News and Announcements

The Court of Appeal virtual townhall was held on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Thank you to everyone who attended. We hope that you enjoyed hearing from the Acting Chief Justice, judges and staff of the Court of Appeal about the latest in court operations, technology advances and practical tips related to standard of review, condensed books and extracts of key evidence.

Join the Acting Chief Justice of Alberta and other judges of the Court of Appeal of Alberta for a discussion on a variety of topics of interest to members of the Bar.

The induction ceremonies honouring the 2026 King’s Counsel recipients will take place as follows.

The 2027 Court of Appeal sitting dates are attached.

A Statement from the judges on Alberta’s three courts.

The Honourable Ritu Khullar, Chief Justice of Alberta, is on medical leave following surgery during the holidays. The Honourable Dawn Pentelechuk, Justice of the Court of Appeal of Alberta, is the Acting Chief Justice of Alberta in the Chief Justice’s absence.

Effective January 1, 2026, the Court of Appeal of Alberta will suspend both the Appeal Conference (AC) and the Judicial Dispute Resolution (JDR) pilot projects. ACs and JDRs will not be scheduled after that date. This change follows the one recently made by the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta with the launch of its Family Focused Protocol.

The current agreement between the Government of Alberta and the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees includes a provision for holiday closure. The Court of Appeal of Alberta will be closed from December 24, 2025, to January 1, 2026, inclusive. On December 29, 30 and 31, 2025, the Court of Appeal will hear only emergency applications. Any material that would ordinarily be filed on those days can be filed on January 2, 2025.

Newly released Court of Appeal judgments are now posted on the Court’s website for seven days.

The Court of Appeal will be closed on September 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The Court will reopen on October 1. Any material that would ordinarily be filed on September 30 can be filed on October 1.

Effective October 1, 2025, a new hybrid hearing method will be available for all civil appeal hearings and applications. The new hybrid hearing method will not be available for criminal matters, appeal conferences, or judicial dispute resolution. The application process for seeking a change in the hearing method has also been streamlined.

The Honourable Jack Watson will be sworn out as a Justice of the Court of Appeal of Alberta on Friday, September 5, 2025, at 11:30 a.m. in Courtroom 317 at the Edmonton Law Courts, 1A Sir Winston Churchill Square, Edmonton, Alberta.

Effective July 2, 2025, the Registry counters in Edmonton and Calgary will reopen. Regular hours of operation are from 8:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday to Friday. The use of drop-off boxes will be discontinued, and search requests can be made in person or by email.

The French version of the Alberta Rules of Court – Règles de procédure de l’Alberta – and forms enacted under the Rules are now available on the Alberta King’s Printer website. Most of the forms are also available in a fillable format on the Court of King’s Bench website. The Court of Appeal fillable forms will be available soon. We invite you to provide us with your comments and feedback on the French version of the Rules of Court by December 31, 2025, at the following email address: servicesenfrancais.QB@albertacourts.ca.

Further to the June 13, 2025 announcement, due to extensive flooding within the building, there will be no in-person access to the Court of Appeal Registry in Calgary until at least Wednesday, June 18. The Registry is located at 2600, 450 - 1st St. S.W.

Due to extensive flooding within the building, there is no in-person access today to the Court of Appeal Registry in Calgary located at 2600, 450 - 1st St. S.W.

On March 12, 2025, the Court of Appeal is launching an electronic scheduling portal for the Court of Appeal Management System (CAMS).

The Consolidated Practice Directions of the Court of Appeal of Alberta have been amended.

The 2026 Court of Appeal sitting dates are attached