JANUARY - MARCH 2023

March 31, 2023
SUPREME COURT ANNUAL REPORT 2022

The Annual Report of the Supreme Court of British Columbia covering the activities of the Court for 2022 is now available.

March 30, 2023
CALL AND ADMISSION CEREMONY - FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2023

This event will take place in the Great Hall at the Vancouver Law Courts at 9:30 am and 1:30 pm. The ceremony will be conducted by the Honourable Justice Sandra Wilkinson in the morning and the Honourable Justice William Veenstra in the afternoon.

March 15, 2023
GOLDEN COURTHOUSE CLOSURE - ALTERNATE REGISTRY LOCATION

Following the fire on March 13 that led to the closure of the Golden Courthouse, in-person Court Registry services are now being offered from the Ministry of Children and Family Development Office in Golden at 1104 9th Street South. The mailing address for the interim Registry location is PO Box 1500, Golden, BC, V0A 1H0.

The Registry may also be contacted by email at GoldenCourtRegistry@gov.bc.ca.

The situation continues to be monitored and additional information regarding an alternate location for hearings originally scheduled in Golden will be shared when it becomes available.

The Provincial Court also sits at the Golden Courthouse. For more information about closures affecting the Provincial Court, please contact the Provincial Court.

March 14, 2023
SUPREME COURT CLOSURE - NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION - OCTOBER 2, 2023

In recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation which occurs on Saturday, September 30, 2023, all Supreme Court registries throughout the province will be closed on Monday, October 2, 2023. If you are a litigant or counsel and you have a proceeding scheduled to begin or continue on Monday, October 2, 2023, please contact Supreme Court Scheduling at the applicable court location to reschedule. Contact information for Supreme Court Scheduling departments is available here:

https://www.bccourts.ca/supreme_court/court_locations_and_contacts.aspx

March 13, 2023
GOLDEN COURTHOUSE CLOSURE

Sadly, the Golden Courthouse is closed due to a fire. The Supreme Court is working with the government to find an alternate location for hearings that were scheduled at this courthouse.

The situation will continue to be monitored and additional information concerning an alternate location for hearings originally scheduled in Golden will be shared when it becomes available.

The Provincial Court also sits at the Golden Courthouse. For more information about closures affecting the Provincial Court, please contact the Provincial Court.

March 13, 2023
JUDICIAL AND COURT STAFF COVID-19 VACCINATION

Effective April 3, 2023, the Court of Appeal for British Columbia, the Supreme Court of British Columbia and the Provincial Court of British Columbia will lift the requirement that all judicial and court staff, as well as service providers accessing the secure (non-public) areas of all courthouses, be vaccinated against COVID-19.  This is consistent with the recent BC Public Service announcement that as of April 3, 2023 the requirement to be vaccinated against COVID-19 is being removed for all public service employees, including court staff.

This is the announcement from all three BC courts.

March 3, 2023
WELCOMING CEREMONY - JUSTICE JOSEPH DOYLE, JUSTICE KEVIN LOO, AND JUSTICE ANITA CHAN - APRIL 4, 2023

A Welcoming Ceremony for the Honourable Justice Joseph Doyle, Justice Kevin Loo, and Justice Anita Chan will be held on Tuesday, April 4 at the Vancouver Law Courts in Courtroom 55 at 4:15 p.m. Members of the public are invited to attend the Welcoming Ceremony.

February 14, 2023
ADMINISTRATIVE NOTICE 18 - GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR MICROSOFT TEAMS VIDEO HEARINGS

Chief Justice Hinkson has issued Administrative Notice 18 - General Requirements for Microsoft Teams Video Hearings. This Administrative Notice sets out the technical and other requirements for anyone participating in a court hearing by Microsoft Teams Video. It also provides information on how members of the media or the public can attend such proceedings. This information was previously included in the Court’s COVID-19 Notice No. 47, which is rescinded. Administrative Notice 18 can be accessed here.

February 9, 2023
UPDATE TO CPD-4 - PROCEDURE FOR DETENTION REVIEWS UNDER s. 525 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE

Minor revisions have been made to the forms appended to CPD-4 to reflect the title of the Sovereign and to specify that s. 525 Scheduling Hearings take place on Tuesdays only. CPD-4 can be accessed here.

January 19, 2023
JUDICIAL RETIREMENT - THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE JAMES WILLIAMS

The Supreme Court of British Columbia announces that the Honourable Mr. Justice James Williams retired from the Supreme Court of British Columbia at Vancouver on January 18, 2023. Justice Williams was appointed to the Supreme Court on October 10, 2002.

January 12, 2023
PRACTICE DIRECTION 27 - COMMUNICATING WITH THE COURT

Chief Justice Hinkson has updated Practice Direction 27 - Communicating with the Court. This Practice Direction notes that the appropriate way to communicate with the Court is through its formal processes. Parties and counsel should refrain from sending letters, emails or other forms of direct communication to the Court unless such is authorized by the Rules of Court, the Court has given leave to do so, or there are exceptional circumstances. This Practice Direction also includes guidelines parties and counsel should follow in the limited circumstances when corresponding with the Court is permitted.

January 3, 2023
JUDICIAL LAW CLERK PROGRAM RECRUITMENT FOR THE 2024 - 2025 TERM

Applications will be accepted to the Judicial Law Clerk Program for the 2024-2025 term starting January 3, 2023. The deadline for applications is Tuesday, January 17, 2023 at 11:00 am, with video conference interviews with legal counsel to be scheduled in early February and final interviews with judges to be scheduled February 27 to March 3 (Court of Appeal) and March 6 to March 10 (Supreme Court). Learn more about the Judicial Law Clerk Program including the required qualifications and application process here.

The job posting for Judicial Law Clerk applications is available here.

January 3, 2023
JUDICIAL RETIREMENT - THE HONOURABLE JUSTICE ELAINE ADAIR

The Supreme Court of British Columbia announces that the Honourable Justice Elaine Adair retired from the Supreme Court of British Columbia at Vancouver on December 31, 2022. Justice Adair was appointed to the Supreme Court on November 28, 2008.

January 3, 2023
JUDICIAL RETIREMENT - THE HONOURABLE JUSTICE ARNE SILVERMAN

The Supreme Court of British Columbia announces that the Honourable Justice Arne Silverman retired from the Supreme Court of British Columbia at Vancouver on December 31, 2022. Justice Silverman was appointed to the Supreme Court on November 26, 2004.

(Back To Archives)