Supreme Court Announcement Archive

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


JANUARY - PRESENT 2021 (COVID-19 ANNOUNCEMENTS)


December 31, 2021
COVID-19 Notice No. 45 - ADJOURNMENT OF IN-PERSON TRIALS AND OTHER PROCEEDINGS JANUARY 4-7, 2022

Given the rapid and concerning recent increase in COVID-19 cases in the province, the Supreme Court is reducing the number of in-person proceedings scheduled to begin or continue during the week of January 4, 2022. Please see COVID-19 Notice No. 45 for more details.


December 9, 2021
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 27 - IN COURT MEASURES DURING THE PANDEMIC - UPDATED

COVID-19 Notice No. 27 has been further updated to reflect the latest requirements regarding travel into Canada.


December 7, 2021
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 42 - ALL CHAMBERS APPLICATIONS BY MICROSOFT TEAMS VIDEO

COVID-19 Notice No. 42 has been further updated to add additional registry information. See Appendices C and D for the specific dates that registries transitioned to using Teams video and for registry contact information.


December 1, 2021
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 29 - CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS - COVID PRE-TRIAL CONFERENCES (CV PTC)

COVID-19 Notice No. 29 - Notice Regarding Criminal Proceedings: COVID Pre-trial Conferences (CV PTC) has been rescinded, and CV PTCs will no longer be offered in criminal proceedings. CV PTCs were introduced for cases affected by the temporary suspension of trials early in the pandemic, and have not been scheduled in the past 10 months.


November 10, 2021
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 42 - ALL CHAMBERS APPLICATIONS BY MICROSOFT TEAMS VIDEO BY DECEMBER 1, 2021

COVID-19 Notice No. 42 has been updated since the last revision on October 29, 2021 to add the remaining registries transitioning to chambers hearings using Microsoft Teams video. By December 1, 2021, all chambers applications will be heard by video using Microsoft Teams. See Appendices C and D for the exact transition dates and for contact information at the various registries.


October 29, 2021
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 42 - CHAMBERS APPLICATIONS BY TELEPHONE AND MICROSOFT TEAMS - ADDITIONAL LOCATIONS FOR LONG CHAMBERS AND JUDGES CHAMBERS BY VIDEO

COVID-19 Notice No. 42 has been updated since the last revision on October 20, 2021 to include additional registries where long chambers and judges applications will be heard by video using Microsoft Teams as of November 1, 2021 (see Appendices C and D). For those registries that have not yet transitioned to video, chambers hearings will continue by telephone. More registries are expected to be added soon..


October 13, 2021
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 27 - IN COURT MEASURES DURING THE PANDEMIC - UPDATED

Chief Justice Hinkson has revised COVID-19 Notice No. 27  to reflect the latest requirements regarding wearing a mask in courthouses. The notice has also be revised to reflect the latest requirements regarding travel into Canada.


August 24, 2021
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 27 - IN COURT MEASURES DURING THE PANDEMIC - UPDATED

Chief Justice Hinkson has revised Part IV of COVID-19 Notice No. 27 with respect to the use of masks inside courthouses and courtrooms.


June 30, 2021
SUPREME COURT OF BRITISH COLUMBIA COVID-19 PROCESSES AND ORDERS EXTENDED

On March 19, 2020, Chief Justice Hinkson suspended regular operations of the Supreme Court of British Columbia at all of its locations to protect the health and safety of Court users, including judicial officers, litigants, counsel, courthouse staff and the public, and to help contain the spread of COVID-19. Since that time, the Court has issued a number of orders and notices to facilitate the just, speedy and inexpensive determination of all proceedings while protecting the health and safety of Court users. As the province begins to emerge from the pandemic and the provincial state of emergency comes to an end, the Court will be leaving its COVID-19 processes in place until further notice.

Accordingly, on June 30, 2021, the Chief Justice issued COVID-19 Order No. 008, ordering that the Court’s COVID-19 Orders will remain in effect until further order by the Chief Justice or the Associate Chief Justice.


June 9, 2021
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 42 - CHAMBERS APPLICATIONS BY TELEPHONE AND MICROSOFT TEAMS - LONG CHAMBERS APPLICATIONS BY VIDEO

Effective June 14, 2021, COVID-19 Notice No. 42 has been revised to add Victoria to the registries where long chambers matters are heard by video using Microsoft Teams.


June 7, 2021
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 44 - NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC AND PROFESSION REGARDING USE OF THE FILE TRANSFER SERVER IN INSOLVENCY PROCEEDINGS

Effective immediately, parties in insolvency proceedings may request to use the File Transfer Server (FTS) to transmit documents electronically to the Court for remote hearings. For information, click here.


June 1, 2021
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 35 - EXPANSION OF COURT OPERATIONS - REMOTE VIDEO CONFERENCE HEARINGS

COVID-19 Notice No. 35  has been updated to clarify that counsel / the parties must ensure that any witnesses authorized by the Court to testify in a remote video conference hearing can meet the minimum technical standards required for participation.


