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 justices. The legislation also provides for supernumerary judges who sit hearing cases part-time. There are also 15 Supreme Court masters 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.

COVID-19 NOTICES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

NOTE: All notices are subject to change. Please refer to the Index for a list of the current notices as well as those that have been rescinded and replaced.


ANNOUNCEMENTS


May 12, 2022
WELCOMING CEREMONY – JUSTICE MATTHEW TAYLOR, JUSTICE JULIANNE LAMB, AND MASTER SCOTT NIELSEN – MAY 16, 2022

A Welcoming Ceremony for the Honourable Justice Matthew Taylor, Justice Julianne Lamb, and Master Scott Nielsen will be held on Monday, May 16, 2022 at the New Westminster Law Courts in Courtroom 209 at 4:15 p.m. Members of the public are invited to attend the Welcoming Ceremony.


May 11, 2022
PRACTICE DIRECTION 5 – CLASS PROCEEDINGS

Please be advised that Practice Direction 5 – Class Proceedings has been updated by Chief Justice Hinkson. This Practice Direction describes the procedure for requesting the assignment of a case management judge in a proceeding that is commenced under the Class Proceedings Act. The Practice Direction now notes that the Court will advise parties or counsel when a case management judge has been assigned and will direct that a case planning conference take place.


May 3, 2022
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 31 – SEALED BID PROCEDURES FOR FORECLOSURES AND OTHER MATTERS INVOLVING SALES OF LAND

The Court has modified the timeframes in the bid process. For more information, please see COVID-19 Notice No. 31.


May 3, 2022
SUPREME COURT LEGAL COUNSEL COMPETITION - FULL-TIME POSITION - VANCOUVER

The Supreme Court has an opening for legal counsel for a permanent full-time position in Vancouver. Applicants should have at least 12 years of active legal practice and experience in Supreme Court practices and procedures. More details about this opportunity, including a detailed job profile, job requirements, and instructions for submitting an application, are available here.

The Supreme Court encourages people from diverse backgrounds and with varied life experiences to apply and to self-identify in their cover letter. The closing date for the competition is Tuesday, May 31, 2022.


May 2, 2022
PRACTICE DIRECTION 61 - APPLICATIONS TO COMMENCE PROCEEDINGS ANONYMOUSLY

Please be advised that Practice Direction 61 – Applications to Commence Proceedings Anonymously has been issued by Chief Justice Hinkson effective May 2, 2022. This Practice Direction sets out the procedure for commencing proceedings using initials or a pseudonym in a civil or family law case.


May 2, 2022
SUPREME COURT MASTER APPOINTMENT

The Supreme Court of British Columbia welcomes the appointment of Master Susanna Hughes to Vancouver. For more information about Master Hughes, please see the news release issued by the Attorney General of British Columbia. A public welcoming ceremony for Master Hughes will be held on a date to be scheduled, and information about the welcoming ceremony will be posted on the Court’s website once it is available.


May 2, 2022
JUDICIAL RETIREMENT - THE HONOURABLE JUSTICE LAURA GEROW

The Supreme Court of British Columbia announces that the Honourable Justice Laura Gerow retired from the Supreme Court of British Columbia at Vancouver on April 30, 2022. Justice Gerow was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2002.


May 2, 2022
RETIREMENT – MASTER STUART CAMERON

The Supreme Court of British Columbia announces that Master Cameron retired from the Supreme Court of British Columbia at Vancouver on May 1, 2022. Master Cameron was appointed as Master of the Supreme Court in 2018.


April 29, 2022
EXPANDING ONLINE BOOKING FOR CONFERENCES

Effective immediately, Case Planning Conferences, Judicial Case Conferences, and Trial Management Conferences may be booked online. The online booking process is user-friendly and efficient, and simply requires the user to register for a BCeID if they do not already have one. Conferences may still be booked by telephoning Supreme Court Scheduling, but the Court encourages counsel and parties to use the new online tool.


April 28, 2022
WELCOMING CEREMONY – MADAM JUSTICE LINDSAY LYSTER – MAY 2, 2022

A Welcoming Ceremony for the Honourable Madam Justice Lindsay Lyster will be held on Monday, May 2, 2022 at the Nelson Law Courts in Courtroom 3 at 4:15 p.m. Members of the public are invited to attend the Welcoming Ceremony.


