A 91原创 City call to bring a courthouse back to the community has won the support of other B.C. communities at the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) conference, who endorsed a resolution calling on the province to expand access to court services.
City councillor Delaney Mack drafted the City backgrounder presented at the UBCM convention in Vancouver that ran Sept. 16 鈥� 20 in Vancouver.
"With increasing pressure due to a high volume of cases, coupled with vacant staffing positions, timely access to justice services across the province is often not a possibility," Mack warned.
Mack cited a 2023 analysis that found delays are getting longer, and more courts are being shutdown due to staffing shortages.
"When considering escalating year-over-year [court] vacancies, coupled with new demands from population growth, without immediate investment it can be expected that the situation will escalate," Mack warned.
"Separate from the obvious inconvenience, the negative impacts of delays in justice on victims or individuals seeking resolution is notable," Mack said.
91原创 City's resolution suggests the province could create a multi-stakeholder task group to carry out a province-wide audit.
"Regardless of the means, the required outcome is clear," Mack said/
"We require significant investment by the province of B.C. to restore time-sensitive and equitable access to court services and request that they begin this work immediately."
Trials used to be conducted in the former courthouse in 91原创 City on Fraser Highway, but the court was closed as a cost-saving measure in the 1990s by the provincial government.
City Mayor Nathan Pachal noted "there is no courthouse in 91原创 City or Township, even though we have a combined population larger than Kelowna or my hometown of Vernon, each with provincial and supreme courts. There is only one courthouse in the south of Fraser in Metro Vancouver (in Surrey.)"
READ ALSO: 91原创 may get new courthouse 鈥� by 2033
In addition to the court resolution, two other 91原创 City resolutions were approved by UBCM delegates.
A City call for a comprehensive funding framework that supports local fire departments that respond to medical emergencies was combined with similar resolutions from the Nanaimo Regional District, Tofino, Port Alberni, and the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District.
A motion calling on the provincial provincial government to expand its Homeless Response and Shelter Support program to more municipalities was adopted.
"Unfortunately, 91原创 City has the third-largest population of people who are unhoused in Metro Vancouver, yet this program has not been implemented in our community," Pachal commented.
A fourth City proposal was not adopted. It would have sought more funding, more financial and staff support, to help local governments implement the province鈥檚 new housing legislation, regulations, and policies.
"Many UBCM members thought this request was too broad, and the membership did not endorse it," Pachal said.
