it, including a matter that is conducted over videoconference or teleconference without leave of the court. Members of the public and all other persons in the courtroom must comply with the terms of the Protocol on the Use of Electronic Devices in the Courtroom.

Instructions for joining a Zoom meeting

The following instructions are for using Zoom with Windows. Get instructions for downloading Zoom for Mac.

• Preparing for virtual courtroom via Zoom

  Before your meeting, download Zoom and perform a test call to ensure device functionality.

  If joining from a mobile device (laptop, tablet, phone), ensure the battery is fully charged and / or connected to an external power source.

• Joining a online courtroom using Zoom

  Use the link provided to you, or:

  • Go to Zoom
  • Click 'Join a meeting' at the top right of the page. You don't have to sign into Zoom to join a meeting.
• Enter the meeting ID and your legal first and last name. Then click join.

  You can unselect the following boxes:

  • Remember my name for future meetings
  • Do not connect to audio
  • Turn off my video
• Steps once you are in the meeting room

  You will be placed in the waiting room until the host brings you into the online courtroom. Your camera can remain off while in the waiting room.

Zoom viewing options

• Viewing options

  There are two viewing options: gallery or speaker view.

  • Gallery view displays everyone in equally sized screens that will adjust in size based on the number of participants.
  • Speaker view displays the individual who is speaking in a large screen, with the other participants displayed in smaller screens above. The system automatically changes to display the individual speaking.

  Each meeting participant can select their own view. To change the view, click the 'Gallery view / speaker view' button in the upper-right section of the screen.

• Control bar

  The control bar is located at the bottom of the screen and disappears when not in use. To activate the control bar, simply move your mouse or touch the screen if using a touchscreen.

• Mute

  The mute button mutes or unmutes your microphone. We ask that you mute your microphone when you're not talking.

• Start / stop video

  The start / stop video is how you turn on / off your camera. If your camera is off, a red line will appear through the camera icon. Click on the camera icon to turn your camera on.

  Ensure your camera is on once you have entered the virtual courtroom. It's mandatory that you participate by video as your scheduled virtual court matter can't be completed by audio only.

• Participants

  Click 'participants' to see a list of all participants in the meeting. When you click that, a new window will open to the right of the main screen.

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