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Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of British Columbia is the province's superior trial court. The Supreme Court is a court of general and inherent jurisdiction which means that it can hear any type of case, civil or criminal. It hears most appeals from the Provincial Court in civil and criminal cases and appeals from arbitrations. A party may appeal a decision of the Supreme Court to the Court of Appeal.
The Supreme Court Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 443, provides for a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, an Associate Chief Justice, and 95 other judges. The legislation also provides for supernumerary judges who sit hearing cases part-time. There are also 13 Supreme Court associate judges who hear and dispose of a wide variety of applications in chambers. The Supreme Court also has a Registrar who hears assessments relating to bills of costs, reviews lawyers' accounts, settles orders, references of various types and deals with bankruptcy discharge applications.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
June 9, 2026
VIRTUAL CHAMBERS HAS EXPANDED TO NEW WESTMINSTER
As of June 1, 2026, short applications (30 minutes or less) scheduled before an associate judge may be set in virtual chambers in all court locations, except in the Vancouver Regi
stry.
Please review Practice Direction 72 - Electronic Application Records (Associate Judges Chambers Pilot Project) and Practice Direction 73 - Virtual Chambers (Associate Judges Chamber
Pilot Project), which were issued on March 31, 2026.
More information, and the list of virtual chambers hearing dates, is available here.
June 3, 2026
ASSOCIATE CHIEF JUSTICE HOLMES ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
Associate Chief Justice Holmes has announced that she will be retiring from the office of Associate Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia and as a judge of the Court effective November 30, 2026.
May 27, 2026
CRIMINAL RULE 7 WILL BE REPLACED EFFECTIVE JUNE 1, 2026
The Court has issued a new Criminal Rule 7 (Applications for a Reduction in the Number of Years of Imprisonment Without Eligibility for Parole), which comes into force on June 1, 2026. Please see the Memorandum of the Associate Chief Justice introducing the rule. The new Rule 7 and the associated forms can be found on the Rules, Procedure & Forms section of the Court's website, under "Supreme Court Criminal Rules" or by clicking here.
May 11, 2026
JUDICIAL APPOINTMENT - JUSTICE LOCKE
The Supreme Court of British Columbia welcomes the appointment of the Honourable Justice Jeffrey Locke to Victoria. For more information about the new appointment, please see the press release issued by the Department of Justice. The Court will hold a public welcoming ceremony for the new justice; details about the date and location will be posted on the court's website.