April 25, 2022
WELCOMING CEREMONIES

In the coming months, the Supreme Court of British Columbia will be holding Welcoming Ceremonies for members of the Court who were unable to be formally welcomed due to the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Members of the public are invited to attend Welcoming Ceremonies for the following justices and masters on the dates indicated below. All Welcoming Ceremonies are scheduled to take place at 4:15 p.m. in their respective courthouses.

Monday, May 2, 2022 – Nelson

  • Madam Justice Lindsay Lyster

Monday, May 16, 2022 – New Westminster

  • Justice Matthew Taylor
  • Justice Julianne Lamb
  • Master Scott Nielsen

Wednesday, May 18, 2022 – Vancouver

  • Justice Jasmin Ahmad
  • Justice Simon Coval
  • Master Kimberley Robertson

Monday, May 30, 2022 – Vancouver

  • Justice Peter Edelmann
  • Justice Andrew Majawa
  • Madam Justice Sandra Wilkinson
  • Justice William Veenstra

Tuesday, May 31, 2022 – Abbotsford

  • Mr. Justice Ian Caldwell
  • Master Rory Krentz

Wednesday, June 1, 2022 – Chilliwack

  • Madam Justice Ardith Walkem

Monday, June 6, 2022 – Vancouver

  • Justice Matthew Kirchner
  • Justice Lauren Blake
  • Justice Jan Brongers

Wednesday, June 8, 2022 – New Westminster

  • Justice Bruce Elwood
  • Justice Baljinder Girn
  • Justice John Gibb-Carsley

Thursday, June 9, 2022 – Vancouver

  • Justice Michael Stephens
  • Justice Michael Thomas
  • Justice Jacqueline Hughes

Wednesday, June 22, 2022 – Kelowna

  • Justice Briana Hardwick


April 22, 2022
SUPREME COURT CLOSURE - ALL LOCATIONS - SEPTEMBER 30, 2022

All Supreme Court registries throughout the province will be closed on September 30, 2022 in recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Parties or counsel with a proceeding scheduled to start or continue on September 30, 2022 should contact Supreme Court Scheduling to reschedule. Please see the Scheduling page for contact information for the relevant court location.


April 11, 2022
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 42 – CHAMBERS APPLICATIONS BY MICROSOFT TEAMS VIDEO AND IN PERSON

Effective April 11, 2022, the default manner of appearance for most civil and family proceedings will be in person. COVID-19 Notice No. 42 – Chambers Applications by Microsoft Teams Video and In Person has been updated to reflect that regular chambers hearings will continue by Teams video while lengthy chambers hearings will proceed in person. Additionally, on April 11, 2022, the Chief Justice issued COVID-19 Order No. 009 which revokes previous orders and authorizes regular chambers hearings to be heard by video.

April 11, 2022
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 31 – SEALED BID PROCEDURES FOR FORECLOSURES AND OTHER MATTERS INVOLVING SALES OF LAND

Effective April 11, 2022, the deadline for submitting a sealed bid in foreclosure proceedings has been modified. For more information about the sealed bid process and the manner of appearance in foreclosure matters, please see COVID-19 Notice No. 31.


April 11, 2022
SC FAMILY LAW PICKLIST - UPDATED

The Supreme Court Family Order Pick List has been updated and is available here.


April 8, 2022
SUPREME COURT MASTER APPOINTMENTS

The Supreme Court of British Columbia welcomes the appointment of Master Scott Nielsen to New Westminster and Master Rory Krentz to Abbotsford. For more information about Master Nielsen and Master Krentz, please see the news release issued by the Attorney General of British Columbia. A public welcoming ceremony for Master Nielsen and Master Krentz will be held on a date to be scheduled, and information about the welcoming ceremony will be posted on the Court’s website once it is available.


April 8, 2022
JUDICIAL TRANSFERS

The Supreme Court of British Columbia announces the following judicial transfers occurred on April 8, 2022:

  • The Honourable Justice Jackson to Victoria from Vancouver
  • The Honourable Madam Justice Murray to Vancouver from Victoria


April 4, 2022
PD-9 – FAX FILING REGISTRIES FAX NUMBERS

Please be advised that effective April 4, 2022, Practice Direction 9 – Fax Filing Registries Fax Numbers, has been updated by Chief Justice Hinkson to include a designated fax number for Prince Rupert.


