COVID-19 Announcements

It has been determined that it is possible to proceed with all matters currently scheduled in the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta for the weeks of January 18 and January 25, 2021. Counsel and parties are advised to be aware of the following, in respect of hearings scheduled for those weeks.

In response to the State of Public Health Emergency declared by the Government on November 24, 2020, the increase in active COVID-19 cases in the Province of Alberta, and the current and anticipated numbers of legal system participants, including Court staff, who may be unable to participate for COVID-19 related reasons, the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta is announcing the following modifications to its schedule for the week of January 4 and 11, 2021. Further announcements in respect of the subsequent weeks may follow.

It is now possible for counsel to file all materials in Civil and Family proceedings electronically, via email. However, in some locations, up to 50% of the materials received by the Court have been filed with the clerk, at the counter, on paper. For the time being, while the public health crisis persists, it is in the interests of public health – and in the interests of the health of Court staff as well as counsel, court runners, and any other individuals who may be required to file materials – that personal attendance at courthouses and filing queues be avoided. To that end, the Court is mandating that any material filed by counsel, in any civil or family proceeding, must be filed electronically, via email, per the directions set out in the December 11, 2020 Announcement from RCAS.

UPDATED Announcement : A designated naming convention must be followed for all emails sent to the Court of Queen’s Bench which contain documents for filing. If the naming convention as outlined is not followed, your documents will be sent back to you unfiled, advising you did not use the proper naming convention for the covering email. For full filing details, including specific naming conventions and examples, please refer to the full announcement.

In response to the State of Public Health Emergency declared by the Government on November 24, 2020, the increase in active COVID-19 cases in the Province of Alberta, and the current and anticipated numbers of legal system participants, including Court staff, who may be unable to participate for COVID-19 related reasons, the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta is announcing the following modifications to its schedule for the week of December 14, 2020. Further announcements in respect of the subsequent weeks may follow.

In response to the State of Public Health Emergency declared by the Government on November 24, 2020, the increase in active COVID-19 cases in the Province of Alberta, and the current and anticipated numbers of legal system participants, including Court staff, who may be unable to participate for COVID-19 related reasons, the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta is announcing the following modifications to its schedule for the week of December 7, 2020. Further announcements in respect of the subsequent weeks may follow.

The Alberta Courts are attempting to balance the open court principle with public health priorities. Given the ongoing public health crisis, the Courts are continuing to take proactive preventative measures to protect justice system participants and reduce the spread of COVID-19.

In response to the State of Public Health Emergency declared by the Government on November 24, 2020, the increase in active COVID-19 cases in the Province of Alberta, and the current and anticipated numbers of legal system participants, including Court staff, who may be unable to participate for COVID-19 related reasons, the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta is announcing the following modifications to its schedule for the week of November 30. Further announcements in respect of the subsequent weeks may follow.

The Court of Queen's Bench will resume scheduling Civil, Family and Commercial Trials and full day specials between January 4, 2021 and July 2, 2021. To request a Family, Civil or Commercial trial or full day special, you must complete the Family, Civil and Commercial Triage Form in full.

Court of Queen's Bench Administration has extended the cap on email filing fees until January 31, 2021. In addition to regular filing fees, documents that are filed via email will be charged at the rate of $1 per page, capped to a maximum of $20. The Court of Queen's Bench has extended the suspension of Rule 13.41(4) under Master Order #4 to January 31, 2021.

Jury selection and jury trials, paused since the March 15, 2020, suspension of regular Court operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are scheduled to resume in off-site locations throughout the province, with the first jury selections having been conducted this morning in Edmonton for jury trials commencing on September 14, 2020. The first scheduled jury trial in Calgary is slated to start on September 28, 2020.

Commercing September 8, 2020, all matters with viva voce evidence including criminal, family and civil trials will be heard entirely in person in COVID-safe courtrooms. If any remote witnesses or video conference testimony is required, the exact date and times of the testimony must be scheduled with the appropriate Court Coordinator at least two weeks in advance. This is subject to resource availability. Remote testimony must still be approved by the presiding Justice but needs to be arranged in advance.

