Are Recent Changes Improvements to Ontario's Justice System?

There has been criticism to Ontario’s criminal justice system in regards to its overall performance.
Recent reforms have attempted addressed some of the areas of concern, supposedly improving public safety, fairness, and access to justice.
According to a criminal justice report card released by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, Ontario has the second lowest violent crime rate in Canada, higher non-violent crime clearance rate than other provinces and relatively low rates of accused persons being unlawfully at large and failing to comply with court orders.
Additionally, Ontario has the second-highest criminal legal aid expenditures among the other provinces. This means that the amount of money spent on legal aid for those accused of crimes is nearly the highest in Canada. If you are low income and are accused of an offence, you may be more likely to be eligible for legal aid.
While Ontario may have comparably high allocation of legal aid funding, many still feel that the budget is not sufficient enough to adequately assist low income individuals before the court.
To be eligible for a legal aid certificate in Ontario
an individual must demonstrate that they have little or no income left after paying their basic necessities like food and housing.
People on social assistance almost always qualify for legal aid. An individual may be eligible for legal aid even if you have some money in the bank or even if you own a home.
However, to qualify for legal aid services an individual's annual gross family income must be:

Below $22,270 for a family of 1

Below $32,131 for a family of 2

Below $39,137 for a family of 3

Below $45,440 for a family of 4

Below $50,803 for a family of 5 or more
These cutoffs mean many people who are struggling financially are ineligible for legal aid funding in Ontario.
Furthermore, Ontario’s justice system has ongoing issues that are continuing to plague the province’s criminal justice system.
Ontario’s criminal justice system recent reforms do little to address two major areas of concern: the disproportionate number of Aboriginal people before the court in the criminal justice system and the high numbers of accused people held in custody awaiting trial.
The justice system has one of the highest levels of Aboriginal involvement compared to anywhere in Canada.
Ontario also has the second-highest number of accused persons detained while awaiting trial rather than out on bail. Exacerbating this issue is the abhorrent conditions of pre-trial custody facilities in Ontario.
Many residents of Ontario are critical of the Justice System, in particular, the various police forces, siting unapproachability and a lack of confidence in their fairness.
Although the government of Ontario has made changes to its criminal justice system, reforms are desperately needed to address ongoing issues that are continuing to plague the province’s criminal justice system.
If you are charged with an offence, it is important to be represented by an experienced criminal defence lawyer if you intend to successfully fight it.
Know your rights! If you are facing criminal offence charges contact Kostman and Pyzer, Barristers for your free consultation today!

Your Defence Team

Jonathan

Pyzer

Jasmine

Mann

Ian

Kostman

Toronto Defence Lawyers

4.9

Based on 65 reviews

review us on

Dhruv Sharma

21:49 01 Jan 23

Jasmine was very helpful for fighting a case for my friend and helping her drop all the charges. I will highly... recommend Pyzer Criminal Lawyer services.read more

Alfred P. John

16:22 24 Aug 22

I recommend this firm…Very attentive, empathetic and attention to details. I also appreciated the excellent lines of... communication.Thank you!!!read more

Edita Tas

22:17 03 Aug 22

Jonathan Pyzer is an amazing and outstanding lawyer. Deep into his work which makes him a dedicated lawyer who thrives... for his clients. We beat criminal charges and walked away with highway traffic act charges. Amazing lawyer look no further.read more

Dani

15:28 05 May 22

Mr Pyzer is an amazing lawyer, he managed to get my case fully withdrawn even when it seemed I had all the odds turned... against me. Mr. Pyzer took the time and effort to truly see the situation I was in for what it was and confidently came up with the best strategy to get my case withdrawn. I knew from our first discussion he was the right attorney to represent me.Mr Pyzer was also always prompt at responding to emails, calls, texts regarding questions about the progress of the proceedings which was perfect for somebody as anxious as I was!Thank you a million Jonathan!read more

Andrew Viett

15:57 07 Apr 22

Mr. Pyzer had been extremely transparent from the very beginning, providing expeditious responses and service while... caring for my case with thoroughness and thoughtfulness. My case was resolved with great results given the circumstances. Thanks again, Jonathan.read more

Jessica O

15:36 07 Apr 22

I chose to call this firm after reading so many good reviews. After speaking to many different lawyers, I chose Jasmine... Mann and Thank God I did. It was the most stressful moment in my life and she handled the case so well. the charge against me got withdrawn thanks to her. I cannot express enough gratitude for not only the work but also always being available to take my phone calls and making me feel at ease every single time. Jasmine thank you so much for getting my life back and looking for my best interest.read more

