TORONTO -- Ontario's new chief justice says the province's legal system is so expensive and bogged down by red tape that it's become inaccessible to many of the people it's meant to serve.

George Strathy urges the courts to streamline and simplify their procedures in remarks to be delivered this afternoon to mark the start of the new court term.

Strathy, who was appointed in June and sworn in Monday, says the justice system is also hampered by an "acute" need for more courtroom space.

That concern is echoed by the chief justice of Ontario's Superior Court, who warns in her remarks that several communities in the Toronto area lack the facilities "required to discharge our court's core functions."

Heather J. Smith also sounds the alarm over a growing number of judicial vacancies, saying there will be 30 unfilled positions in Superior Court -- about 13 per cent of the total -- by the end of the year if the province doesn't appoint new judges.

Ontario's Attorney General, Madeleine Meilleur, said Monday she looks forward to working with Strathy "to improve access to justice and to modernize the delivery of legal services and information."