Canadian Lawyer

w w w . c a n a d i a n l a w y e r m a g . c o m A P R I L 2 0 1 9 9 R E G I O N A L W R A P S A S K A T C H E W A N COURT FEES SKYROCKET I f only mechanics charged their repair rates the same way. In Saskatchewan, until recently, many court fees for such services as filing for a divorce, filing for an appeal, making a claim or even just making photocopies of documents hadn't gone up since 1999. It wasn't to last for Saskatchewanites embroiled in or using their justice system. First, at the end of June 2018, provincial and small claims court fees were increased. Then, seven months later, after a review of court fees by the province's justice department, a slew of fees at the Court of Queen's Bench and Court of Appeal were hiked up — in some cases doubling. "The review deter- mined that the current fees have not kept up with the actual costs of providing these services," Justice Minister and Attorney Gen- eral Don Morgan said in a news release at the end of last January. Examples of the new fees at Court of Queen's Bench include doubling the cost of commencing an action to $200. Commencing a mediation action was $200 and now increases to $300. Photocopy fees jump to a dollar from 50 cents per page. Meanwhile, provincial court fees had already increased since last summer; issuing a summons for a small-claims case, for instance, went up by five times to $100 from the earlier rate of $20. Fees paid to expert witnesses, interpreters and transcription services have also been increased to meet a "reasonable standard of compensation," according to Saskatchewan's justice department. Those using legal aid are unaffected by the increases, Jerome Boyko, Legal Aid Saskatchewan's director of finance and infor- mation technology, told Canadian Lawyer. The agency, which gets $25 million annually from the province, "is exempt from paying all court fees." And thanks to Saskatchewan's Fee Waiver Act, which went into effect in 2016, clients of the Community Legal Assistance Services For Saskatoon Inner City can avoid shelling out for court service fees, says executive director Chantelle Johnson. CLASSIC offers walk-in advocacy clinics where clients can get free basic legal information and services from law students who are super- vised by lawyers. It also runs free legal advice clinics where self- represented individuals can meet for a half hour with practising lawyers for guidance. But others in the province — especially the growing number of middle-class Saskatchewan residents trying to avoid the high cost of lawyer fees by representing themselves in court — will likely be impacted, says Joel Janow, executive director of the Pub- lic Legal Education Association of Saskatchewan. A non-profit NGO, PLEA has been providing legal education to Saskatchewan residents interested in self-representation since 1980. "Really, my only thought when I heard about these latest "The review determined that the current fees have not kept up with the actual costs of providing these services." Don Morgan, Saskatchewan justice minister and attorney general Continued on page 10 What do your clients need? The means to move on. Guaranteed ™ . Baxter Structures customizes personal injury settlements into tax-free annuities that can help your clients be secure for life. Need more information? Contact us at 1 800 387 1686 or baxterstructures.com Kyla A. Baxter, CSSC PRESIDENT, BAXTER STRUCTURES READERS ' CHOICE 2018-19 STRUCTURED SETTLEMENTS ntitled-4 1 2018-10-25 5:57 PM The Saskatchewan Legislative Building in Regina.

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