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Transcriptionist List ● INFORMATION RELEASE www.courttranscriptontario.ca

Commencing June 9, 2014 stakeholders and participants involved in all levels of court proceedings in the Province of Ontario will be able to choose a court transcriptionist of their choice from a website list operated by Arkley Professional Services  www.courttranscriptontario.ca.  The search criteria to select a court transcriptionist can be entered by name, business, level of court, and location of proceedings. The list of names that pop up under the location search criteria, for example, are not listed alphabetically.  The reason for that is so the choice process is fair and balanced and not influenced or skewed by alphabetical order.  Individual profiles contain contact information, areas of practice and services provided.  The website is bilingual, contains relevant information, various documents, instructions and an electronic transcript order form accessible on the website.  If you don’t know the name of the court reporter of record, and you wish to contact that person, there are instructions on how to find and verify if the person is on the registered list or not.

As a condition of registering on the transcriptionist list, grandparented MAG reporters have signed very restrictive undertakings to the court setting out a variety of clauses protecting use of the audio, and including a specific clause stating transcription providers cannot use typists under any circumstance whatsoever. The legal community has voiced particular concerns with respect to the use of typists and the possibility that doing so could create offshore typing pools.  Serious consequences will arise from the use of typists in the production of certified court transcripts.  MAG reporters and independent contractors on the registered list who have used typists in the past will no longer be allowed to profit from the services of typists who are typically paid at a lower or substantially reduced page rate.  Not allowing this practice to continue guards against the possibility of offshore production and should ensure a higher quality of product.

Another concern anticipated by the legal community has proven to be quite true.  The registered list is fairly long and populated with a large number of unknown providers entering the marketplace without sufficient skills or expertise to meet the professional standard required to produce certified court transcripts.  In addition after 39 hours of night class training at community colleges, successful graduates will be entitled to register onto the registered list. There is no continuing mentoring program in place, no apprenticeship requirement, no incubation period, no monitoring whatsoever. The skill level achieved after 39 hours of training would only meet minimum, introductory-level standards upon completion, if that.  

The registered list must be viewed with a buyer beware approach, not only because of the large number of unknown providers, but also because of entrants with minimum training resulting in very minimal, entry level competencies. There will be no distinction or recognition between someone who has had 20 years of experience, and someone who has taken a 39 hour night training course graduating with minimum skills.  In contrast, the list will distinguish whether or not a provider is a member in good standing of the Court Reporters’ Association of Ontario and if they have achieved through CRAO testing the required professional standards to practice as a Certified Court Reporter, earning the C.C.R. accreditation behind their name. 

The CRAO is a not-for-profit professional organization established in 1967 with a membership comprised of court reporters specializing in different areas of practice and expertise.  Over the next few months the CRAO Executive team will be developing accreditation testing for Certified Court Transcriptionist, C.C.T. designation.  Please visit the CRAO website www.crao.ca first in order to verify membership and C.C.R. designation when considering a provider of your choice as a way to measure your decision based on professional standards and the best product and services available to you.   If you find a provider misrepresenting the C.C.R. designation please contact the CRAO office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and they will be notified to cease and desist.

 

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

Joanne Hardie, C.C.R.  President, Court Reporters' Association of Ontario  

                                                                            ●   www.ptcrao.ca  Tel:  (905) 922-5002                                                                                        

June 2014

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