A lack of provincial court judges, delays in trials, even cases thrown out and alleged criminals let back onto our streets - these all combine to make a dire situation, one that could get even worse on the Sunshine Coast and other communities unless the provincial government takes some action.
The office of the chief judge of B.C. Provincial Court spoke out this week, warning that court delays are only going to get worse unless the provincial government reverses its budget cutbacks.
According to Chief Judge James Crabtree, the Provincial Court has 16 fewer judges than it did in 2005, and funding from the province can fill only nine of those positions. That means that at least seven other provincial courthouses are short-staffed, putting even more strain on an ever-exploding judicial system.
According to a Globe and Mail report, the Supreme Court of Canada in 1990 ruled that a lengthy delay in bringing a case to trial violated a person's constitutional right to be tried within a reasonable time. The Provincial Court has a standard of holding 90 per cent of its half-day adult criminal trials within six months and 90 per cent of two-day trials within eight months. But those standards in our provincial court and other provincial courts in this province are not being met.
The Sunshine Coast has been without a permanent sitting judge since January, with the retirement of Justice Ann Rounthwaite. Sitting court days have been reduced for criminal, family and civil matters to three days a week, sometimes less. Crown counsel said last week that they are scheduling cases into February and March of next year - up to 10 months away, which is long past what the provincial court standard should be. That's alarming for not only the lawyers representing those accused, but for the general public as well. The public should demand a proper judicial system, one that treats everyone, innocent or guilty, with respect and allows court matters to be heard in a fair and honest way without undue delay.
In the past few weeks, a delegation of local government officials from the Coast made their way to Victoria to state their case before Attorney General Mike de Jong. The reception was cordial, but there were no immediate promises. De Jong said he would engage in discussions with the chief judge about the matter. But talk is cheap, Mr. de Jong. Every day the Sechelt provincial court and other courthouses in this province go without permanent sitting judges means further delays and further backlogs. It's simply not acceptable. We need action now.
