Provincial Court Scheduling

From 2012 through 2016, the Court developed and implemented major reforms to schedule cases more efficiently and effectively and make equitable use of judicial resources. Changes introduced in the Provincial Court Scheduling Project had four main components:

1. Simplified Front End:

The Court simplified the Criminal Caseflow Management Rules to reduce the number of court appearances accused persons make before trial. Initial appearances now take place before Judicial Case Managers (JCMs) whose authority was expanded, making more judges available to conduct trials.

2. Delayed Assignment:

Recognizing the high collapse rate of scheduled trials, the Court changed the way judges are assigned to cases and trials are assigned to courtrooms in seven of our busiest courthouses. For trials of a half day or longer, the assignment is made by a Judicial Case Manager in Assignment Court from 9:00 - 9:30 a.m. on the day of trial, once the parties have confirmed they are ready to proceed.

See:

3. Summary Proceedings Court:

In many court locations, a set number of half-day or shorter criminal trials are scheduled on particular days using a higher anticipated collapse rate. This allows shorter wait times for shorter trials. See Summary Proceedings FAQs.

4. Use of Technology:

The Court developed a new scheduling software application, Provincial Court Scheduling System (PCSS), to support the delayed assignment model. Digital displays inform court users of real time court room assignments.

See >Summary Proceedings FAQs Trial Scheduling FAQs for more information.