eNews: Other Topics
Fifty years ago, on September 13, 1971, Alfred Scow, hereditary chief of the Kwicksutaineuk First Nation on Gilford Island, was appointed a judge of the BC Provincial Court.
BC Judicial Council’s 2020 Annual Report raises fascinating questions. Praised for their transparency, since 1999 the Council’s annual reports have included statistics and demographic information about applicants for appointment as Provincial Court judges and judicial justices.
While not without challenges, the Court’s use of technology during the last year to conduct some types of proceedings has increased access to justice for many people. Among other benefits, it has saved litigants and lawyers from travelling long distances for short court appearances.
In medieval times, sentences for crimes in England could include whipping, hanging, burning at the stake, or being drawn through city streets and decapitated. These sentences were, by intent, gruesome public spectacles. The community’s role was to watch and be deterred from committing crimes.
Public health officials have collaborated with the three BC courts and the provincial government’s Court Services Branch (it’s responsible for courthouse operation) to develop a detailed protocol to ensure timely and coordinated communication about COVID-19 testing and exposures in courthouses. This eNews outlines when and how that information will be communicated.