Criminal defence lawyer for Richmond Hill, Markham, Thornhill and Newmarket: how York Region criminal cases work

A criminal charge in York Region is usually laid by York Regional Police and is heard at one courthouse: the Newmarket Courthouse, 50 Eagle Street West. Which police district handled the arrest depends on the town: #2 District for Richmond Hill and Thornhill, #5 District for Markham, #1 District for Newmarket and Aurora. Gambriani Law PC, a criminal defence firm in North York, lists Newmarket among the courts it appears in most often.

This page sets out what is specific to York Region: the police districts, the one criminal courthouse, the traffic court and the local numbers. For guides by charge, start from our criminal defence practice areas.

How does a York Region criminal case move, step by step?

The Criminal Code is federal; what is local is who handles each step, and where.

1. The charge. An officer from one of the five York Regional Police districts lays the charge. The district depends on where the incident happened, not where you live.
2. Release or bail. Police release you with a court date or hold you for a bail hearing, which must happen within 24 hours if a justice is available (Criminal Code s. 503). Our page on how bail hearings work in Ontario explains how a justice decides.
3. First appearance in Newmarket. Adult criminal case management is in Courtroom 201 at 50 Eagle Street West, Monday to Friday. Domestic violence case management sits in Courtroom 106 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Out-of-custody accused people and their lawyers may appear by Zoom or in person, unless a judicial officer directs otherwise.
4. Disclosure. If you have a lawyer by the first appearance, or within four weeks of it, the case is usually adjourned about 12 weeks, never more than three months, while the York Region Crown screens the case and gives your lawyer the evidence.
5. Pre-trials. A Crown pre-trial may be held in person, by phone or by email; a judicial pre-trial is held by video unless a judicial officer directs otherwise. See what happens at a judicial pre-trial.
6. Resolution or trial. A case can end in a withdrawal, a peace bond, a plea or a trial. Both the Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Justice hold criminal trials in the same Newmarket building.

Which York Regional Police district handles your town?

York Regional Police has its headquarters at 47 Don Hillock Drive in Aurora and polices the region through five districts. The stations for #1, #2, #4 and #5 Districts are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week; the #3 District station in Sutton is open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The non-emergency number for all of them is 1-866-876-5423, with an extension for each district's front desk.

Thornhill is split by a municipal line but not by policing: York Regional Police assigns the Thornhill communities on both the Vaughan side and the Markham side to #2 District in Richmond Hill. The rest of Vaughan has its own district and two substations; see criminal cases in Vaughan.

Where will a York Region criminal case be heard?

In Newmarket. The province's court directory lists three court locations in York Region, and the ones in Richmond Hill (855 Major Mackenzie Drive East) and Markham (8500 Leslie Street) list Small Claims Court only. The Newmarket Courthouse at 50 Eagle Street West is where both the Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Justice hear criminal cases for the region, from case management and pleas to Superior Court bail reviews and trials.

The court offices are open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with counter service from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Our guide to what to expect at the Newmarket courthouse lists the courtrooms, daily timetables and what the Superior Court books there. The case management steps are the same across the province, so our page on what happens at a first court appearance applies here too, apart from the Toronto addresses.

Where do York Region traffic tickets go?

Provincial offences such as Highway Traffic Act tickets go to York Region's own court at 17150 Yonge Street, 2nd floor, Newmarket (location code 4960, 905-898-0425 or 1-877-331-3309), not to the criminal courthouse. A roadside warn-range suspension is not a court case at all; read what happens after a warn-range reading in Ontario. An impaired driving charge under the Criminal Code is a criminal case and goes to 50 Eagle Street West.

What do the numbers say about crime in York Region?

Statistics Canada's figures for York Regional Police show the Crime Severity Index at 53.57 in 2024 and 50.28 in 2025. Impaired driving is the notable local number: 1,117 police-reported incidents in 2025, a rate of 85.99 per 100,000 people. That is higher than the 2025 rate for the Toronto Police Service (48.23) or Peel Regional Police (62.89).

York Regional Police also publishes half-year figures. Comparing January to June of 2025 with the same months of 2026:

These are region-wide counts. They do not predict how any one case will be decided.

What changes the answer in a York Region case?

• Custody. Some charges and records put the onus on the accused to show why release is justified (Criminal Code s. 515(6)). A family member who offers to supervise should first read what a surety agrees to in Ontario.
• How the Crown proceeds. A summary or indictable prosecution sets the maximum sentence and the route. See what the Crown's choice changes.
• Your election. On most indictable charges the accused chooses a provincial court judge, a judge without a jury, or a judge and jury (s. 536(2) and (2.1)). In York Region all three are in the same Newmarket building. Our guide on choosing a judge or a jury weighs the options.
• A domestic charge. These cases go to the domestic violence case management court on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. If a condition keeps you from your home or children, read how a no-contact condition can be changed.
• Immigration status. For a permanent resident, an offence that can be prosecuted either way counts as indictable, even if the Crown proceeds summarily (IRPA s. 36(3)(a)). Read how a charge can affect permanent resident status.

