Court of Appeal Announcements Archive


The Announcements Archive contains announcements previously listed in the Announcements section on the Court of Appeal main page of this site. If you are unable to located a particular announcement, please contact the Website Coordinator.

APRIL - JUNE 2021


June 30, 2021
UPDATED NOTICES AND CHANGES TO MODIFIED PROCEDURES

In response to changing pandemic conditions and public feedback, the Court of Appeal has made the following changes in its COVID-19 Notices:

1. Hearings will take place in courtrooms

  • Beginning July 12, 2021, appeal hearings and chambers proceedings will take place in person in the courtroom, unless parties apply or elect to appear remotely.

2. Parties may apply for permission or elect to appear remotely

  • For appeals, a party may seek the Court’s permission to appear by video conference by filing a Request to Appear Remotely at least ten (10) business days before the appeal hearing. There are no teleconference appearances for appeals.
  • For chambers proceedings, a party may elect to appear remotely by video or teleconference by checking a box on the Request to Appear Remotely and filing the completed form together with their notice of motion, or, if they are responding to the application, at least two (2) business days before the hearing.

3. Lawyers should gown

  • Lawyers should gown for appeal hearings whether they are appearing in person or by video. This change will ensure consistency in presentation when some parties appear in the courtroom and others appear by video.

4. Attend the courtroom in person to observe hearings

  • As all hearings return to the courtroom, including where one or more parties appear by video conference, the Court’s weekly hearing list will include Zoom links only when a party has requested to appear remotely (see announcement of 20 August 2021 above). Observers should check the weekly hearing list and attend the courtroom in person. Physical distancing and facemask requirements in courtrooms remain in effect.
  • The Court understands that providing video links to Zoom proceedings during the pandemic made appeal hearings easier to access and will be considering accessibility to court proceedings on an ongoing basis. Media continue to have the option of requesting remote access to digital audio recordings of court proceedings.

5. Filing directions for condensed books and authorities clarified

6. COVID-19 Overview of the Appeal Process Flowchart updated

  • Footnotes added to the appeal process flowchart have been updated to reflect the new procedural steps detailed in the Court’s COVID-19 Notices.

June 14, 2021
COURT OF APPEAL LAUNCHES TWITTER ACCOUNT

The Honourable Chief Justice Robert Bauman is pleased to advise that the Court of Appeal has joined Twitter. The Court’s official Twitter account is @BCCourtofAppeal, which will be used to share information about the Court and its activities with members of the public, the bar, the media, and other organizations. The Court’s Social Media Terms of Use may be found here.

May 19, 2021
AMENDMENT TO THREE COURTS' POLICY ON USE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES IN COURTROOMS

The Three Courts’ Policy on Use of Electronic Devices in Courtrooms confirms that an electronic device may not be used in a courtroom to digitally transcribe a proceeding, and has been amended to clarify that this includes making a transcript using video conference software. The amended Policy may be found here.

April 9, 2021
CRIMINAL E-FILING, ONLINE BOOKING OF APPEALS, UPDATED NOTICES AND COVID-19 LANDING PAGE

Criminal e-filing and online booking of appeals will take effect on April 12, 2021.
1. For e-filing, review the revised Notice Regarding Modified Filing Directions in Civil and Criminal Appeals and note the following changes:

  • Effective Monday, April 12, 2021, criminal e-filing is optional for all. The same formatting and filing requirements apply to criminal e-filings as apply to civil e-filings.
  • Counsel or litigants can now e-file materials for civil or criminal appeals that are sealed or where there are publication bans in place.
  • Directions regarding condensed books have been clarified. The Court prefers to receive full authorities rather than excerpts of authorities in condensed books.
  • Directions regarding bookmarking and page numbering have been clarified, including required bookmarking and bates numbering on documents of 25 pages or less.

2. For online booking of appeals, visit the Court of Appeal scheduling page and note the following changes:

3. The Court of Appeal has made minor amendments to the Notice Regarding Video Conference Proceedings and the Notice Regarding Access to Court Proceedings During COVID-19.

4. The Court of Appeal has changed the layout of its COVID-19 ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NOTICES landing page to improve access to the relevant Notices and resources related to: (1) Modified Court of Appeal Procedures due to COVID-19; (2) How to File Materials; (3) Instructions for Video Conferencing (Zoom); and Access to Court Proceedings (Media and the Public).

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