Shortage of judges leads to court cuts

WINNIPEG — A shortage of judges is forcing Manitoba’s provincial court to slash sittings across the province.

The court announced in a notice to the profession Wednesday it will be reducing the number of annual court sittings at nine rural circuit locations and St. Boniface provincial court in Winnipeg by 68 sittings, effective April 1, 2027.

The reductions are necessary to balance “access to justice needs with the complement of judicial resources currently insufficient to maintain the current court schedule,” said the notice, signed by provincial court Chief Judge Ryan Rolston.

Affected circuit courts include Altona, Arborg, Beausejour, Easterville, Cranberry Portage, Lundar, Grand Rapids, Moose Lake and Pine Falls.

Circuit courts are already hampered by frequent delays due to weather conditions, mechanical issues with planes and other factors, said Winnipeg defence lawyer Gerri Wiebe. Further reductions to court sittings will only worsen access to justice concerns, Wiebe said.

“With the number of cases rising and the complexity of cases rising, to cut court sittings … I just can’t fathom it,” she said.

Easterville and Beausejour will see the greatest reduction, with the number of court sittings cut in half.

“Some of these courts are serving pretty big populations and some of them are serving northern populations,” Wiebe said. “The fact that we are getting rid of 68 court sittings when we are already dealing with delay and we are already dealing with important cases being stayed or having to be crammed in just to get them in under the wire — all this is going to do is reduce the court’s ability to hear cases and give them the attention they deserve.”

Rolston estimated Manitoba provincial court would require an additional two to five new judges to maintain the current number of court sittings.

The provincial court division is hearing increasingly more complex cases and has not been properly resourced to keep up with the demands on the system, Rolston said Wednesday.

“I appreciate that the premier or the government as a whole deal with resource issues in every sector … but there are huge resource gaps in justice,” he said.

“When you look at the administration of justice … it is incumbent upon the executive branch, which funds the judicial branch, to ensure that … (the justice system) is resourced properly. Right now, we are just not at that point.”

Rolston acknowledged the cutback in court sittings will damage confidence in the justice system.

“In many of the areas of Manitoba where they only see judges or the court system come in on a monthly basis now being every second or third month, it becomes a situation where the justice system is no longer seen in their community,” Rolston said.

» Winnipeg Free Press