The Provincial Court of Alberta has extended court restrictions until February 18, 2022. These restrictions have all out-of-custody trials, preliminary inquiries and other hearings requiring in-person testimonies being postponed. Although, this does not include urgent matters and those with other compelling reasons such as, matters involving children, or matters that have been in the system for a significant period of time.
Chief Judge Derek Redman says “The ongoing fifth wave of the pandemic is preventing people from attending court. This isn’t limited to members of the public – the Court is experiencing a significant number of health related absences from clerks, Judges and judicial staff. We are hopeful that we will be able to ease these restrictions as of February 18 so that all matters can proceed again as of February 22.”
Although, the court had reopened for most in-person matters last year, due to the rising case counts of the Omicron variant they are limiting in-person appearances to only urgent matters.
COVID-19 precautions will continue to remain in effect, including:
- Social distancing rules
- Limited capacity within courtrooms and courthouses
- Plexiglass barriers within courtrooms
- Enhanced cleaning
- Mandatory facemasks
“Our priority remains providing timely access to justice in as safe an environment as is possible,” Redman said. “Delaying matters is something we try to avoid, as Albertans deserve to have their matters heard as promptly as possible.”
-Jared Gomes, Trending 55 Newsroom
