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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
April 25, 2025
CRIMINAL PRACTICE DIRECTION 10 (CPD-10) - LANGUAGE OF THE ACCUSED
Associate Chief Justice Holmes has issued Criminal Practice Direction 10 (CPD-10), which revises the process for ensuring an accused person has been advised of their official language rights under s. 530 of the Criminal Code. Where an accused person has been so advised in the Provincial Court, a new inquiry will generally not be necessary in the Supreme Court. CPD-10 also introduces the option of counsel advising the accused person of their s. 530 rights, completing a form with the accused person, and filing it at the appropriate Supreme Court Registry. A copy of CPD-10 can be found here. The French version can be found here.
April 15, 2025
CRIMINAL PRACTICE DIRECTION 9 (CPD-9) - RESTRICTION ON PUBLICATION OF INFORMATION FROM CONFERENCES IN CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS
Associate Chief Justice Holmes has issued Criminal Practice Direction 9 (CPD-9) which imposes an automatic, temporary ban on publication of information disclosed during pre-trial or other conferences in criminal proceedings, except for information about the scheduling of future appearances and the nature of the appearances. CPD-9 is effective April 16, 2025, and can be found here.
April 14, 2025
JOB OPENING: ASSOCIATE JUDGE, SUPREME COURT OF BRITISH COLUMBIA - APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED
The Supreme Court of British Columbia has an opening in Vancouver for an Associate Judge. Details about this opportunity, including a detailed job profile, job requirements, and instructions for submitting an application, are available here. The closing date for the competition is Wednesday, April 16, 2025 at 11:00 pm Pacific Time.
*Amendment April 14, 2025: The closing date for the competition has been extended to April 30, 2025 at 11:00 pm Pacific Time.
April 4, 2025
WELCOMING CEREMONY - The Honourable Justice Richard Hewson
On Friday, May 16, 2025 the Court will hold a formal ceremony to welcome The Honourable Justice Richard Hewson to the Supreme Court of British Columbia. The ceremony will begin at 4:15 p.m., in Courtroom 1 of The Law Courts at Kelowna.
NOTE: Cameras are permitted at this ceremony
April 4, 2025
WELCOMING CEREMONY - The Honourable Justice John Walker,The Honourable Justice Richard Fowler, The Honourable Justice
Mark Underhill and The Honourable Justice Julia Lawn
On Thursday, May 1, 2025 the Court will hold a formal ceremony to welcome The Honourable Justice John Walker, The Honourable Justice Richard Fowler, The Honourable Justice Mark Underhill and The Honourable Justice Julia Lawn to the Supreme Court of British Columbia. The ceremony will begin at 4:30 p.m., in The Great Hall of The Law Courts at Vancouver.
NOTE: Cameras are permitted at this ceremony
April 4, 2025
WELCOMING CEREMONY - The Honourable Madam Justice Lorianna Bennett
On Wednesday, April 30, 2025 the Court will hold a formal ceremony to welcome The Honourable Madam Justice Lorianna Bennett to the Supreme Court of British Columbia. The ceremony will begin at 4:15 p.m., in Courtroom 5D of The Law Courts at Kamloops.
NOTE: Cameras are permitted at this ceremony
March 31, 2025
BC SUPREME COURT ANNUAL REPORT 2024
The Annual Report of the Supreme Court of British Columbia covering the activities of the Court for 2024 is now available.
March 20, 2025
JOB OPENING: ASSOCIATE JUDGE, SUPREME COURT OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
The Supreme Court of British Columbia has an opening in Vancouver for an Associate Judge. Details about this opportunity, including a detailed job profile, job requirements, and instructions for submitting an application, are available here. The closing date for the competition is Wednesday, April 16, 2025 at 11:00 pm Pacific Time.
*Amendment April 14, 2025: The closing date for the competition has been extended to April 30, 2025 at 11:00 pm Pacific Time.
October 4, 2024
ONLINE BOOKING FOR CIVIL AND FAMILY TRIALS
Beginning on November 1, 2024, parties and counsel will be transitioning to an online booking system for civil and family trials. This is an expansion of the online booking system that was introduced in 2020 for a variety
of civil and family case conferences including case planning conferences, judicial case conferences and trial management conferences. For more details about this expansion, please see the notice issued by Associate Chief Justice Holmes.