What is the Difference Between a Judge and Justice of the Peace?
We get asked this a lot- what is the difference between a Judge and Justice of the Peace- we see people in provincial offences court calling a Justice of the Peace "Your Honor" and they get confused when we say "Your Worship". Here are the differences: Judges of the Court deal with a wide range of family law cases (including child protection, custody, access, support and adoption) as well as approximately 95% of the criminal charges laid within the province. Justices of the peace of the Court have jurisdiction with respect to provincial offences, bail hearings and search warrants. Their responsibilities also include, but are not limited to, presiding in criminal set-date court and hearing s. 810 Criminal Code applications. You can note the difference by seeing the sash they wear. A judge will be in red and a Justice of the Peace will be in Green.
