Jury Duty in Ontario: What to Expect and Your Rights

Under Ontario's Juries Act, people are chosen at random to fill in a jury eligibility form. The form isn't a summons. If you are eligible, you may later receive a summons to attend court for jury selection.

Step 1: the eligibility form

Fill it in and return it on time. It checks whether you are eligible: a Canadian citizen, 18 or older, and living in Ontario.

Step 2: the summons

A summons tells you when and where to attend jury selection. It puts you on the jury panel, but you may not be chosen for a trial. Not attending without a reasonable excuse can be treated as contempt of court.

Can I be excused?

You can ask to be excused or to have your service deferred, for example for medical reasons, serious hardship or a prior commitment. Follow the instructions in your summons.

Pay and expenses

Jury panel members aren't paid for attending jury selection. If you are selected for a trial and your employer doesn't pay you, Ontario pays selected jurors a daily amount (check ontario.ca for the current rate).

Your job is protected

Your employer must give you time off for jury selection and jury service. Unless your contract or policy says so, your employer doesn't have to pay you while you serve.

Support for jurors

Ontario's Juror Support Program offers free, confidential counselling to jurors after a trial.

Keep it confidential

Jurors must never discuss what happens in the jury room, even after the trial is over.

Sources

• Juries Act (Ontario)
• Ontario: jury duty

Read next: Changing Your Name in Ontario: How It Works

General Ontario legal information, not legal advice for your matter, and reading it does not create a retainer. Sources checked 15 October 2026: check the current law, forms and dates before you act.

Photos from Pexels: The Frontenac County Court House in Kingston, Ontario · Stone columns of a classic court building.

This article is general information for people in Ontario, not legal advice. Rules, forms and deadlines change, and every situation is different. Check the current rule or speak to a licensed legal professional before you act.