International Law

Ontario Chief Justice Warren Winkler is calling for ?dramatic? changes to the justice system that would deny family law litigants access to the courts unless they go through mediation first.

In a speech Tuesday to mark the opening of the province?s courts for 2010-11, Winkler said mediation offers a potentially faster and cheaper way to resolve divorce and custody battles, including a less-complicated process for getting information such as a spouse?s financial statements.

?Accordingly, only in the event that the alternative dispute resolution process is unsuccessful would access to the costly, time-consuming, adversarial and sometimes acrimonious court process be available to litigants,? he said