May 31,, 2021
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 42 - CHAMBERS APPLICATIONS BY TELEPHONE AND MICROSOFT TEAMS - REQUIREMENT TO USE CAMERAS

Effective May 31, 2021, COVID-19 Notice No. 42 has been revised to require parties/counsel to use their cameras during hearings by video using Microsoft Teams.


April 12, 2021
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 32 - REGISTRAR HEARINGS - RETRIEVAL OF HEARING RECORDS

Effective immediately, COVID-19 Notice No. 32 has been revised to require that applicants in remote hearings retrieve their hearing records within five days after hearings, unless they are unable to do so or the hearing has been adjourned and reset for within five days.


April 12, 2021
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 42 - CHAMBERS APPLICATIONS BY TELEPHONE AND MICROSOFT TEAMS - LONG CHAMBERS APPLICATIONS BY VIDEO AND CHANGES REGARDING APPLICATION RECORDS

Effective April 19, 2021, COVID-19 Notice No. 42 has been revised to expand the number of registries where Masters chambers are heard by video using Microsoft Teams and to add long chambers matters in Vancouver and New Westminster to the list of matters that will be heard by video using Microsoft Teams. Other locations will be added as they become available.

Effective immediately, the following changes also apply:

  • If applicants intend to rely on authorities or written arguments, they must be included in the application record.
  • Applicants are encouraged to retrieve their application records. Those intending to do so must notify the court clerk at their hearing and retrieve their application records within five days, unless the hearing has been adjourned and reset for within five days. Application records that are not retrieved will be securely destroyed.
  • Applicants must include telephone numbers with their application records, preferably direct lines.


March 18,2021
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 42 - CHAMBERS APPLICATIONS BY TELEPHONE AND MICROSOFT TEAMS REGULAR CHAMBERS IN PRINCE GEORGE NOW ONE HOUR OR LESS

Effective March 22 2021, (COVID-19 Notice No. 42) at the Prince George registry, hearings of matters in chambers estimated to take one hour or less will be heard in regular chambers. Hearings of matters estimated to take longer than one hour must be scheduled on the trial list.


March 2, 2021
REVISIONS TO COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 35 - EXPANSION OF COURT OPERATIONS - REMOTE VIDEO CONFERENCE HEARINGS

Effective March 2, 2021, COVID-19 Notice No. 35 has been revised to update information regarding media and public access to RVC hearings.


February 17, 2021
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 43 - NOTICE TO THE MEDIA AND THE PUBLIC REGARDING ACCESS TO COURT PROCEEDINGS

The Supreme Court has issued COVID-19 Notice No. 43 to replace COVID-19 Notice No. 37, effective February 17, 2021. This notice sets out access to Court proceedings for accredited media and members of the public.


January 29, 2021
OFFICE OF THE PROVINCIAL HEALTH OFFICER STATEMENT RELATED TO COVID-19 OUTBREAK AT THREE CORRECTIONAL CENTRES

The Office of the Provincial Health Officer has released a notice regarding the COVID-19 outbreaks at Surrey Pretrial Services Centre, North Fraser Pretrial Centre, and Fraser Regional Correctional Centre. For more information, please refer to the notice issued January 29, 2021.


January 21, 2021
PROTOCOL FOR COMMUNICATION AND TESTING RELATED TO COVID-19 IN COURTHOUSES

In light of concerns raised by the BC Courts, counsel and other courthouse users about the need for timely and coordinated communication about COVID-19 testing and exposures in courthouses, the three levels of Court and Court Services Branch met with senior health officials and have created a protocol that is now in effect with these main components:

  1. A Public Health Guidance document for courthouses that is publicly posted on the BC Centre for Disease Control website:

    http://www.bccdc.ca/Health-Info-Site/Documents/COVID_public_guidance/Guidance_Court_Settings.pdf

  2. The BC Centre for Disease Control has created a webpage where the following type of information will be posted about COVID-19 and courthouses: COVID-19 exposures at courthouses where a medical health officer of public health specialist has determined there is a risk of infection to others; incident investigations, notices and summaries related to potential COVID-19 clusters, outbreaks or group testing; and courthouse site inspections.

  3. Each Regional Health Authority will be responsible for courthouse COVID-19 incident investigations, response and timely communication with the courts, Court Services Branch and where appropriate the public, recognizing that the Health Authorities alone have the information about COVID-19 incidents, cases, exposures, clusters and outbreaks.

  4. If there is to be group testing at a courthouse, notice will be communicated by the Regional Health Authority to those court participants relevant to the investigation.

  5. Targeted access to COVID-19 testing for court participants in relation to anticipated or ongoing court proceedings where, for example, a court participant is experiencing COVID-19-like symptoms and testing is required to determine whether the court proceeding can continue as scheduled.

See the Protocol here.

We thank everyone for their ongoing efforts to support the Courts and the justice system through this extremely challenging time. The Courts are committed to remaining open and accessible, and have taken steps to ensure safety as noted on the following websites:


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