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Crown attorneys call on Manitoba government to help address 'dangerously heavy caseloads'
The Manitoba Association of Crown Attorneys (MACA) is calling on the provincial government to help reduce mounting workloads that it says are making it difficult for prosecutors to meet their professional responsibilities. grievance it filed in April 2023. It says the grievance it filed back in April 2023 regarding 'dangerously heavy caseloads' won't be heard by an arbitrator until October 2025.
[ ...Suite ]Date de parution : 2025-01-10
Preparing RCMP body-cam evidence for court will be monumental task, prosecutor says
The RCMP is phasing-in the use of body-worn cameras across the country and expects 90 per cent of frontline members to be wearing them within a year. Shara Munn, president of the New Brunswick Crown Prosecutors Association, said while the body-camera evidence will be great to have, it will also mean a huge influx of work for prosecutors.
[ ...Suite ]Date de parution : 2025-01-06
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
More than half of the criminal charges laid by police in Ontario never make it to trial, according to data from Statistics Canada. The numbers paint a troubling picture of the province’s justice system. More judges, staff, prosecutors and courtrooms needed, says Crown attorneys’ association.
[ ...Suite ]Date de parution : 2024-11-12
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'Something has to give': Alberta justice system braces for budget cuts
21-11-2019
The provincial budgets that fund court clerks, government lawyers and legal aid are all being cut as part of Alberta's 2019-23 fiscal plan, raising concerns among some justice system workers. ED KAISER ED KAISER / ED KAISER/POSTMEDIA
The Alberta justice ministry’s operating budget, released last month as part of the provincial fiscal plan, calls for a nearly seven per cent decrease in spending between the previous fiscal year and 2022-23.
In total, the department’s budget — which covers everything from jails to legal aid to prosecutors to government lawyers — is expected to shrink from $1.45 billion to $1.35 billion.
The UCP government argues this can be done by modernizing labour-intensive court procedures, including digitizing services as part of an “eCourts” system. It has also set aside money to hire 50 additional Crown prosecutors, and increased funding for drug treatment courts.
“This is not about eliminating positions,” the ministry said in a statement. “This is about a more user-friendly justice system that will better help Albertans effectively deal with their legal issues.”
Some, though, warn the cuts will still have serious impacts.
Damian Rogers, president of the Alberta Crown Attorneys’ Association, said that while digitizing some court systems could improve efficiency in the longterm, courthouse staff reductions will affect the ability of Crown lawyers do their work.
“Our association remains concerned that shortages of clerks are affecting our ability to prosecute cases,” he said in an email. “Response times from the clerks to our inquiries are very slow … and sometimes there are no clerks available to open a courtroom, despite all the other personnel needed being on hand.”
Clerks themselves are expressing similar concerns. Staff at the Edmonton Law Courts sent a letter to management in early October — before the budget — saying staff regularly forego breaks including lunch. Vacation requests are denied because of a “hiring pause” that has left them short staffed.
“This makes our work environment toxic, and often we find ourselves even shorter in staff as members need to take sick leave,” the letter states.
“We are merely saying that something has to give. We cannot keep up with the demand the justice system has placed on us and be able to give the level of service the public expects, with the amount of staff we have.”
Crown attorneys, clerks and other Alberta justice system staffers are warning provincial budget cuts risk adding more backlogs to an already strained system. The Alberta justice ministry’s operating budget, released last month as part of the provincial fiscal plan, calls for a nearly seven per cent decrease in spending between the previous fiscal year and 2022-23. Lori Waughtal/Postmedia FIRSTNAME LASTNAME / EDMONTON
Alberta government lawyers, who deal with civil litigation and help draft legislation, are also expected to see staff reductions, with the province’s Legal Services budget expected to drop from $56 million to $38 million over the next four years.
A senior government source with knowledge of the situation said more that 100 positions could be affected, and that staff were being encouraged to apply for vacant prosecutor jobs. A ministry spokesperson said it was “too early to speculate” how many positions could be impacted.
“Multiple options are being considered and no final decisions have been made on how the division will manage with a smaller budget in the years ahead,” the ministry’s Dan Laville said.
“This is a very difficult time for all staff in the division … lawyers who are interested in becoming Crown prosecutors have been provided an opportunity to express their interest in those positions.”
Rogers said the government is struggling to fill those jobs.
“We’re just not getting very many applicants for the vacant positions we already have. Part of that is people know the stresses Crown prosecutors are under, and they know Crown prosecutors’ salaries have been frozen for more than four years now.”
“All aspects of the criminal justice system need to be addressed in funding,” he added. “Only addressing the Crown side of things is not going to deal with the backlogs we’re seeing in the courts.”
Legal Aid cuts expected
Legal Aid Alberta, which provides legal services for low-income Albertans, is expected to see a $5 million cut under the new budget, according to the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees.
AUPE represents about 60 Legal Aid workers, most of whom do intake work assessing whether clients qualify for assistance.
AUPE vice president Susan Slade said that additional cuts will further impact a system that’s been backlogged “for years.”
“Do Premier Kenney and Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer really think the $5-million cut to Legal Aid funding will help?” Slade said in a written statement.
“What we fear most is Legal Aid’s bosses reacting by scrambling to maintain the top-heavy structure of the organization while offloading all the burden caused by the cuts onto the frontlines,” Slade added.
