eNews: Court
The BC Provincial Court has a history of working with communities to develop specialized courts to address specific needs. On May 6, 2021, the Court will open its 11th specialized sentencing court – its third integrated court – in Kelowna.
Imagine you were arrested on Monday in a small northern BC community where the Provincial Court convened only on Thursdays. Until last year, if the police did not agree to your release and you wanted a bail hearing before a judge, you would be held in custody while transport was arranged, then transported to Prince George to appear in court for the hearing.
This month, BC’s Justice Education Society wraps up a five and a half year project to strengthen the criminal justice system in Guyana, South America’s only English-speaking country. BC Provincial Court judges, volunteering their time and expertise, made important contributions to the project in this small country bordered by Venezuela, Suriname, and Brazil.
The Provincial Court of BC is collaborating with ‘Legal Listening’ to bring you our most popular eNews articles as podcasts! Starting March 2, 2021, a different eNews article will be posted on LegalListening.com and all major podcast sites every Tuesday for several weeks.
The first entirely new Law Courts built in BC since 2002 were officially opened in Abbotsford on February 4, 2021. Completed on time and on budget, the state-of-the-art building was designed to be technologically advanced, environmentally friendly, and accessible to everyone.