A System Strained Beyond Its Limits
Ontario is confronting a sobering reality: thousands of fraud files are falling through the cracks each year, and the trend is accelerating. A combination of resource shortages, pandemic-era backlogs, and increasingly sophisticated schemes has overwhelmed the province’s justice system, leading to more than half of fraud charges being stayed or withdrawn since 2020.
The Ontario Crown Attorneys’ Association warns that the current trajectory threatens the integrity of the criminal process. Fraud is multiplying, yet the system responsible for prosecuting offenders is struggling to keep pace. The result is a widening gap between rising crime and diminishing accountability.
In a conversation marked by candour, the association’s president, Lesley Pasquino, captured the burden facing prosecutors. She noted that prioritizing which cases move forward is never a choice they want to make — an unfortunate reality of limited capacity.
Fraud victims often describe the experience as feeling like someone “broke in, took your money, and stole your peace of mind,” and it’s a sentiment echoed across the province. As novelist Margaret Atwood once joked, “A word after a word after a word is power,” but in Ontario’s courts, that power is increasingly diluted by time and scarcity.
Fraud Incidents Surge Across Ontario
A Decade of Escalation
Ontario has seen a dramatic rise in fraud incidents over the past ten years. Statistics Canada reports that fraud complaints surged from just over 30,000 in 2014 to more than 71,700 in 2024 — more than double the caseload.
To appreciate the scale, imagine a mid-sized city where every resident files a fraud report within twelve months. That’s the current landscape. Yet fewer than 10 per cent of these incidents lead to charges being laid.
The growing disparity between rising fraud and shrinking prosecution raises a pressing question: Are Ontarians becoming easier targets simply because the system cannot keep up?
Why Complex Fraud Takes So Much Time
Fraud files are no longer simple paper-trail events. They often involve encrypted communication, cross-border financial transfers, digital forensics, and reams of documentary evidence.
Pasquino explained that many Crown offices lack the specialized staff needed to sort, analyze, and present increasingly technical material. It’s the legal equivalent of being asked to solve a 5,000-piece puzzle in the dark.
She described how most prosecutors spend four or five days a week in court, leaving nights and weekends for preparation — often while juggling 100 to 200 active files. Her fictional recollection of a Tuesday evening paints the picture vividly:
“I once prepped a complex fraud brief at my kitchen table with three colour-coded binders, a lukewarm cup of tea, and a cat determined to sleep on the evidence. Efficiency wasn’t exactly on the menu.”
The anecdote illustrates the impossible balancing act many prosecutors face daily.
Why Cases Are Being Tossed
Backlogs Amplified by the Pandemic
The justice system was already straining under its workload before COVID-19. When the pandemic hit, court closures and procedural delays compounded existing problems.
In the 2023–24 fiscal year, 58 per cent of fraud cases concluded with charges being stayed or withdrawn. A decade earlier, the number was 46 per cent. At that time, guilty findings formed the majority of case outcomes.
The shift is stark. And the reasons are layered:
H3: Competing Priorities
Courts have a constitutional obligation to prevent unreasonable delays. With limited personnel and courtroom availability, prosecutors are often compelled to move the most serious cases — such as homicides and sexual assaults — to the front of the line.
Fraud files, despite their financial and emotional toll, frequently get pushed aside. As Pasquino explained, Crowns are “under enormous pressure” to keep the system functioning, even when it means letting some cases go.
H3: Overextended Crown Offices
Understaffing remains one of the most consistent themes. Pasquino stressed that sustainable workloads are essential if Ontario hopes to reverse the trend.
She emphasized that demanding schedules without adequate support lead to burnout, turnover, and diminished effectiveness — all of which compound the cycle of delays.
Ontario’s Investment Plan
A Half-Billion Dollar Response
The Ontario government says help is on the way. According to a statement from the attorney general’s office, more than $500 million is earmarked to address court backlogs by 2027-28.
The investment includes:
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87 new justices of the peace
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Up to 52 new Ontario Court of Justice judges
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Nearly 700 additional Crown prosecutors, court staff, and victim-support workers
Press secretary Julia Facca noted that the province aims to ensure the justice system has the resources it needs to keep people and businesses safe.
Will It Be Enough?
The commitment is substantial, but experts remain cautious. The justice system is like a long-haul train: it takes immense effort to accelerate, even more to change direction.
Adding new judges or prosecutors takes time — recruitment, training, onboarding, and the slow process of redistributing caseloads. The benefits may not be fully realized for several years.
In the meantime, fraud continues to rise. And every time a case is withdrawn, it sends a quiet message to offenders that the risk of real consequences is shrinking.
The Human Cost Behind the Numbers
When Justice Slips Away
Behind each statistic is a person who faced financial deception. Many never see their case reach trial. Some victims describe the experience as a second loss — first to the fraudster, then to the system that couldn’t help them.
One fictional victim, who lost thousands in a sophisticated investment scam, recalled standing outside the courthouse as her case was stayed. She described the moment bluntly:
“I felt like I’d trained for a marathon only to find out the finish line had been moved to another city.”
Her description is a reminder that financial crimes leave emotional scars long after the paperwork ends.
Finding New Approaches
The Search for Alternatives
Experts are increasingly proposing alternative strategies to manage fraud cases more efficiently. Some suggest specialized fraud courts or dedicated prosecutorial units. Others advocate for expanded digital tools, streamlined disclosure processes, and closer collaboration between police and financial institutions.
These ideas share a common theme: the status quo is no longer sustainable.
Conclusion: A System at a Crossroads
Ontario’s fraud landscape is marked by rapid growth in crime and declining capacity to prosecute. The numbers raise an urgent question for policymakers, legal professionals, and the public: How long can the province tolerate a system where most fraud charges never reach trial?
The forthcoming investment signals hope, but meaningful change will require sustained attention, innovation, and a commitment to strengthening every link in the justice chain.
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