Students throughout Ontario participated in the annual OBA – OJEN Competitive Mock Trial (OOCMT) program in April and May. Despite the extra challenges of preparing for the mock trial during Covid-19, 6 tournaments took place in Durham, Halton, Niagara, Peel, Toronto and York.
Now in its ninth year, the program underwent modifications in 2020 so it would remain accessible to students during the Covid-19 pandemic. Student teams prepared for the competition in online sessions with their lawyer coaches. Last year, all tournaments were held online. At the beginning of 2022, it was unclear if students would be able to meet for in-person tournaments or if they would take place online for a second year. In the end, 2 tournaments were held in-person at local courthouses with masking protocols in place, 3 were held online and another was held in a hybrid format.
The 2022 case scenario, R v Smalls, involved an assault set in a detention facility. The case asks questions about gang affiliation, self-defence, and what level of security an institution owes to the people it houses.
Once again, students impressed the judges with their advocacy skills. Every team was well prepared and victories were hard won. Congratulations to the winning teams:
- Durham: All Saints Catholic Secondary School
- Halton: Garth Webb Secondary School
- Niagara: AN Myer Secondary School
- Peel: Central Peel Secondary School
- Toronto: University of Toronto Schools
- York: The Country Day School
Since it was first offered, the OOCMT program has been extremely popular with students and teachers in high schools province-wide. Approximately 1600 students participated in pre-pandemic competitions.
We want to extend a big thank you to all of our volunteers who have worked tirelessly and flexibly to ensure a great experience for all our OOCMT participants this year!