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Effective Monday, May 4, 2020, and during the remainder of the suspension of the Court’s normal operations, pre-trial conferences will be held by telephone for criminal cases where the trial was unable to proceed because of the suspension, or is at risk of being adjourned because of indirect effects of the suspension. These “CV PTCs” have the specific purpose of advancing or resolving adjourned and at-risk cases as much as possible and appropriate.

The Canadian Bar Association is saddened by the passing of Gordon Proudfoot, on May 1, 2020. He served the Canadian legal profession, his province and our Association with passion and commitment during his long career.

Would you like to help lawyers succeed and ensure a strong legal profession? Do you believe in the CBA BC Branch as a great way to connect lawyers to the people, knowledge and skills they need to practice law? If you would like to be the guiding force behind your CBABC, consider joining the Board of Directors for the 2020-21 year (September to August)

Sandra A. Wilkinson, Senior Legal Counsel at the Ministry of the Attorney General of British Columbia in Vancouver, is appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia. Madam Justice Wilkinson replaces the vacancy created by the transfer of Madam Justice C. Murray (Vancouver) into the vacancy created by Mr. Justice B.D. MacKenzie, who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective October 22, 2019. The vacancy is located in Vancouver.

Prior to and since the outbreak of the pandemic, the Court has been investigating new and different ways to employ technology to conduct hearings, receive evidence and documents and to facilitate access to the Court’s proceedings for the public and media. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the Court’s efforts in this area, but the work has been ongoing for some time.

This Notice to the Public contains detailed information about the video conference hearing process, including etiquette and decorum, for appeals beginning 4 May 2020. It includes a step-by-step guide to appearing in a Zoom video conference proceeding.

The Court of Appeal is committed to the open court principle and will be examining additional steps to ensure all members of the media and public can access Court proceedings. The Court asks for patience as it works to fulfill its appellate function and Constitutional functions while adopting new technology and procedures.

After six weeks of curtailed access to justice, B.C.’s three top judges appeared in a landmark webinar on Wednesday to explain and defend how their courts have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘Governments of all stripes have not prioritized funding for the courts’ - Attorney General David Eby

"As part of the Court’s COVID-19 recovery plan, we are now introducing mandatory pre-trial conferences for most adult and youth criminal trials and preliminary inquiries, as well as for family and small claims trials. We are also making telephone sentencing hearings available for some non-urgent out-of-custody matters and resuming case conferences in family and small claims cases by telephone or videoconference.”