Canadian Lawyer

12 M A r C h 2 0 1 5 w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m B ritish Columbia's provincial courts and criminal justice branch are moving deeper into a case scheduling system in 2015 that would see Crown prosecutors have greater autonomy over cases. The Crown file ownership initia- tive started first at Port Coquitlam and the Vancouver Main Street and Robson Square provincial courthouses in the mid-part of 2014 and was followed by Victoria in December. More courthouses in B.C.'s Interior (Kelowna — Jan. 19) and the Fraser Valley (Abbotsford — Feb. 2, and Surrey — March 2) changed to the new system in 2015. "It is a joint- venture between the courts and us," said Neil Mackenzie, communications, for the criminal justice branch. Other court- houses in the province are expected to follow as they are able to accommodate the new system. The system will place full responsibil- ity for booking case preparation time and trial dates onto one Crown, who will fol- low the case through to conclusion. "It is still early," says Steve Fudge, president of the B.C. Crown Counsel Association. But, he believes there are advantages to the new system. "It is a more efficient method of dealing with a file and can reduce the wasted time for court appearances where nothing much happens on a file." After charges are approved and the case file lands on a prosecutor's desk, that lawyer will have to decide how much time is required to review the file and witnesses and prepare for trial before booking the trial date. Fudge says, in the past, it has happened that a trial has been rescheduled where the prosecutor was unable to bring it forward and another Crown had to take it over with limited time for review. Also, each time a file is handed to a new prosecutor, a review is carried out and that can mean wasted time. "It really gets down to not reinvent- ing the wheel," he says. "It is also a good system for witnesses," he adds, especially in cases involving vio- lence or sexual assault. Most prosecutors establish a rapport with the witnesses and if a file lands on a prosecutors desk on short notice, it may be difficult for both the Crown and the witness "to start all over again" to build confidence. "It is very difficult for the witness." One of the shortfalls of the old system was while the defence lawyer's schedule was often accommodated by \ At L A N t I C \ C E N t r A L \ W E s t rEgIoNAL WrAp-up B.C. Crowns moving towards file ownership Subscribe today to the ultimate source for today's legal profession! To order your copy visit www.canadianlawyermag.com or call 416.609.3800 or 1.800.387.5164 Keep up-to-date and informed for only $99 a year. SUBSCRIBE TODAY AND RECEIVE: r JTTVFTDPOUBJOJOHVOCJBTFESFQPSUJOH BOEBOBMZTJTPG$BOBEBTMFHBMMBOETDBQF r '3&&FYDMVTJWFBDDFTTUPUIFCanadian LawyerEJHJUBMFEJUJPOBOEEJHJUBM FEJUJPOBSDIJWFT r '3&&XFFLMZFOFXTMFUUFSmCanadian Legal NewswireFEJUFECZUIFTBNFFEJUPSTUIBUDSFBUF Canadian Lawyer FREE Digital edition included! ntitled-6 1 2015-02-09 10:28 AM

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