Canadian Lawyer

many of them are left bewildered because they can't hear what is said." A big frustration for Rooke is rooms set aside for judicial dispute resolution at the Edmonton Law Courts are not soundproof, which he says can be a hurdle during sensitive negotiations. In Ontario, five new courthouses have been built in the past 10 years, and 11 courthouses have received $120 million of substantial renovations. However, there are still "many courthouses that don't have the space or resources for the lawyers to properly function," according to Criminal Lawyers Association president Norm Boxall. Part of the pressure comes from the fact lawyers are competing for space with a growing number of agencies, including mental health workers, legal aid, and organizations such as the John Howard Society of Canada. Boxall does not "dispute the necessity" for external agencies to be based in the court- NEW EditioN British ColUmBiA ANNUAl PrACtiCe, 2014 editioN The hONOuRABle MADAM JuSTiCe JANiCe R. DillON AND GORDON TuRRiFF, Q.C. Relied on by lawyers and judges for more than 25 years, British Columbia Annual Practice provides comprehensive, accurate and highly credible expert insight on the rules of civil procedure in British Columbia. 1. oN suBsCRiPtioN order # 804629-65203 $91 hardcover + Softcover + CD-ROM + Mobile Version August 2013 approx. 1725 pages (hardcover) approx. 445 pages (Softcover) 978-0-88804-629-1 Annual volumes supplied on standing order subscription e-Notes available on request Multiple copy discounts available oNE timE PuRChAsE order # 804629-65203 $96 Multiple copy discounts available Shipping and handling are extra. Prices subject to change without notice and subject to applicable taxes. AvAiLABLE RisK-FREE FoR 30 dAys order online: www.carswell.com Call toll-Free: 1-800-387-5164 Main Volume – everything you need for Court is in one volume, including: • The Supreme Court Civil Rules, Supreme Court Family Rules, Court of Appeal Rules, Supreme Court Act, and Court of Appeal Act, fully annotated with personally selected cases • The full text of 14 key statutes • Two way tables of concordance of the old and new Civil and Family Rules and more. 2. Forms and Small Claims Materials 3. CD-ROM – includes the full text of British Columbia Annual Practice with links to the full-text judgments referred to in the text and Microsoft® Word "fillable" forms. 4. Mobile Version – includes all the Rules and case annotations, two way tables of concordance of the old and new Civil and Family Rules, and the text of several key statutes. 5. e-Notes – Customers on standing order subscription receive email updates containing case annotations with links to the full-text judgments at no extra charge. New ANd UPdAted iN this editioN This new edition contains: • All amendments to the Rules and legislation including extensive recent amendments to the Family Rules • A helpful introduction to the Family Rules changes by Dinyar Marzban, Q.C • The new Family Law Act and Limitation Act • Annotations reflecting all recent developments • Materials relating to Small Claims and more. CANAdA LAW BooK® 32 November/December 2013 www.CANADIAN L a w ye r m a g . c o m houses, but highlights that when many of these buildings were designed, in the 1970s and 1980s, "all of these services weren't necessarily anticipated." He adds: "The prior courthouse in Ottawa lasted the best part of 100 years before it got stretched. Our existing courthouse is close to being stretched and it's only 25 years old." Toronto criminal defence lawyer Jonathan Bliss often struggles to find a suitable space to interview clients held in custody at the Old City Hall court. "Just as we have to build roads, we have to build courthouses. We can't be running them out of a shopping mall." — Associate Chief Justice John Rooke, Alberta Court of Queen's Bench "There's no privacy," he says, explaining that his clients have to discuss "confidential and emotional" matters while sitting in close proximity to others in custody. He faces a worse dilemma when it comes to clients who are women, have protective custody status, or have mental health problems, all of whom are routinely placed in a separate cell area where space is at even more of a premium. "If one person's being interviewed, everyone else has to wait," says Bliss. "From an access to a client and communication [standpoint] it's just severely lacking." The delays eat into the time available for trials and cause adjournments, forcing clients to stay in custody for longer than necessary. Owen Sound, Ont., lawyer Elizabeth Barefoot experiences a related problem at the Walkerton Courthouse. "The so-called private room in one courtroom that is supposed to allow counsel to have a private call with their clients at the jail while they are

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