2019

COVID-19 has ravaged the country’s legal system and precipitated a long backlog of cases that has Attorney General David Eby and his counterparts in other provinces scrambling.

A one-year moratorium and possible elimination of civil juries and mandatory arbitration on motor vehicle litigation are being considered by Attorney General David Eby to ease the burgeoning backlog in B.C. Supreme Court.

The following updates from all Federal and Provincial Courts will be updated as new information is released. 

This Notice replaces the Notice to the Public Regarding the Court of Appeal for British Columbia’s Response to COVID-19 issued 27 May 2020. It extends the suspension of service and filing deadlines from 15 June to 29 June.

This Notice provides directions on filing documents in civil and criminal appeals. Beginning 14 July 2020 this Notice rescinds and replaces the directions described in section 3.2 of the Notice to the Public Regarding the Court of Appeal’s Response to Covid-19 dated 7 July 2020.

The BC Provincial Court sits in many court locations in the province. Currently, we are working with government and in some cases, local communities, to have the consultant that government has retained view the circuit courts and make recommendations about what steps need to be taken to make those courts safe and accessible to members of the public.

The federal Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on July 3 that Lindsay M. Lyster, partner at Moore Edgar Lyster LLP in Vancouver, is appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

The Provincial Court of BC recognizes that the Province is still impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chief Public Health Officers of Canada and the Province still require people to keep a safe distance from each other, but currently there can be a cautious reopening of public places with health and safety protocols in place to minimize the transmission of the virus. Taking this into account, the Provincial Court has developed the plan set out in this Notice to resume further court operations.

A summary of the Notices and Practice Directions issued by Chief Judge Gillespie and effective July 2, 2020.

This video-post speaks to the impact of COVD-19 on all of us and also reminds us that in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. For the justice system, there is a moment here to embrace the opportunity this crisis offers.