eNews: Court
BC’s Judicial Council has published its 2017 Annual Report, containing some surprising statistics and several “firsts”. In keeping with the BC Provincial Court’s reputation for innovation, in 2017 the Judicial Council launched the first online application system for judicial appointments in Canada.
“The Elder began by performing a smudge ceremony, easing the circle into a sense of connectedness. She then shared a bit about herself: her 12 years of residential school; the loss of her brother to suicide; her career as a registered nurse, working in psychiatric care; and her commitment to the Aboriginal Family Healing Court Conference.”
Updated May 2021
Note: Since May 2020, conferences in family and small claims matters are being conducted by telephone, audio- or video-conference. See Virtual conferences and hearings (by phone or video) for more information.
The Provincial Court of BC has been a leader among Canadian courts in its enthusiastic use of digital communications to engage with the public. It offers an active website, featuring bi-weekly “eNews” articles, and uses social media with a refreshing, conversational tone to interact with followers.
In BC, when there are child protection concerns and the family disagrees with the Ministry of Children and Family Development about the way forward, a case conference is often scheduled. A case conference is an informal meeting between the parties and a judge to try to resolve the disagreement before positions become hardened and the case escalates to a trial.