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Note: Updated December 23, 2021 to reflect Rules amendments effective January 4, 2022.
You may have heard that during the COVID-19 pandemic some types of court appearances are taking place in BC courthouses, but others are happening by telephone or online video-conferences to protect court users’ health. How do you know if you should go to court for the next stage of your small claims case or stay at home on your court date and power up your computer or cell phone?
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.
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.
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.