Working group to weigh procedural changes to both short and long chambers
The Supreme Court of British Columbia has announced the establishment of a civil and family chambers practice working group, which will review and consider possible adjustments to the court’s present practices and procedures for regular (short) and long chambers.
The review seeks to make the chambers process speedier and more efficient and respond to the issues arising from managing chambers practice, setting hearing dates, and timely hearing scheduled matters, according to a notice from Chief Justice Ron A. Skolrood of the BC Supreme Court.
The court said it is looking for feedback on possible challenges encountered in chambers practice and suggestions for improvement. For instance, the court brought up the possibility of tightening up the enforcement of existing rules, including by:
- setting page limits for application notices and responses
- requiring properly formed legal bases
- removing serial affidavits
- stringently imposing time estimates
The court also raised the possibility of enforcing set time slots – such as 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes – instead of asking parties to give estimates.
Areas of interest
In its notice, the BC Supreme Court listed possible changes to the chambers process on which the public could provide feedback. The court noted that those interested in sharing their insights need not confine their comments to these items.
For regular or short chambers matters, potential adjustments include:
- restricting matters to those with time estimates of one hour at most
- limiting application record size
- limiting the number of authorities the parties could cite
- imposing province-wide virtual hearings for uncontested applications and consent orders
For long chambers matters, possible changes include:
- providing half-day bookings
- increasing judges’ availability
- scheduling on an assize in Vancouver
- requiring earlier filing for application records
- Implementing judicial application management before hearing lengthy or complex matters
In its notice, the court acknowledged the interest in an online booking system for long chambers matters, which it has implemented for trials since last November. The court expressed its support for setting up an online platform once the funding needed is available.
The BC Supreme Court asked interested bar members, litigants, organizations, and members of the public to email their insights on the civil and family chambers practice review to Chambersfeedback@bccourts.ca by Sept. 5.