CURRENT COVID-19 NOTICES


April 11, 2022
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 42 – CHAMBERS APPLICATIONS BY MICROSOFT TEAMS VIDEO AND IN PERSON

Effective April 11, 2022, the default manner of appearance for most civil and family proceedings will be in person. COVID-19 Notice No. 42 – Chambers Applications by Microsoft Teams Video and In Person has been updated to reflect that regular chambers hearings will continue by Teams video while lengthy chambers hearings will proceed in person. Additionally, on April 11, 2022, the Chief Justice issued COVID-19 Order No. 009 which revokes previous orders and authorizes regular chambers hearings to be heard by video.


April 11, 2022
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 31 – SEALED BID PROCEDURES FOR FORECLOSURES AND OTHER MATTERS INVOLVING SALES OF LAND

Effective April 11, 2022, the deadline for submitting a sealed bid in foreclosure proceedings has been modified. For more information about the sealed bid process and the manner of appearance in foreclosure matters, please see COVID-19 Notice No. 31.


March 31, 2022
LIFTING OF COURTHOUSE PANDEMIC MEASURES AND CHANGES TO MANNER OF ATTENDANCE

Effective April 11, 2022, the Supreme Court will be lifting many of the measures that were put in place to control the spread of COVID-19 at courthouses, and will be resuming in-person proceedings except in limited circumstances.

For details about the changes that will be effective as of April 11, 2022, please refer to the Index and see the following notices:


January 28, 2022
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 47 – COVID-19: GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR MICROSOFT TEAMS VIDEO HEARINGS

COVID Notice No. 35 – Remote Video Conference Hearings has been rescinded and replaced with COVID Notice No. 47. Participants in any kind of video hearing or conference are advised to review COVID Notice No. 47 in advance of their attendance.


January 28, 2022
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 42 – CHAMBERS APPLICATIONS BY MICROSOFT TEAMS VIDEO

COVID-19 Notice No. 42 – Chambers Applications by Microsoft Teams Video has been updated to reflect a new automated method for notifying counsel/parties of their hearing dates. As of January 31, counsel of record should expect to receive two automated emails prior to their chambers hearing: one at 5:30 p.m. the day prior to the hearing as a reminder, and one at 8:45 the morning of their hearing with the Microsoft Teams Video link. Because emails will only go to the email address counsel of record provided on the originating filed document, counsel of record are responsible for forwarding the email with the details of the hearing and link if co-counsel will be attending the hearing.

 

December 1, 2021
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 29 - CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS - COVID PRE-TRIAL CONFERENCES (CV PTC)

COVID-19 Notice No. 29 - Notice Regarding Criminal Proceedings: COVID Pre-trial Conferences (CV PTC) has been rescinded, and CV PTCs will no longer be offered in criminal proceedings. CV PTCs were introduced for cases affected by the temporary suspension of trials early in the pandemic, and have not been scheduled in the past 10 months.



September 17, 2021
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 44 – USE OF THE FILE TRANSFER SERVER – INSOLVENCY AND OTHER PROCEEDINGS

COVID-19 Notice No. 44 has been revised to indicate that the Court may direct parties to use the File Transfer Server (FTS) in any kind of proceeding. Parties in insolvency proceedings only can request use of FTS. In all proceedings, parties using the FTS must adhere to the document formatting standards set out in COVID-19 Notice No. 44.

 

March 2, 2021
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 41 – AMENDMENTS TO THE SUPREME COURT CIVIL RULES - TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF CIVIL JURY TRIALS - UPDATED

Government has amended the Supreme Court Civil Rules to extend the temporary suspension of civil jury trials until October 7, 2022. Civil jury trials will resume on October 8, 2022. Beginning March 29, 2021, parties may file a notice requiring trial by jury for trials scheduled on or after October 8, 2022. For more information, see the Court’s notice about the suspension of civil jury trials, available here, and the order-in-council, available here.

 

December 22, 2020
END OF SUSPENSION OF LIMITATION PERIODS

On December 21, 2020 the Provincial Government announced that the suspension of limitation periods is no longer linked to the duration of the state of emergency, and the suspension will end on March 25, 2021. For more information, see the Court’s amended COVID-19 Notice No. 34, here, and Order in Council 655/2020, here.

