Notices to the Profession and Public

In light of the significant concerns surrounding the potential fabrication of legal authorities through large language models (LLMs)1, this Notice addresses the matter of legal references in submissions to the courts. Our joint commitment to reinforcing the integrity and credibility of legal proceedings is critical. Caution: The Court of Appeal of Alberta, Court of King’s Bench of Alberta, and Alberta Court of Justice urge practitioners and litigants to exercise caution when referencing legal authorities or analysis derived from LLMs in their submissions.

Induction ceremonies for the 2020 and 2022 King’s Counsel recipients were deferred due to COVID. We are pleased to announce that the Courts are now proceeding with formal ceremonies honouring members of Alberta Bar who were appointed King’s Counsel in 2020 and 2022

Induction ceremonies for the 2020 and 2022 King’s Counsel recipients were deferred due to COVID. We are pleased to announce that the Courts are now proceeding with formal ceremonies honouring members of Alberta Bar who were appointed King’s Counsel in 2020 and 2022:

The 2024 Court of Appeal Sitting Dates are attached.

On August 31, 2020, the Court of Appeal launched the Court of Appeal Management System (CAMS) – a case management, document management and electronic filing system for use by lawyers and litigants. In conjunction with the launch of CAMS, the Court issued a Practice Direction on Electronic Filing which provides particulars on registration as a registered user, the submission, filing and formatting requirements of documents filed electronically and other matters related to electronic filing.

Due to short-term operational issues (staff shortages), it has become necessary to close temporarily the Registry counters in Edmonton and Calgary effective March 2, 2023.

Further to the January 13, 2023 announcement regarding Court of Appeal operations, the following update is provided.

Further to the January 4, 2023 announcement regarding Court of Appeal operations, partial power has been restored to the South Tower of the Edmonton Law Courts.

Further to the January 4, 2023 announcement regarding limited operations, the South Tower of the Edmonton Law Courts remains closed due to a power outage.

The access policy contained in the Tri-Court Notice of September 21, 2021 setting out access requirements for counsel, service providers and visitors to the secure areas of Alberta courthouses is rescinded effective November 14th, 2022.

The May 2023 Court sitting dates are amended so that the Sentence Appeal Hearings in Edmonton commence on May 24, 2023.

As a result of the demise of the Crown, the name of the Court of Queen’s Bench has been automatically changed to the Court of King’s Bench.

Effective July 4, 2022, masking, as with social distancing, is no longer mandatory in public areas, including courtrooms, or secure workplaces in Alberta courthouses. However, a presiding Judge or Master may direct either or both masking and social distancing in a particular courtroom where the circumstances so warrant.

The open court principle is a hallmark of any democratic society. Public access to court proceedings fosters many fundamental values including public confidence in the judicial system, understanding of the administration of justice and judicial accountability. The open court principle is inextricably linked to the freedom of expression and freedom of the press as protected by s. 2(b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Included within the open court principle is the public’s right to access court records. The Court of Appeal of Alberta will adopt the attached Policy for Public Access to the Court Record on May 2, 2022.

The Court of Appeal will resume in-person hearings on May 2, 2022 as set out below. As always during the pandemic, the Court is guided by several considerations including the continuing need to ensure the health and safety of all Court participants.

The Government of Canada recently passed legislation to make September 30 a federal statutory holiday called the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This is an important step in the truth and reconciliation process. Its purpose is to provide an opportunity to recognize and commemorate the tragic history and ongoing legacy of residential schools and to honour their survivors, their families and communities.

On behalf of the Alberta judiciary, we applaud the lawyers and law students for their bravery in sharing their experiences of racial discrimination as part of the “My Experience” Project. The experiences related contain uncomfortable but compelling truths. They put a face on bias, unconscious or otherwise, and the harmful consequences flowing from it. And they bring home to the judiciary the leadership role we must play to ensure that the justice system in this province mirrors the fair and equal treatment of all so vital to our democracy.

Effective December 14, 2020, amendments were made to Part 16 of the Alberta Rules of Court, the Court of Appeal of Alberta Criminal Appeal Rules, including a new Release Order relating to judicial interim release pending appeal.

The decision to hold oral arguments electronically during the pandemic has highlighted a challenge during submissions when counsel and self-represented litigants refer the panel to materials in the record before the Court. As a result, commencing February 1, 2021, parties will have the option of filing a Condensed Book as an aid to assist in oral argument in both civil and criminal appeals.

On October 1, 2020, the Court of Appeal will commence an Appeal Conference (AC) pilot project for all Family Law Fast Track Appeals. The purpose of the pilot project is to increase access to justice and encourage resolution between parties of outstanding appeals in an effort to reduce family conflicts and expenses.

The Court of Appeal is continuing its efforts to encourage early resolution of appeal matters by, in part, expanding the existing Judicial Dispute Resolution (JDR) program. The Court’s JDRs are governed by Rules 14.60 and 14.61, and Part D of the Consolidated Practice Directions (CPD).

The Court of Appeal is pleased to announce that it will launch the public portal of its e-­filing system called CAMS on August 31, 2020.

The Court of Appeal continues to hear appeals, applications and motions but as of March 23, 2020, these are not in person. Details are set out in this notice.

The Court of Appeal of Alberta is pleased to announce that it will be adopting an e-filing system to better serve the administration of justice, litigants, the Bar and the public at large.