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PC Justice Critic Calling for Review of Staffing Levels in Crown Attorney’s Office
The Newfoundland and Labrador Crown Attorneys Association says some prosecutors have up to 200 cases on their plate, and sometimes work until early morning preparing for a trial. PC Justice Critic Helen Conway Ottenheimer believes that Crown attorneys are too important a player in the justice system to allow shortcomings in staffing to impact their ability to always be at the top of their game.
[ ...More ]Publication date : 2024-08-12
More Crown lawyers needed to tackle increasingly complex cases, says head of association
The head of the association that represents Newfoundland and Labrador prosecutors is calling for the Newfoundland and Labrador government to invest in Crown attorneys to help shoulder a growing number of increasingly complex cases. PC MHA Helen Conway Ottenheimer said she's heard the association's concerns and wants the government to launch a review into Crown resources, including staffing.
[ ...More ]Publication date : 2024-08-11
Crown Attorneys Plead For More Staff to Match Rising Crime Rates
Shawn Patten, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Crown Attorneys Association,.... notes while crime is increasing, the number of prosecutors has not been adjusted to deal with it. He’s calling on government to correct the imbalance in the name of public safety.
[ ...More ]Publication date : 2024-08-03
N.B. reaches tentative deal with Crown prosecutors union
The New Brunswick government says it has struck a tentative collective agreement with the union representing the province’s Crown prosecutors. In a news release, the province said the details of the agreement will be confidential until it is ratified.
[ ...More ]Publication date : 2024-07-17
Crown prosecutors vote 99% in favour of strike action amid labour shortage, system ‘crisis’
New Brunswick Crown prosecutors and family court Crown counsel have voted 99 per cent in favour of strike action. They have been in contract talks with the provincial government for more than a year and warn the "crisis" facing the criminal justice system is growing, due to recruitment and retention problems.
[ ...More ]Publication date : 2024-05-28
Shortage of prosecutors: towards abandoning prosecutions
Crown prosecutors fear the worst in the face of the crisis which is slowing down the functioning of the criminal justice system in New Brunswick. Calls for help have been made for two weeks. Me Yves Duguay, Vice-President of the New Brunswick Association of Crown Prosecutors and prosecutor in Bathurst, admits that the situation has been worrying for a while.
[ ...More ]Publication date : 2024-03-27
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B.C. prosecutors’ association raises security concerns about Vancouver courthouse following assault
05-02-2024
The association that represents B.C.’s roughly 450 Crown prosecutors is raising safety concerns around an East Vancouver courthouse after a member was allegedly assaulted outside last week.
Police say 27-year-old Kenyon Lavallee randomly attacked two women near the provincial courthouse at 222 Main St. Friday morning.
The British Columbia Crown Counsel Association has since confirmed one of the victims is a prosecutor, and that she was sent to hospital after the assault.
"We’re reeling, this has really shaken us to the core to have one of our own attacked right here,” said BCCCA president Adam Dalrymple.
He says the prosecutor was being escorted by a security guard – which lawyers making their way to that courthouse often are – but the attack still wasn’t prevented.
Dalrymple says the incident has sparked broader concerns about that courthouse, noting that while lawyers are given security escorts, victims, witnesses and members of the public are not.
"This is Canada, British Columbia, Vancouver – the fact that we have to have escorts and shuttles for court staff into a provincial court (is unacceptable),” he said. “This court services the lion’s share of criminal matters from Burnaby and Vancouver.”
Dalrymple says they’re hoping to spark a discussion about finding a new location for the Vancouver provincial courthouse.
“This where people come to see their justice system, this is where people come to observe sentencings, this where young people come to learn about their justice system,” he said.
“That engagement is so critical to the proper functioning of the criminal justice system,” he added. “What makes it work is that people within the system feel safe, that courthouses are in safe locations.”
Premier David Eby says his government isn’t considering moving the courthouse, but that there will be discussions around safety.
"I'm certainly very concerned about this assault on a Crown prosecutor, and the safety of every person that uses that courthouse as well as more broadly in the neighbourhood,” he said.
“We will continue to do the work we’ve been doing to ensure the safety of all court participants.”
In a statement, B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma said she will be meeting directly with the BCCA and the Trial Lawyers Association to “understand what steps are needed” to improve safety at the province’s courthouses.
"The ministry will be reviewing the facts of this incident to determine what, if any, further measures may be taken,” Sharma said.
"There are various factors behind the location of a courthouse, including its proximity to other law enforcement agencies, in-custody centres and other community programs and services. These need to be taken into account to ensure the smooth running of the courts and justice system."
Sharma also wished both victims a “speedy recovery.”
Lavallee appeared in court Monday, he remains in custody and will be back before a judge later this month.
