BC gets nine new provincial court judges
Posted February 7, 2012 6:26 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VICTORIA (NEWS1130) – Following months of complaints about delays in the legal system, the government in Victoria has finally appointed nine new provincial court judges. But there is a concern it might not be enough to keep the wheels of justice rolling in some cases.
NDP Attorney-General Critic Leonard Krog says 2,500 criminal cases are in jeopardy of being tossed because of delays in the court system. “Nine new judges does not solve the significant problem in provincial court. We were down 18 judges up until today from the level in 2005.”
“So, the appointment of nine new judges gets us halfway back to where we were seven years ago,” he argues. “Since then, we have had significant population increase, significant numbers of people going into the Provincial Court Family Division because they can’t afford to take family matters to Supreme Court.”
Four of the new judges will serve in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Two will be in Prince George; there will be one more judge in each of Nanaimo, Smithers, and Penticton. Each judge costs $1.4 million; that figure includes salary, support staff and other expenses.
Attorney General Shirley Bond says the new judges will help ease pressure in the system, but more reforms are under consideration.