Jim McDonald

20:40 10 Feb 22

Jonathan was unbelievable from the very first conversation till the end. He is a hand on type of guy. Very... professional... I would recommend him for any situation that may come up. I would give him 10 stars if I could.read more

Jeff R

19:35 10 Feb 22

Experience matters! From the moment we spoke with Jonathan knew that Pyzer was the right firm for our family. He... spoke with confidence and expertise, thoroughly explained the process and possible outcomes, never judged and never wavered in his pursuit to get us the best result. At no point in time did we doubt that he had our best interest at heart, and in the end we got the outcome that we wanted. I recommend Pyzer a thousand times over!read more

silviu anghel

00:27 26 Jan 22

There was a unique chance to be defended by Mr. Pyzer: with his expertise i was able to go over the most ridiculous... moment in my life; There were three allegations under the Indecent Act; yesterday, I had the trial and Mr. Pyzer made the witnesses to change their testimonials due to the fact one by one their allegations were not supported by any real proven facts. Mr. Pyzer was asking particular questions where witnesses became angry, shaking in terms of answers showing hesitation and the tendency of laying. In the end Mr. Pyzer was asking for confruntation with the reprezentative of the Crown who requested dismissal of all charges as per a poor evidence. The judge sentenced dismissal of all charges.What I am trying to emphase is that Mr. Pyzer was beside me all this time and he considers that we have a strong case as defendants. There were moments when I was losing my temper but Mr.Pyzer simply brought me back. There is nothing magic but I think it is what it takes to be involved with a hight professionalism and talent. I recommend Mr.Pyzer as the best lawyer in criminal law I had the opportunity to meet with. As my trial just ended yesterday I feel borne for a second time. I could have ended up in jail up to 5 years. Thank you Mr. Pyzer and I will always remember you as the best thing that happened to me in my entire life.read more

Ian Burnham

15:03 13 Jan 22

I am very happy that I engaged Jonathan Pyzer to represent me for some legal difficulties I ran into. He always... treated me with respect and empathy, took the time to fully understand my situation and explain his strategy with me. With his expertise and guidance, I was able to get through this ordeal quickly and successfully. Throughout the process, I always felt that Jonathan was representing my interests to the best of his ability and the results proved it. Thanks to Jonathan's efforts, I can now focus on getting my life back to where I want it to be without this dark cloud of uncertainty hanging over my head. Hopefully I won't ever find myself in a similar situation, but if I do, I won't hesitate to reach out to Pyzer Criminal Lawyers for help.read more

JHP

19:41 15 Dec 21

I needed a lawyer for a fraud charge that was being dumped on me which I was unaware of and was victim to a scam. In a... state of shock and panic, I reached out to Pyzer law firm. I spoke with Jonathan and he was absolutely wonderful. He was able to give me insight, support and empathy and made me feel calm. He was professional, quick to respond and very honest. He's your go to person without the pressure to hire which was really nice. Thank you Jonathan for all that you do!read more

Gab O.

21:40 07 Oct 21

***NOTE: This is long, but worths reading every bit***Today is the day (The happiest day of my life) I have long hoped... for - since 20months I was charged with 3 chronic criminal offenses, and today, I'm completely free of all the charges. Thank God I abandoned my legal aid duty council right on time and went for an all round and more professional Mr Pyzer of the Pyzer Criminal Lawyers Toronto.With all sincerity, I did a thorough search for an experienced and professional lawyer, checked both google and lawyerratingz reviews, I put calls to every Toronto lawyers I found but I was more convinced by Mr Pyzer's articulation and his reviews I found, in fact, some of the research I did was that I privately searched for and contacted some of those that gave these google reviews and was convinced by their testimonies about Mr Pyzer, hence, I settled with him. If found guilty, these charges WOULD have led to my deportation being a permanent resident, I would not be able to enter the US and my prospective job would have been jeopardized.As par his fee, I found it was on the average level when I compared his to all the bills I received from every other Toronto lawyer I contacted, he made payment very flexible for me and paid it all over a set period of time. Plus, this court case was not in Toronto, it was out of city but he still took it up and won today. His first approach to winning my case was, he fought the 3 charges down to 2, then brought down the severity from indictment to summary (what a relief?). He fought the 2 remaining charges till this day, and was very impressed having to see him display his high level of profession at trial. I'm glad to announce that today, I'm free.Mr Pyzer took my case as if it was his and as if he knew me since 15years ago, as if I'm his son. He had sleepless night on my case digging deep and deeper, was always updating me on every possible second that passed. He was highly prepared for this matter and knew the nook and cranny of it. He called me at every possible second.I will stop at this point to avoid giving too much information, but if you find yourself in a mess and you want someone that will take all the burden upon himself alone, contact Mr Pyzer and if you think this review is not real, find means of contacting me OR contacting him directly and I can proof to you I'm very real. (I type too much cos I'm super happy right now, I'm free)..BYEread more