For example: a Thornhill charge heard in Newmarket

This is a hypothetical, not a real client or a result. Suppose a 22-year-old student who lives with his parents in Thornhill, on the Markham side, is arrested after a fight in a Thornhill plaza and charged with assault. Because Thornhill on both sides is policed by #2 District, the arrest is handled from the Richmond Hill station, not Markham's #5 District.

Police release him on an undertaking with a first appearance at 50 Eagle Street West. His mother, who is more at ease in Farsi, calls our North York office. The lawyer explains the conditions to both of them in Farsi, goes on record before the first date and appears by Zoom, so the student does not travel to Newmarket for that appearance. Disclosure comes from the York Region Crown. If he were a permanent resident, any offer would be weighed against his status first. Had the fight happened inside Toronto, the case would go to 10 Armoury Street instead.

What mistakes do people make after a York Region charge?

1. Going to the wrong building. The Richmond Hill and Markham court locations list Small Claims Court only. Criminal cases are at 50 Eagle Street West, and traffic tickets at 17150 Yonge Street.
2. Assuming Thornhill is policed from Vaughan or Markham. It is #2 District, Richmond Hill, on both sides of the line.
3. Calling a lawyer too late. After the four-week window, the case moves in shorter steps.
4. Missing a case management date. The court may issue a warrant for your arrest. See what to do after a missed court date.
5. Relying on a relative to interpret. If you need an interpreter and your lawyer has not asked, tell the judge or your lawyer on the record at your first court date.

What can you do this week?

1. Find the court date, the courtroom and every condition on your release paper, and follow each condition until a court changes it.
2. Speak with a lawyer, in Farsi or English, before the first appearance and before any police interview.
3. If you cannot reach a lawyer in time, call Newmarket criminal duty counsel at 905-836-8580.
4. Tell your lawyer about your immigration status, travel plans and any family court case.
5. Track each step with our first-week checklist after a criminal charge.

Where is the guide for each stage of a York Region case?

Our guides apply Ontario law; where an address is in Toronto, the York Region step is in Newmarket.

Right after the charge

• Must you be there: attending court yourself or through your lawyer.
• A date was missed: missed court dates and warrants.

Bail and release

• Arrested on a Friday or Saturday: when a bail hearing happens after a weekend arrest.
• How a justice decides: our bail hearings page.

Moving through the courts

• The evidence: how disclosure works in Ontario.
• Settlement talks with a judge: judicial pre-trials.
• The Crown's choice: summary or indictable.
• The building: the Newmarket courthouse, room by room.

Outcomes and records

• Comparing offers: withdrawals, peace bonds, discharges and convictions.
• After a withdrawal: what a police record check shows.
• An old conviction: record suspension waiting periods.

Planning

• Budgeting: what drives the cost of a criminal defence.

What if the charge was laid outside York Region?

The place of the charge decides the courthouse. A charge laid south of the York Region boundary, in Toronto, starts at 10 Armoury Street; read criminal defence in Toronto. For Peel Region, see how Brampton criminal cases work.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a lawyer near Newmarket?

Not necessarily. Case management appearances in Newmarket can usually be made by Zoom, and a lawyer can appear for you at many steps under a designation of counsel. Gambriani Law PC represents clients across the Greater Toronto Area from Suite 1901, 5000 Yonge Street in North York.

Can I get a Farsi interpreter in Newmarket?

Yes. Ontario provides court interpretation in any language required in criminal matters, and section 14 of the Charter gives an accused or witness who does not understand the proceedings the right to an interpreter. Sureties may need one too, so ask early through your lawyer.

Who prosecutes York Region cases?

The Crown Attorney's office at the Newmarket courthouse, reachable at [email protected] or 905-853-4800. If you have no lawyer, that is where disclosure is requested; with a lawyer, the lawyer deals with the Crown.

Is youth court also in Newmarket?

Yes. Youth criminal case management sits in Courtroom 106 at 50 Eagle Street West on Thursdays.

Do you meet clients in Farsi?

Yes. Consultations and courtroom representation are available in English and Farsi. You can call, use the contact form or send a WhatsApp message.

Getting help

Gambriani Law PC represents people charged in York Region from our office at 5000 Yonge Street in North York, in English and Farsi. Our guide for Persian-speaking people charged in the GTA explains how a case runs when you are more at ease in Farsi. Reaching a lawyer before the first court date leaves time to get disclosure and deal with any release condition that is hard to live with.

This page is general information about criminal cases in York Region, not legal advice about your case.