Re: “Chief judge reviews online court records.”
As a landlord in this province I would first like to state that I very much appreciate having limited access to public court records pertaining to potential tenants. Court Services Online (CSO) is just one valuable tool that I can use to help determine the suitability of an applicant.
While I myself take the necessary time to look at and consider the nature of any charges, dates, participants and possible dispositions, I do feel that this information is presented in a manner that may not be correctly interpreted by some people. But I do not believe the solution is to remove public access to this information.
Recently I was able to use CSO to engage a tenant applicant in a direct, honest conversation about their past criminal convictions and current parole conditions. I am proud to say this led to a successful tenancy for someone who may not have otherwise been able to secure decent and affordable accommodation.
I value having public access to this information and believe it can positively serve our society if used with appropriate diligence. Perhaps something can be done to educate employers, landlords and others so CSO can continue to be used in a manner that does not penalize people for merely having had contact with our court system.
Ray Covenant