Newsletter of the Canadian Bar Association (BC Branch) December 1996 Vol. 8 • No.6
A MEMBER'S OPEN LETTER TO STEPHEN OWEN, Q.C.
Why wasn't the Bar consulted on proposed courthouse closures? Reforms will likely cause more problems than they'll solve Editor's Note: The following letter was written to
INSIDE President's Message ...... 2 Section Talk .................... 3 New Chief Justice speaks on court reform ............. 8 Registry Questions & Answers ......................... 10 Student researchers available .......................... 13 Justice reform in China .............................. 14 Much ado about ADR but where's the work! ...... 16 Practice Talk ................. 17 Legislative Update ........ 21 BC Branch honours members ........................ 24
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The proposed closure of the Richmond the Deputy Attorney General after Attorney General Courthouse and movement of the criminal courts Ujjal Dosanjh announced a major re-structuring of to Robson Square in Vancouver serves as a good his Ministry on November 13, 1996. Other areas of example. There may be a small financial savings the province are also likely to be affected by these in terms of lease costs for premises in Richmond changes. We need to hear and using vacant from you about how they "The members of the Vancouver courtrooms at Robson will affect your practice Criminal Justice Section strongly urge Square. However, the and community. the Minister and the Ministry to actual hidden costs of Dear Mr. Owen: having to transfer reconsider the proposed closures." Further to Attorney people back and forth, General Dosanjh's paper and administannouncement of closures of courthouses in West rative costs skyrocketing, and the likelihood of Vancouver, Richmond and Langley, I feel files and witnesses going astray between the compelled to write at this time to express my jurisdiction of Richmond and Vancouver all great concern that such a step has been taken present enormous costs to the administration of with little or no consultation or input from the criminal justice. members of the criminal bar who practice in By closing the Richmond Provincial these jurisdictions. courthouse, as well as the Langley and West The matter of the closures of these courts was Vancouver Provincial courthouses, those discussed at the Vancouver Criminal Justice communities affected by these closures will have Section's monthly meeting which was held their ability to access community justice and November 20, 1996. Those in attendance at the access justice generally, sharply curtailed. If we meeting did express great concern over the take the closure of the Richmond Provincial hidden costs that may well outweigh and surpass courthouse as an example, again, and its the actual projected annual savings for the relocation to Robson Square, we foresee great closures of each of these courthouses. While we problems for the Crown in being able to have appreciate that in difficult economic times their witnesses attend trials in Vancouver. As physical restraint is necessary, illusory cost- well, those witnesses who do actually attend savings such as those genera ted by the proposed may well become frustrated and leave when closures, in the end, serve no purpose and most they cannot locate convenient parking or have to likely will create more problems than what they deal with the traffic in the city. Similar concerns were envisioned to remedy. Continued on page 6