Criminal Courts in BC: What's Happening and What to Expect

Courts in British Columbia have taken extraordinary measures to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 18, the BC Supreme Court suspended regular actions.

According to the provincial court website, the court is currently hearing some cases in person in court that are not urgent and other non-urgent matters by teleconferencing. The courts on Vancouver Island are still closed, but they plan to reopen on July 6, 2020.

Mandatory pretrial conferences are being implemented to try to reduce the number of cases that actually go to trial. Furthermore, technology is being rolled out so that bail hearings can be done virtually instead of in person.

The British Columbia courts are conducting pretrial conferences for urgent criminal cases through telephone. The provincial court has come up with a couple of standards to carefully reopen while taking safety and health protocols to lessen the transmission of Coronavirus at court chambers around the province.

Overall, the courts are trying to be more efficient with scheduling. The current pandemic has underlined areas that need improvement in the court system, and the courts are trying to respond intelligently.

British Columbia courts are committed to ensure a timely, efficient, and fair resolution of criminal cases and to uphold the accused’s right to be heard within a reasonable time frame. Chief Judge, Melissa Gillespie, says that the courts in BC will continue to look for new ways to get access to justice.

Talk to your lawyer if you have questions about how criminal cases are proceeding. Lawyers are meeting with clients on the phone and by video conferencing including Legal Aid. If you need a skilled criminal lawyer then contact us.

Michael Bloom is a very experienced criminal defence lawyer, who started his career as a Crown Prosecutor.

If you have any questions about this article or would like to schedule a free consultation with Mr. Bloom, please call his office at (604) 603-5513 or Toll-Free at (877) 603-5513.

Links

https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/practice-areas/litigation/covid-19-and-the-courts-may-11- update/329500

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/covid-19-forces-changes-as-b-c-provincial-courts-reopen-for-trials-1.5611332