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N.L. government invests in 18 new Crown attorneys amid severe staffing crunch
Newfoundland and Labrador Justice Minister Bernard Davis announced Wednesday afternoon that the provincial government is investing nearly $24 million to improve the province's justice system.... The investment comes after CBC News reported in numerous stories that Crown attorneys in the province were "suffocating" from overwhelming workloads and a critical staffing shortage.
[ ...Suite ]Date de parution : 2024-11-14
Newfoundland to add more Crown prosecutors
Newfoundland and Labrador has agreed to hire more Crown lawyers following cries of a shortage of prosecutors in the province. The “multi-year investment” will include the hiring of 18 new Crown lawyers, according to a news release.
[ ...Suite ]Date de parution : 2024-11-13
Critical shortage of Crown attorneys has 'gone on way too long' and is hurting public safety
The Canadian Association of Crown Counsel, an umbrella group for thousands of Crown attorneys and government lawyers across the country is calling for a big boost in the number of provincial prosecutors in Newfoundland and Labrador.
[ ...Suite ]Date de parution : 2024-11-13
Most criminal cases in Ontario now ending before charges are tested at trial
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[ ...Suite ]Date de parution : 2024-11-12
Crown attorneys in N.L. are 'crumbling' under their workload, and it's putting the public at risk
Shawn Patten, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Crown Attorneys Association, believes Happy Valley-Goose Bay report recommendations could make workload 'untenable'.... "And right now our office is doing its best to make public safety a priority. But we're crumbling. Our foundation is crumbling."
[ ...Suite ]Date de parution : 2024-11-06
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.
[ ...Suite ]Date de parution : 2024-08-12
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Critical shortage of Crown attorneys has 'gone on way too long' and is hurting public safety
13-11-2024
An umbrella group for thousands of Crown attorneys and government lawyers across the country is calling for a big boost in the number of provincial prosecutors in Newfoundland and Labrador.
"This has gone on way too long, and we need to make sure that we have prosecutors who have enough people and resources to keep the public safe," Adam Dalrymple, vice-president of the Canadian Association of Crown Counsel, told CBC News in a recent interview from Vancouver.
Dalrymple was in St. John's last month for meetings, and had discussions with local Crown attorneys to discuss some of their issues.
He says he was concerned about what he heard.
"They're doing their jobs, essentially with their hands tied behind their backs," Dalrymple said. "There's just not enough resources."
He says officials with the national association tried — unsuccessfully — to arrange meetings with the provincial justice minister and attorney general the week they were in St. John's.
"We have some significant concerns about the workload of Newfoundland and Labrador prosecutors, and we're calling on the government, Justice Minister Davis, to increase the complement of Crown attorneys in the province from between 25 and 30, in addition to the current complement," Dalrymple said.
That would be a massive increase — about two-thirds more than the existing number of provincial Crown attorneys.
'Public safety is a priority'
Earlier this month, a senior Crown prosecutor in Newfoundland and Labrador said he and his colleagues are "suffocating" from overwhelming workloads.
"You want to ensure that public safety is a priority," Shawn Patten, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Crown Attorneys Association, told CBC News.
"And right now our office is doing its best to make public safety a priority. But we're crumbling. Our foundation is crumbling."
Patten said there are fewer lawyers handling double the file load in the St. John's region compared to a decade ago, and those cases are now more complex.
Justice Minister Bernard Davis told reporters last week that his department is aware of those potential public safety concerns, while noting that work is underway to address the issue.
"We understand that Crowns are an important piece, they play an important role, and without them this justice system would crumble," Davis said.
Davis flagged a recent pay hike for prosecutors and ongoing efforts to recruit at law schools across the country as measures that have been taken so far.
But he didn't provide more information about any other potential short-term solutions, saying "we're working through that process now in our department."
