Access to justice is about to get a little easier for residents of the Tri-Cities.
Starting April 19, B.C.’s highest court, the B.C. Supreme Court, will begin conducting civil and family cases at the courthouse located at 2620 Mary Hill Road in Port Coquitlam.
The move comes as the region’s burgeoning population puts greater demand on court resources and services, said a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Attorney General in a press release.
“Prior to this expansion, Tri-Cities residents attended the New Westminster Law Courts for Supreme Court services,” wrote the spokesperson. “This was making timely access to justice difficult in some cases, and the issue was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Before the planned expansion, residents of the Tri-Cities seeking access to the B.C. Supreme Court had to travel to courthouses in New Westminster, Abbotsford or Vancouver.
Three empty courtrooms at the Port Coquitlam Courthouse will be used to host civil cases that involve disputes over $35,000, or family law cases involving divorce or custody, two thresholds for a case to be heard at B.C.’s highest court.
For now, criminal jury trials and the Supreme Court registry will remain at the New Westminster Law Courts, according to the ministry spokesperson.
