Where can I find information regarding media accreditation?

The Courts are not directly involved in the media accreditation process. An independent Accreditation Committee comprised of professional journalists receives and responds to requests from media personnel to be accredited. Details on the accreditation process are available here.

Do journalists have to be accredited to attend court proceedings?

No. Accreditation makes no difference to entitlement to attend court proceedings. Court proceedings are open to the public and the media, whether accredited or not (unless a hearing has been order to be held in a closed courtroom (in camera) for a specific reason).

However, only accredited journalists and lawyers may use electronic devices in the courtroom for limited purposes as set out in the Policy on Use of Electronic Devices in Courtrooms.

Can the media request to access court records and exhibits in a court proceeding?

The Policy on Access to the Court Record sets out the Supreme Court of British Columbia’s policy for public and media access to the court record.

Does the Supreme Court post court records online?

The Supreme Court does not post court records online. However, certain court records are posted by Court Services Branch at Court Services Online.

Does the Supreme Court post information online regarding hearing dates including the courtroom number of a hearing and the judge presiding over the hearing?

The Supreme Court posts a Daily Hearing List each morning with the proceedings scheduled for that day. Court Services Online posts a Daily Chambers List.

Accredited journalists in the Lower Mainland can opt in to receive a more detailed Supreme Court hearing list, which is emailed out each morning.

The Supreme Court does not post information about future hearings. For information about hearing dates in the future, please contact the local registry.

How do I request dial-in access to a proceeding?

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.

What if certain information discussed in court is subject to a publication ban?

In some circumstances, more commonly in criminal proceedings, certain information discussed in court or found in court records may be subject to a publication ban, which restricts the publication, broadcast or dissemination of that information. Some general information regarding publication bans can be found here. It is the responsibility of anyone who attends a court proceeding, including in person or by MS Teams, 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.

Can media obtain information regarding dates of future sentencing hearings?

Every two weeks, a list is emailed to accredited journalists, which provides information regarding the sentencing hearings scheduled in the province for the following two week period.

How long does it take a judge to release a decision and where can I find a copy of the decision?

The time required for a judge to release a decision depends on a number of factors including the length, type, and complexity of a matter, and the judge’s other court commitments. Therefore, it is not usually possible to predict when a judge may release a decision in a particular case. Some decisions are delivered orally from the bench directly after the matter is heard, and some are delivered orally or in written form some time after the hearing.

Most, but not all, written reasons for judgment are published on the website approximately 24 hours after they are given to the parties. You can find more information about Supreme Court judgments here.

Recently published judgments can be found on the Supreme Court website here.

The Supreme Court does not publish oral reasons for judgment on the website unless a transcript of the oral reasons has been prepared and the judge, associate judge, or registrar who gave the reasons directs that they be published on the website.

Where can I find the address of a particular courthouse?

The addresses and contact information for each Supreme Court location are available here.

Can I bring a camera or a recording device to court with me?

Members of the public and media are not entitled to use cameras or other audio or video recording devices in the courtroom. Lawyers and accredited journalists are permitted to use electronic devices to receive and transmit text in the courtroom accordance with the Policy on Use of Electronic Devices in Courtrooms. Accredited journalists are also permitted to use electronic devices to audio record a proceeding for the sole purpose of verifying their notes, but not for broadcast or any other purpose.