Drug Treatment Court: Essentials for Lawyers and Treatment Providers 2022

9:00 a.m. ET
Opening Remarks

Lorne Sabsay, National Executive Director, Canadian Association of Drug Treatment Court Professionals; Sabsay Lawyers

9:15 a.m. ET
History of DTC and Understanding the Fundamentals

The Hon. Justice Kofi Barnes, Superior Court of Justice (Ontario)

In this opening session, you’ll hear from the co‑founder of Canada’s first Drug Treatment Court as he provides a comprehensive overview of this therapeutic court.

Topics include:
• What is DTC and what is its overall purpose?
• Overview of the legal and therapeutic framework for DTC
• Analysis of all the relevant legal issues
• Legal process vs. problem‑solving process
• 13 key principles, eligibility and process
• DTC’s relationship with other solution‑focused courts
• Nuts and bolts of a typical DTC case
• 2022 Update: The pandemic’s impact on DTC

10:30 a.m. ET
Morning Break

10:45 a.m. ET
Treatment 101

Robin Cuff, Manager, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)

A treatment provider with significant DTC experience will provide an overview of addiction and treatment and how they come into play in DTC:
• Addiction and how it can impact your client
• Expectations with respect to those participating in the program
• Importance of auxiliary services (housing, employment, education, etc.)

11:15 a.m. ET
Ethical Issues in DTC Roundtable: Hearing From All Perspectives

Moderator:
The Hon. Justice Kofi Barnes, Superior Court of Justice (Ontario)

Panelists:
Brigid Luke, Senior Counsel, Public Prosecution Service of Canada
Jennifer Lysay, Registered Psychotherapist, Addiction Counsellor, Community Treatment Services, Mental Health and Pinewood Centre Program of Lakeridge Health
Aspasia Papatheodorou, Criminal Duty Counsel, Legal Aid Ontario
Lorne Sabsay, National Executive Director, Canadian Association of Drug Treatment Court Professionals; Sabsay Lawyers

In this interactive panel discussion, you’ll hear from both legal and treatment providers on various ethical issues faced by DTC professionals. Areas to be covered include:
• The role of counsel and advocacy and how it differs when working in a multi‑disciplinary team such as in DTC
• Eligibility and compliances issues and tips on how to resolve them
• Strategies for managing your client’s expectations

12:45 p.m. ET
Lunch Break

1:30 p.m. ET
Best Practices in DTC

The Hon. Justice Kofi Barnes, Superior Court of Justice (Ontario)
Robin Cuff, Manager, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)
Jennifer Graham, Assistant Crown Attorney, Ministry of the Attorney General (Ontario)
Aspasia Papatheodorou, Criminal Duty Counsel, Legal Aid Ontario

Following up on the previous panel discussion, this session will explore various case scenarios that touch on different types of skills issues that commonly arise in DTC.

Using real‑life case scenarios, you will examine:
• The application process
• Eligibility and compliance
• The pre‑court meeting
• Other day‑to‑day issues

3:00 p.m. ET
Afternoon Break

3:15 p.m. ET
The Judges Speak!

Moderator:

The Hon. Justice Kofi Barnes, Superior Court of Justice (Ontario)

Panelists:

The Hon. Judge Donna Groves, Provincial Court of Alberta

The Hon. Justice Heather Perkins‑McVey, Ontario Court of Justice

The Hon. Justice Heather Pringle, Ontario Court of Justice

Hear from past and present judges who have presided in DTC as they provide you with practical tips when appearing in this specialty court.

4:15 p.m. ET
Concluding Remarks

Lorne Sabsay, National Executive Director, Canadian Association of Drug Treatment Court Professionals; Sabsay Lawyers

4:30 p.m. ET
End of Program