2. Find out if you’re screened for diversion

Usually, at the beginning of each day, a list of cases that have been screened for diversion is taped to the courtroom door. When you go to court, check the door of the courtroom for the list of people who have been approved for diversion. If your name is on the list and you want to do diversion, follow the instructions at the top of the list.

If there is no list, go into the courtroom and wait for your name to be called. The Crown will tell you if your case has been screened for diversion.

If you have been screened for diversion

If you decide that you want to participate in the diversion program, your case will be “held down” for a short period. The court has not finished with your case.  The court is giving you time to go to the diversion office in the courthouse and meet with a diversion court worker. You must not leave the courthouse until your case is officially adjourned.

Go to the diversion office and ask a diversion court worker how much time you need to complete the upfront work and when you should have your next court date. If your upfront work will take more than a few weeks, you may have to go to court once or twice to give them an update.

When you're finished in the diversion office, return to the courtroom. Tell the court when the diversion worker said you should have your next court date.

If you haven’t been screened for diversion

If your name is not on the list, your case has not been screened for diversion. Go inside the courtroom and wait for your name to be called. When it is, ask for your disclosure so that you can schedule a Crown pre-trial. At the Crown pre-trial, you or your lawyer can try to convince the Crown to offer you diversion.