Nine new judges are being appointed across the province, the Ministry of the Attorney General announced Feb. 7.
The appointments bring the total number of appointments to 23 during the span of two years.
Four of the judges will make their way to the Greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley regions, but it remains to be seen whether this will mean more resources for the Sechelt provincial court.
The government estimates the cost of supporting one provincial court judge to be in the area of $1.4 million, once the cost of administration, supporting staff, sheriffs, judicial support and prosecution services are taken into account.
Across British Columbia, members of the legal community have criticized the province's legal system as delays build due to a shortage of judicial resources. Worries have grown that stays of proceedings could become increasingly common.
The latest announcement brings the complement of judges in B.C. to 130.35 full-time equivalents. In 2005 that number was 143.65.
The nine appointments are expected to work full-time.
"As part of the process related to nine new judges being appointed to the Court, there will be some consequential transfer of judges," said legal officer Gene Jamieson, with the Office of the Chief Judge.
Since the retirement of Judge Rounthwaite in late 2009, the Sunshine Coast has experienced a growing shortage of access to court time.
The appointment of Judge Steven Merrick nine months later helped alleviate the situation, but a growing shortage across B.C. has seen Merrick spending a significant portion of his time, 38 per cent, off-Coast.
This contrasts with Rounthwaite, who spent 97 per cent of her time sitting in Sechelt.
Premier Christy Clark has said the justice system will remain a priority of the current government.
"British Columbians expect and deserve a justice system that deals with matters in an efficient, timely and fair way," she said. "The crime rate is dropping, but we're still seeing increases in the number of cases delayed and stayed."
