If you are a youth you must appear at all court appearances unless you have filed a designation of counsel. Even then, you should know that some courts will insist on you being personally present for the first court appearance. It will not be enough to send someone else, a non-lawyer, in your place. If you are an adult and you know that the Crown is proceeding by summary conviction, as opposed to by indictment, you may be able to send someone in your place, depending on the kind of court appearance it is. Check with a lawyer before assuming that you do or do not have to be personally present. If the Crown is proceeding by indictment, you may file a designation of counsel which will allow a lawyer to be present on your behalf for most preliminary court appearances. (See question about summary versus indictable offences).