COVID-19 Announcements

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.

Law firms, lawyers and court runners with existing charge account agreements or those lawyers and runners wishing to open a charge account agreement are permitted to file documents in all judicial centres through email. For filing details, please refer to the full announcement.

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.

Individuals who are eligible and wish to seek admission to the Bar of Alberta are asked to apply through the Court's Emergency/Urgent Hearing Request online form, available here: https://www.albertacourts.ca/qb/court-operations-schedules/urgent

Legal Aid Alberta is providing legal assistance to parties to Court of Queen's Bench Emergency Protection Order Review hearings remotely. See the Legal Aid Alberta announcement, and important information for Applicants and Respondents, at this link: https://www.legalaid.ab.ca/Pages/default.aspx

Court of Queen’s Bench Administration has extended the cap on email and fax filing fees until June 30th. In addition to regular filing fees, documents that are filed via email or fax will be charged at the rate of $1 per page, capped to a maximum of $20.

The Court has made minor amendments to clarify its Master Order #3, which sets out limitations on hearings and modified processes as a result of COVID-19.

To help contain the spread of COVID-19, the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench will extend its limitation of hearings to emergency and urgent matters only to May 31, 2020, and the adjournment of criminal jury trials and jury selections to September 8, 2020, per the Court’s Master Order #3 of April 21, 2020.

In response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Court is conducting an increased number of hearings by videoconference or audioconference. To protect the integrity of Court proceedings, parties participating in a videoconference or audioconference hearing must sign the Undertaking and Agreement of Non-Lawyer posted to the Court’s website at: https://www.albertacourts.ca/qb/resources/media, and return a signed copy via email to: CommunicationsOfficer.qb@albertacourts.ca or via facsimile to: (403) 297-8625.

Applications for grants of probate and administration require the execution and submission of documents to the Court. Several of those documents, such as NC 1 and NC 2, require the original signature of the Applicant. Surrogate Rule 16 requires the Applicant to mark the back of the will for identification. NC 6.1, if applicable, requires a trustee to execute an acknowledgment. Depending on the circumstances, other affidavits, such as NC 8, NC 9 and NC 11, may be required to be completed and filed.