Court of Appeal

The Court of Appeal is the highest court in the province. It hears appeals from the Supreme Court, from the Provincial Court on some criminal matters, and reviews and appeals from some administrative boards and tribunals.

The Court of Appeal is constituted by the Court of Appeal Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 77. The Court of Appeal Act provides for a Chief Justice and 14 other justices, as well as for supernumerary justices. Thus, the Court of Appeal actually has more than 15 judges. The Chief Justice of British Columbia heads the Court of Appeal.

The Court of Appeal has a registrar who, in addition to other administrative duties, hears matters related to the settling of orders and bills of costs.

NOTE: The Registry Counter in Vancouver is currently OPEN during regular business hours. Please see the Court's Public Notices for further instructions on scheduling and filing documents.

COVID-19 NOTICE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS


GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS


October 8, 2020
WEBCAST OF CONVICTION APPEALS IN R. v. HAEVISCHER AND R. v. JOHNSTON

The BC Court of Appeal will webcast those portions of the appeal hearings in R. v. Haevischer and R. v. Johnston that are open to the public. The webcast can be viewed beginning at 10:20 a.m. PST on October 14 – 23 at this link. At the end of each day of the appeal, the archived recording will be available at this link. If you wish to use the webcast for any purpose other than personal viewing, you must review and adhere to the terms of use of the webcast.

The hearings will take place in courtroom 50, however, due to the number of legal counsel in attendance and limits on room capacity related to COVID-19, only hearing participants (judges, court clerk, and counsel) can be accommodated in the physical courtroom.

The hearings will be intermittently closed to the public and the webcast will be suspended when counsel make submissions related to privileged and confidential information which cannot be disclosed publically. The webcast will also be subject to a 20 minute delay during open portions of the hearings. Subject to the hearing moving faster or slower than anticipated, it is expected that the proceedings will be open on October 14, 15, morning of 16, afternoon of 19, 20 and 21, and closed on the afternoon of October 16 and morning of October 19. The anticipated schedule on the final two days of the hearing (October 22 and 23) will be posted next week.

Written argument (factums) and the joint statement of facts are available here.

Questions from media may be directed to the Superior Courts Judiciary Communications Officer at SCJCommunicationsOfficer@BCCourts.ca. 



October 8, 2020
R. v. TALLIO - ACCESS TO EVIDENTIARY HEARING - OCTOBER 13 TO 30, 2020

On October 13, 2020, the Court of Appeal will resume hearing an appeal brought by Mr. Phillip James Tallio from his 1983 murder conviction. The evidentiary phase of the appeal is scheduled for three weeks commencing on October 13th; final arguments will take place during the week of November 23rd.

  • The evidentiary hearings are scheduled to take place in courtroom 60 at the Vancouver Law Courts, beginning each day at 10:00 am. Due to Covid-19 physical distancing requirements and the higher than usual number of lawyers and witnesses participating, space in courtroom 60 will only permit hearing participants (counsel and witnesses) and a small number of people with a direct and substantial interest in the appeal (e.g. the appellant, immediate family of the victim, designated witness support persons).

  • To provide access to the proceedings the court has arranged for closed circuit television links to two overflow spaces in the Robson Square Provincial Court building at 800 Hornby Street (boardroom 205 and courtroom 301). A minimum of four seats will be set aside for members of the general public and four seats will be set aside for media on a first come first served basis. If additional seats in the overflow rooms that are reserved for people closely connected to the events are not fully occupied when the hearing begins each day at 10 am or when court resumes after the lunch break at 2 pm, those spaces will also be made available to media and the general public.

  • To observe the proceeding from one of the overflow spaces you should line up outside of the Smithe street entrance to the Robson Square Provincial Court building (westside entrance) and check in with the Sheriffs stationed there. The building will open at 8:30 am. The hearing will commence at 10:00 am. Sheriffs will conduct a verbal COVID-19 screening process and will direct you to form a line near room 205 while maintaining physical distance. If you arrive after 8:30 proceed directly to the line near room 205. Please review the general expectations for those attending a courthouse during the pandemic.

  • The Court's Policy on Use of Electronic Devices in Courtrooms applies to the overflow spaces and generally prohibits taking photographs (including screen shots), video images, or audio recordings of any court proceeding including video conferences. Refer to the policy for details on permitted audio recording for accredited media. Penalties may include prosecution for contempt of court.

  • Written arguments (factums) are posted here.

Any questions may be directed to the Superior Courts Judiciary Communications Officer at SCJCommunicationsOfficer@BCCourts.ca.

 

 

(Announcements Archive)

TOP