The world is in the grip of a global pandemic of proportions not seen in at least a century, and perhaps never before. Certainly, the larger societal and economic effects of the COVID19 pandemic are unprecedented, and the final resulting effects defy prediction. At present, courts are attempting to do their work in ways considered impossible a few weeks ago. Ongoing prosecutions are being subjected to severe triage processes, and courts are exercising options which would not have been previously considered.[1]  

Since March 12, 2020, when the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus (COVID19) to be a global pandemic, a number of courts have been called upon to consider the effect of this unprecedented event on traditional bail considerations. Predictably, results have varied. This article examines the considerations of Canadian jurists of the impact of the pandemic on decisions of judicial interim release.