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, S.B.C. 2021, c. 6. 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 justices. The Chief Justice of British Columbia heads the Court of Appeal.

• List of current justices
• List of former justices

The Court of Appeal sits regularly in Vancouver, and also sits as needed in Victoria, Kamloops, Kelowna, Prince George, and Abbotsford.

The court usually sits as a division of three justices. For some cases, the court will sit as a division of five justices. This can occur in particularly important cases or where it is necessary for the court to overrule a previous decision. Requests for five-justice divisions are made by writing to the Chief Justice (see Rule 43).

Some matters are heard in chambers, where a single justice presides. A decision of a justice in chambers may be reviewed by a division of three justices sitting as a court.

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.

The justices of the British Columbia Court of Appeal are also justices of the Yukon Court of Appeal. The Yukon Court of Appeal sits once a year in Whitehorse. Yukon appeals are also heard in other BC court locations, such as Vancouver.

Further Resources:

• Though the Heavens Fall: 100 Years of the B.C. Court of Appeal