Media

The Supreme Court recognises openness and accountability to the public as critical to democracy and the rule of law. Members of the media and public are welcome to observe court proceedings and all courtrooms are open to the media and the public except where restricted by law or by order of a judge.

Superior Courts Communications Officer

The Honourable Bruce Cohen is the Superior Courts Communications Officer. In this role, Mr. Cohen is a spokesperson for the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court and a liaison between the Superior Courts Judiciary and the media respecting the decisions of the Superior Courts. Mr. Cohen can also speak to initiatives undertaken by the Superior Courts to improve access to justice or to make the Superior Courts' processes more efficient and affordable.

Mr Cohen’s contact information is: SCJCommunicationsOfficer@bccourts.ca

Requesting Dial-In Access to Proceedings

In the event that members of the media or public cannot attend a proceeding in person and wish to attend by telephone, they should send a request by email to The Honourable Bruce Cohen, Superior Courts Communications Officer, at SCJCommunicationsOfficer@bccourts.ca for consideration by the presiding judge or associate judge as soon as possible in advance of the proceeding. The Court cannot guarantee telephone access for all court proceedings.

In the event that members of the media or public are granted access to a proceeding by telephone, the following conditions apply:

  • the caller must dial in to the proceeding by not later than 5 minutes prior to the time of commencement of the proceeding;
  • the caller must not share the dial in details with any person other than those authorized by the Court to dial in to the proceeding;
  • the caller’s audio must be placed on mute at all times during the proceeding;
  • the Policy on the Use of Electronic Devices in Courtrooms applies to the caller’s attendance at the proceeding, meaning audio recording is prohibited (except for accredited media as a means of verifying their notes);
  • if the caller does not dial in by the set time, the caller will not be connected to the proceeding; and
  • if the caller’s line becomes disconnected, the court will not disrupt the proceeding to connect the caller.

It is the responsibility of anyone who attends a court proceeding, including in person or by MS Teams, or who accesses court information or judgments, to inform themselves of the terms of any publication bans in effect and comply with the bans. Anyone seeking information about a publication ban in a Supreme Court proceeding should contact the Supreme Court registry at the location where the proceeding is being heard.

Media Accreditation

Pursuant to the British Columbia Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and Provincial Courts’ Media Accreditation Process, media accreditation is not required for a journalist to attend open court proceedings. However, accredited media enjoy certain privileges regarding the use of electronic devices in the courtroom. For full details, please refer to the Courts’ Policy on Use of Electronic Devices in Courtrooms.

As well, except as authorized, the video recording or broadcasting of court proceedings or portions thereof or of people or events within the courthouses is prohibited. For full details please refer to the Court of Appeal Record and Courtroom Access Policy (section 2.4), Supreme Court Practice Direction 48 and Provincial Court Policy ACC-1.

Media Access Request

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