Alberta Court of Queen's Bench

By Sheldon Spackman

Scales of Justice

Off-site locations being explored for Red Deer jury trials

Oct 2, 2020 | 1:58 PM

With the next jury trial in Red Deer scheduled for one month from now, it remains to be seen where exactly it and other upcoming Court of Queen’s Bench jury trials will be held.

According to the Alberta Justice and Solicitor General office, the first jury trial to take place in Red Deer since the COVID-19 pandemic is tentatively set to commence November 2.

But with jury trials unable to take place at the Red Deer Courthouse due to COVID-19-related health restrictions, communications advisor Carla Jones says a few off-site locations are being considered, with negotiations still underway.

“We will be able to confirm a location once the arrangements have been finalized,” she explains. “Jury selection and trials will be held in locations other than the current courthouses, which will allow jury trials to resume while ensuring all those involved are safe. The safety of jurors and court participants was the first priority in making the decision to move jury selection and some trials offsite.”

Jones says preparations for holding jury selection and trials off-site include developing appropriate security protocols and ensuring reliable IT and technical resources are in place.

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“Facilities were chosen based on being able to achieve social distancing and addressing Alberta Health Services requirements,” remarks Jones. “Facilities also had to have space for jury selection, court rooms, deliberation room and client meeting space. Aside from the courtroom design and location, trials will function the same as in the traditional courtrooms.”

In terms of some of the logistics set out by the courts, Jones acknowledges there will likely be limited in-person seating available at the trials.

“However, the courts will attempt to make trials with a great deal of public interest available to external audiences through other means. This may include video-conferencing into an alternate courtroom set up for viewing – similar to how certain matters were handled at other points of the pandemic.”

Alberta’s courts have made a number of changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including holding some trials by teleconference and video-conference and enabling remote filings, making it easier for Albertans to access the justice system while maintaining physical distancing protocols.

Jones says ensuring access to justice and maintaining the safety of Albertans has been, and continues to be, a top priority.

“(We) continue to follow the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health and adjust our operations as needed to help prevent the virus from spreading. A number of matters were postponed by the courts during the COVID-19 pandemic and will be dealt with as soon as possible. There are approximately 150 jury trials that were adjourned due to the pandemic.”

Up-to-date announcements can be found on the courts’ website at albertacourts.ca.

The Court of Queen’s Bench also posts information on its Twitter feed (@QB_Alberta).