 

July 17, 2020
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 38 – CRIMINAL JURY TRIALS RESUMING SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

The Supreme Court of British Columbia will resume criminal jury selections and trials on September 8, 2020. For details please click here.

 

June 30, 2020
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 30 - CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS - APPLICATIONS UNDER S. 490 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE (FURTHER DETENTION OF THINGS SEIZED)

During the COVID-19 health emergency, the Supreme Court implemented a temporary procedure for s. 490 applications. This updated Notices describes some changes to the procedure. For more details, click here.

 

May 26, 2020
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 24 – FILING OF AFFIDAVITS OF SERVICE AND DELIVERY – CIVIL AND FAMILY MATTERS

Parties not appearing in person before the Court as a result of measures put in place during the public health emergency are required to file their affidavits of service or delivery and may do so by e-filing. For more information, click here.

 

March 27, 2020
COVID-19 NOTICE NO. 2 - NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC REGARDING AFFIDAVITS FOR USE IN COURT PROCEEDINGS

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Court of Appeal for British Columbia, the Supreme Court of British Columbia, and the Provincial Court of British Columbia will make accommodations for the commissioning of affidavits in circumstances where it is not possible or is medically unsafe for the deponent to attend before a commissioner. All three levels of court will follow the same process, set out in the directives linked below:

Court of Appeal for British Columbia

Supreme Court of British Columbia

Provincial Court of British Columbia



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COVID-19 ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

January 29, 2021
OFFICE OF THE PROVINCIAL HEALTH OFFICER STATEMENT RELATED TO COVID-19 OUTBREAK AT THREE CORRECTIONAL CENTRES

The Office of the Provincial Health Officer has released a notice regarding the COVID-19 outbreaks at Surrey Pretrial Services Centre, North Fraser Pretrial Centre, and Fraser Regional Correctional Centre. For more information, please refer to the notice issued January 29, 2021.

 

January 21, 2021
PROTOCOL FOR COMMUNICATION AND TESTING RELATED TO COVID-19 IN COURTHOUSES

In light of concerns raised by the BC Courts, counsel and other courthouse users about the need for timely and coordinated communication about COVID-19 testing and exposures in courthouses, the three levels of Court and Court Services Branch met with senior health officials and have created a protocol that is now in effect with these main components: 

  1. A Public Health Guidance document for courthouses that is publicly posted on the BC Centre for Disease Control website:  

    http://www.bccdc.ca/Health-Info-Site/Documents/COVID_public_guidance/Guidance_Court_Settings.pdf

  2. The BC Centre for Disease Control has created a webpage where the following type of information will be posted about COVID-19 and courthouses: COVID-19 exposures at courthouses where a medical health officer of public health specialist has determined there is a risk of infection to others; incident investigations, notices and summaries related to potential COVID-19 clusters, outbreaks or group testing; and courthouse site inspections.

  3. Each Regional Health Authority will be responsible for courthouse COVID-19 incident investigations, response and timely communication with the courts, Court Services Branch and where appropriate the public, recognizing that the Health Authorities alone have the information about COVID-19 incidents, cases, exposures, clusters and outbreaks.

  4. If there is to be group testing at a courthouse, notice will be communicated by the Regional Health Authority to those court participants relevant to the investigation.

  5. Targeted access to COVID-19 testing for court participants in relation to anticipated or ongoing court proceedings where, for example, a court participant is experiencing COVID-19-like symptoms and testing is required to determine whether the court proceeding can continue as scheduled.

See the Protocol here.

We thank everyone for their ongoing efforts to support the Courts and the justice system through this extremely challenging time. The Courts are committed to remaining open and accessible, and have taken steps to ensure safety as noted on the following websites:

 

April 21, 2020
USE OF BASIC BCeID FOR E-FILING

As of April 20, 2020 and for the duration of the suspension of regular operations at the Supreme Court of British Columbia, parties may e-file documents using Basic BCeID. For more information click here.

 

April 21, 2020
CERTIFICATES OF PENDING LITIGATION, CERTIFICATES OF JUDGMENT, AND CERTIFICATES OF COMMENCEMENT OF COMMENCEMENT OF PROCEEDINGS

As of April 17, 2020 and for the duration of the suspension of regular operations at the Supreme Court of British Columbia, Certificates of Pending Litigation, Certificates of Judgment, and Certificates of Commencement of Proceedings may be transmitted electronically. For more information click here.

 

(Announcements Archive)

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