Misty d

14:45 15 May 21

If you are reading this and looking for a knowledgeable/ experienced criminal lawyer, then you found the best of all.... Jonathan is exceptional and knows the criminal law to the “T”.Unlike most lawyers who are simply after the payment aspect of the process, Jonathan is more concerned about the outcome of your case and puts in every iota of his skills and knowledge from his enormous wealth of experience. He would give you nothing but the BEST!I was so worried and almost gave up from the poor handling of a family case from a different lawyer but Jonathan rectified it all in just a short time frame with about 2-3 visits only. Something that was literally taking the previous lawyer close to 6months to deliver any ray of hope on ... took just the touch of Jonathan’s expertise to remedy it all.He doesn’t push for reviews either like most lawyers do (pathetic indeed). It’s been more than 3months after the resolution of my family’s case and I am giving this review on my accord and at my convenience because Jonathan deserves this and more.Thank you Jonathan!read more

Charanjeet Sandhu

20:41 14 Apr 21

I am really thankful to Mr Jonathan M. Pyzer in helping me out for my case & getting the charges withdrawn. It was... great to work with Jonathon & his team for the guidance and support provided me time to time.I would highly recommend Jonathon for his support & professional approach.read more

Shari Jacobs

08:27 01 Apr 21

From the time I stepped foot in his office I knew I was going to be ok. Jonathan is very hands on lawyer who listens... and is empathetic. If you are looking for a lawyer who cares and is responsive please don't hesitate to call his office. Wish there was a way to give 10 stars.read more

Nathan Moore

20:18 15 Mar 21

I found this business through good online reviews and am so happy to be leaving them a 5 star review! I cant thank Mr... Pyzer enough for his hard work, professionalism, diligence and empathy through what was a quite complex case in a difficult time for everyone. Highly recommend! Thanks again!read more

Kwame Asuako

21:29 10 Dec 20

Guys this firm really helped me helped me with my case always looked out for my best interest which helped me made an... informed decision on my case and i very thankful. the services provided was professional, supportive throughout my case and i am well appreciated. I strongly recommends everyone with difficult cases or easy cases to give this firm a shot it did it for me. thank u Jonathanread more

Arthi Sabapathi

02:53 24 Nov 20

I was charged for a case in Sarnia. I contacted Ravi Sahota and I received nothing but quality and timely help. He was... amazing and took his time explaining the possible outcomes and helped md throughout. He was actively in touch, easy to reach. Later part of the case was dealt by Johnathan, he was equally professional as well.read more

Dante Bedward

17:33 21 Sep 20

Pyzer was quick to return my call and gave me a free 30 min counsel. Also accepts legal aid.

Rami Buni

02:03 03 Sep 20

My experience with Jonathan Pyzer was exceptional and could not ask for anything more. Jonathan was very punctual and... not very money oriented comparing to the other lawyers I interviewed in the GTA area.Positive result on my end but I can assure you that with Jonathan’s experience you are in good hands regardless of the outcome and that’s what I was looking for in a lawyer.read more

jim vass

19:07 02 Sep 20

I highly recommend Ravi Sahota to anyone.

Mary Maenza

00:24 01 Sep 20

I would highly recommend Ravi. All the worries and fears that I had to face was that much easier to deal with having... hired him. He was professional and compassionate. Keep up the great work.read more

mike martino

15:04 19 Aug 20

Ravi was fantastic and really helped me out. I strongly reccomend him to anyone

Nicole Simonian

15:03 23 Jun 20

Jonathan Pyzer is incredible!! Always professional and handles every case with the most care and with the customer's... best interests first. He is very patient and takes time to explain everything. Very quick to respond. He makes you feel very comfortable and at ease. Best lawyer hands down!read more

D August

06:33 23 Jun 20

Honestly and genuinely speaking Jonathon Pyzer is the Houdini of lawyers,he is a real master of his craft to say the... least. In short ,he has represented me on 4 different matters,2 of which had some serious potential jail time and pretty decent evidence from the crown. All four times I walked away unscathed without a single blemish on my record.Not to mention he has done the same for anyone I've referred to him.if there was a 10 star option he would be deserving.Do not hesitate for a second if your in need and your life is hanging in the balance.read more

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Are Recent Changes Improvements to Ontario's Justice System?

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