The Ministry of Attorney General is establishing two advisory groups to support government response to the impact of restrictive public health measures on the justice system.

These groups will help government support courts and tribunals in delivering services as effectively as possible during the pandemic and in minimizing its impact on the justice system.

The first group is the Justice COVID-19 Response Group. Establishing this group formalizes a structure for regular discussions that have been taking place between the courts, legal stakeholder groups, and Ministry of Attorney General staff as they respond to urgent and arising issues in the court system. The membership of the group is fluid, and additional members may be added or removed as conditions require.

The membership of the Justice COVID-19 Response Group currently includes:

• Attorney General’s Supreme Court Rules Committee
• BC Association of Chiefs of Police
• BC Civil Liberties Association
• BC Council of Administrative Tribunals
• BC Family Maintenance Agency
• BC First Nations Justice Council
• BC Law Institute
• British Columbia Court of Appeal
• Canadian Bar Association – BC Branch
• Canadian Mental Health Association
• Circle of Chairs
• Community Legal Assistance Society
• Continuing Legal Education Society
• Courthouse Libraries BC
• Ending Violence Association of BC
• Independent Investigations Office
• Justice Education Society
• Law Foundation of BC
• Law Society of BC
• Legal Aid BC
• Métis Nation BC Justice Council
• Native Courtworkers and Counselling Association of BC
• Notaries Public Board of Examiners
• Notary Foundation
• Provincial Court of British Columbia
• Public Guardian and Trustee of BC
• RCMP
• Superior Courts Judiciary
• Supreme Court of British Columbia
• University of Victoria Access to Justice Centre for Excellence

The second advisory group is the Cross-Jurisdictional Technical Advisory Group. Members have been invited to assist the work of the Justice Response Group and government by recommending best practice technology and other measures that can reduce backlogs and deliver access to justice to British Columbians during and post-pandemic.

The membership of the Cross Jurisdictional Technical Advisory Group includes:

• Allan Seckel (chair)
• Tom Cromwell
• Cristie Ford
• Craig Jones
• Julie Macfarlane
• Beverley McLachlin
• Graham Reynolds
• Shannon Salter
• Richard Susskind
• Katie Sykes
• Darin Thompson
• Anisa White
• Albert Yoon
• Carmen Zabarauckas

Learn More:

For more information about the work of the Ministry of Attorney General and British Columbia’s courts and tribunals to respond to the pandemic, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/justice/covid-19