New Integrated Domestic Violence court first of its kind in Canada

From a Legal Aid Ontario news release:

This summer, the Ontario Court of Justice will be launching a specialized court to hear criminal and family cases where domestic violence is the underlying issue.

On June 10, 2011, Canada's first Integrated Domestic Violence (IDV) court will be opening at the 311 Jarvis Street courthouse in Toronto, as a two-year pilot project. Currently, people who have concurrent family law and criminal matters must appear in different courts, before different judges so their legal issues can be heard. The IDV court will allow families to appear before a single, dedicated judge for their family matters when there are also related domestic assault charges against one or both sides.