eNews: Court
The Law Society of BC is working with other groups to see whether access to justice can be improved by having non-lawyers provide competent and affordable legal services to people who aren’t otherwise getting legal help.
The BC Provincial Court now operates nine Indigenous sentencing courts in communities around the province. How do these courts get established?
It takes dedicated people and a lot of work!
Kamloops lawyer Graham Kay has been on development committees for several Indigenous courts. He describes the 4-year process to develop BC’s ninth criminal Indigenous court in Lillooet.
Lawyers in BC can now listen to recordings of Provincial Court adult criminal proceedings and access some adult criminal court records remotely, without leaving the office.
This summer the Duncan First Nations Court held an uplifting community celebration. There was a lot to celebrate. Not only does 2023 mark the Court’s 10th anniversary but this year saw the Court move to a new sitting location in the Cowichan Tribes’ building, Si'em Lelum.
In the movie Dances with Wolves, Kicking Bird tells John Dunbar "We have come far, you and me." Speaking at the tenth-anniversary celebration of the Cknucwentn First Nations Sentencing Court in Kamloops on May 6, 2023, BC Provincial Court Judge Raymond Phillips said that line comes to mind when he thinks of the Cknucwentn Court.