Technology helps free up court time, will reduce backlog
There are days when the Woodstock Provincial Court operates from three separate courtrooms just to keep up with the high volume of charges filling the court docket.
This demand for court time exacerbates when an accused is suddenly brought into custody and, by law, must have a bail hearing within three days. In Woodstock, bail hearings are required at least once a week due to a busy round of police arrests or weekend remand.
To stem the tide, the province officially launched virtual bail hearings on April 9 in Woodstock and Fredericton to free up physical courtroom space for trials, reduce delays and pressure on the justice system. The initiative supports two virtual bail courts operating five days per week.
“It’s everything about liberating courtrooms and trying to promote access to justice,” said Chief Judge Brian C. McLean. “I’m excited about it. It’s the most revolutionary thing to come about in the provincial court in my lifetime as a judge. It’s already starting to show results. I believe it will reach our objectives.”
During virtual bail hearings, all parties appear online via Microsoft Teams, including the judge, the Crown prosecutor, the defence counsel, the accused, and any witnesses for the accused. McLean said four provincial court judges have been assigned to virtual bail, including Judge Karen Lee, Judge Scott Brittain, Judge Marc Savoie and Judge Luc Roy.
There is no transitional change to the process for people already in custody, he said, as their bail hearings were already being held by video from jail. The same legal tests, judicial oversight and protections for accused persons and public safety still apply in a virtual bail hearing.
“It’s a big change for the judges, lawyers and court staff who no longer have to be in a courtroom,” said McLean. “It’s critical to be more organized and efficient, have police briefs, clients and witnesses ready and any technical difficulties ironed out before going online.”
He said Moncton will begin hosting virtual bail hearings in May.
“I’m pleased so far and I appreciate the effort of court services, the government and our judges who have been supportive,” McLean stated.
All matters heard in virtual bail hearings are accessible to the public through Microsoft Teams. The links to each virtual bail room are publicly available on the provincial court and government websites.
Accommodations are available through Court Serves for those who do not have access to the required technology.
