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Media inquiries

The head of the Provincial Court is the Chief Judge, who is its official spokesperson. Please use the Media Inquiry Form to contact the Office of the Chief Judge with a media inquiry if you are requesting a statement. It will help us respond to your inquiry as quickly and effectively as possible. Sometimes, checking the Court’s Policies and Common Questions pages can provide the quickest answer.

For information about specific cases (such as next court dates) or about accessing court documents see Court Services Online or contact the court location directly.

For a list of upcoming hearings consult the Daily Court Lists (criminal and civil).

Complaints Form

This website and the Office of the Chief Judge do not comment on specific cases before the courts. Responses to media inquiries are for information only and cannot be used as authority in court proceedings.

Requests for Interviews, Surveys & Speakers

Those seeking to interview or survey Provincial Court judges or invite a judge to speak at a conference may submit their request using the Media Inquiry Form. It will be easier for us to accommodate your request if we receive it well in advance. For requests to interview or survey judges, you must submit a completed “Request to Survey or Interview Form”. Requests will be declined if they do not meet the Guidelines listed in the Form. There are also restrictions on what judges may speak on. Generally, judges speak at events on subjects that will advance some aspect of the bar or the public's understanding of legal issues or the judicial process. However, we may not have sufficient resources to accept all requests. We will send you our response as quickly as possible.

Photographs available for media use

1. Exterior courthouse photos

Find exterior photos of most BC Provincial Court locations on the Court Locations pages. These photos may be copied and used with a photo credit when one is provided. (The quality of these photos varies. Some are snapshots that will be replaced when better photos become available. We are also adding higher resolution copies for downloading, when available.)

2. Stock courthouse interior photos

High resolution, professional quality photos of trial and remand courtroom interiors and related images are available for download on the Stock Photos page. We invite members of the media to download and use these photos or portions of them with photo credit to Cliff MacArthur/provincialcourt.bc.ca.

3. Additional source of courthouse photos

The Court has ascertained that media may use the interior and exterior photos of Canadian courthouses displayed on the website courthouses.co. Photographer and website owner John Deacon Q.C. has advised the Court that he consents to media use of the photographs on his website for news stories with photo credit to “John Deacon Q.C. courthouses.co".

See http://www.courthouses.co/canada-courthouses/british-columbia/ for BC courthouses. Mr. Deacon’s website also includes courthouse photos from other provinces and territories.

Link to Court Decisions
We encourage media to include in their reports links to our written reasons - available at Judgments & Decisions.

Media Guide
Provincial Court Media Guide – a resource for journalists covering legal issues and proceedings in British Columbia courts, particularly cases in the BC Provincial Court – and for anyone interested in the justice system.

Access Policies

Useful Information

  • Annual Reports - caseload and other statistics, summaries of complaints, judicial officers' demographics and much more
  • Ceremonial Sittings - media can use the “Media Inquiry Form” above to make a request to film or record a ceremonial sitting of the Court, such as a sitting to mark the appointment or retirement of a judge
  • Court Locations and Hours
  • Court Services Online - BC Ministry of the Attorney General provides daily lists in courts around BC, as well as court record information in Provincial and Supreme civil court files and Provincial traffic and criminal court files - some fees may apply
  • Glossaries - glossaries of legal and Court terms
  • Judgments & Decisions - written and high profile oral judgments – full texts of judges’ reasons
  • Justice Centre Daily Judicial Interim Release Results - reports on judicial interim release matters dealt with by the Justice Centre during the preceding day - subject to the conditions outlined on this linked page
  • Legal Research for Journalists – BC Courthouse Libraries’ webinar on tracking case law and legislation, using Court Services Online
  • RSS Feed - of all BC Provincial Court decisions posted online – use Internet Explorer to access
  • Transcripts - to order a transcript of court proceedings you will need the court location, date and file number
  • The Canadian Judicial System and the Media - Canadian Judicial Council publication offers information on publications bans, contempt, defamation, and factors to consider when making decisions about what to report – it’s a 2010 publication so references to particular statute sections and court decisions will need to be updated, but the overview the document provides may be useful