A report on the inaugural British Columbia Justice Summit held March 15-16, 2013 is now public.

The Justice Summit provided the opportunity for more than 50 criminal justice system leaders to have frank and productive dialogue about how the system is performing and how it can be improved.

Summit participants recommended that, to maintain momentum on justice reform, at least two summits be held each year. As such, the next Justice Summit will take place in fall 2013.

In his report, A Criminal Justice System for the 21st Century, Geoffrey Cowper, Q.C., recommended that government hold a regular Justice Summit as a means to facilitate collaboration among all justice participants to discuss changes in directions or new justice reform initiatives. The Province committed to this in the White Paper on Justice Reform - Part 1: Towards a Modern, Transparent Justice System, including Justice Summits as an element of the Justice Reform and Transparency Act (JRTA) legislation passed in the spring.

The inaugural Justice Summit report is available here: http://www.ag.gov.bc.ca/legislation/justice-reform-transp-act/pdf/JusticeSummitReport.pdf

Learn more:

Justice Reform and Transparency Act: www.ag.gov.bc.ca/legislation/justice-reform-transp-act/index.htm

Justice reform: www.ag.gov.bc.ca/justice-reform-initiatives/index.htm

Justice system: www.JusticeBC.ca

Media Contacts:

Lori Deluca
Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Justice
250 953-3196

Court of Appeal of British Columbia
Timothy Outerbridge, Law Officer
604 660-0352

Supreme Court of British Columbia
Heidi McBride, Law Officer
604 660-2750

Provincial Court of British Columbia
Gene Jamieson, Q.C., Legal Officer
604 660-2864