During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as the Court prepares for post-pandemic operations, a number of proceedings will continue to be conducted via online videoconference (Online Hearings). Counsel, parties, witnesses, the media and the public are expected to review and comply with the general guidelines found in the Instructions and Etiquette Guide for Online Hearings, which is located on the Court of Queen's Bench website. For additional information, please refer to the full announcement.

The Court is extending the Trial Triage Booking Announcement into the Fall Sitting from September 8 to December 18, 2020 for Family, Civil and Commercial short trials and full day specials . Priority will continue to be given to matters scheduled to be heard between March 16 and June 26, 2020, and adjourned pursuant to the Court’s Master Orders due to the pandemic.In Edmonton, additional priority will be given to urgent trials, as there are fewer available slots.

Effective September 1, 2020 The Clerk of the Court will only accept filing by electronic mail (email), and will no longer accept filing by fax, as an authorized means under Alberta Rules of Court 13.41(2)(c) https://www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/rules2010/Rules_vol_1.pdf .

With the relaunch of Court sittings province-wide, the Emergency/Urgent Hearing Request process is now suspended. All parties are directed to the Court's Remote Regular (morning) Chambers announcement to schedule a Chambers application.

To facilitate the effective receipt, handling, management and use of these documents by Court staff and the judiciary, the Court has prepared the guidelines, applicable to all documents filed by email or digital upload. All counsel and parties are expected to comply with these Guidelines to the greatest extent permitted by their technological resources.

While the Announcement of May 22, 2020 related to slots being made available for short (5 days or less) judge alone Criminal trials, in the event the available trial slots are not filled, the Court will offer these slots to Summary Conviction Appeals for Criminal Code offences, short Family, Civil and Commercial trials or other Family, Civil and Commercial matters via Webex video and in-person, in COVID-safe courtrooms. Priority will be given to Summary Conviction Appeals, Family, Civil and Commercial trials and matters scheduled to be heard between March 16 and June 26, 2020, and adjourned pursuant to the Court’s Master Orders due to the pandemic.

To enhance safe access to Alberta courthouses, effective July 6, 2020, all persons entering a courthouse in Alberta shall be required to wear a face mask while in any public area of the courthouse subject to the exceptions outlined in this announcement.

Beginning in July 2020, the Court will recommence some Family, Civil and Masters hearing lists remotely via Webex video and audio province-wide on regular dates.

Given the current restrictions on congregations and courtrooms, the Court will continue to conduct Bar Admissions remotely. Effective immediately, Bar Admissions will be conducted via Webex, which will allow a student's family and friends to attend via Webex link.

The Court of Queen’s Bench will resume Criminal Appearance Court (“CAC”) province wide commencing June 5, 2020 via Webex with regular CAC dates listed in the Court Calendar and those added in the Master Orders. Booking priority will be given on CAC lists in June to September 4, 2020 to in-custody matters, trials that were Jordan-threatened prior to the pandemic and trial adjournments from March 16 to June 26, 2020.

Commencing June, July and August, 2020, the Court will be hearing some short, judge-alone Criminal trials in-person in COVID-safe courtrooms. The Court will also be hearing some short, judge-alone Criminal trials via Webex video, where the accused is represented by Counsel and both Crown and Defence Counsel agree to proceed in this manner.

The Court of Queen's Bench will extend its limitation of hearings to emergency and urgent matters only to June 26, 2020, and the adjournment of criminal jury trials and jury selections to September 8, 2020, per the Court's Master Order #4 of May 14, 2020. Master Order #4 is a supplement to, and does not replace, Master Order #3 of April 21, 2020.

To assist with scheduling, the Court is releasing the Roster Justices sitting in May 2020. Scheduling does not change; please continue to follow the appropriate protocol.