Provincial Court of Saskatchewan

The Provincial Court of Saskatchewan is the provincial court of record[1] for the province of Saskatchewan. It hears matters relating to criminal law, youth law, civil law, family law, traffic law and municipal bylaws.

Provincial Court of Saskatchewan
Established1978
Authorized byThe Provincial Court Act, 1998
Number of positions49
WebsiteProvincial Court
Chief Judge
CurrentlyShannon Metivier
SinceMarch 1, 2021

Jurisdiction

The Provincial Court is a creation of statute, and as such its jurisdiction is limited to those matters permitted by statute. It has no inherent jurisdiction, other than to the limited degree in which it may control its own procedures.

In criminal matters, it is a trial court for all summary conviction offences. For indictable criminal offences, it can be a trial court if an accused person elects to have his or her trial in that court. When an accused charged with an indictable offence elects trial by a superior court (the Saskatchewan Court of King's Bench), the preliminary inquiry will be held in the Provincial Court. The Provincial Court is also designated as the Youth Justice Court under the Youth Criminal Justice Act of Canada.

In civil matters, the Small Claims division of the court is limited to claims for up to $30,000. The Provincial Court also has limited family law jurisdiction, except for divorce proceedings and the division of matrimonial property.

Judges of the Court

The Court is composed of the Chief Judge and 48 other judges.[2] The judges are appointed by the provincial government. To be eligible for appointment, a person must have at least 10 years' experience as a lawyer, or have other legal experience which is satisfactory to the Judicial Council of Saskatchewan.[3] Once appointed, judges are independent of the government,[4] and can only be removed from office following the procedure set out in the Act.[5] The judges serve until age 65, although the Chief Judge may grant an extension up to age 70.[6]

Current Judges
Name Location Date Appointed Appointed By Prior Position(s)
Chief Judge J. A. Plemel
Associate Chief Judge M. J. HindsRegina
Judge S. Anand (Administrative Judge)Saskatoon
Judge M. T. Beaton (Administrative Judge)Regina
Judge B. Bauer (Administrative Judge for Northwest Region)North Battleford
Judge B. D. Henning (Administrative Judge for Facilities and Security)Regina
Judge E. Kalenith (Administrative Judge)Prince Albert
Judge Q. D. AgnewSaskatoon
Judge M. BaldwinMeadow Lake
Judge M. M. BaniakSaskatoon
Judge K. P. BazinSwift Current
Judge I. J. CardinalMelfort
Judge A. M. Crugnale-ReidRegina
Judge P. DemongRegina
Judge F. M. A. L. DauntPrince Albert
Judge L. D. DyckNorth Battleford
Judge M. GraySaskatoon
Judge R. GreenYorkton
Judge L. A. HallidayRegina
Judge H. M. HarradencePrince Albert
Judge R. D. JacksonSaskatoon
Judge B. M. KlauseSaskatoon
Judge P. R. KoskieYorkton
Judge D. J. KovatchMoose Jaw
Judge R. LanePrince Albert
Judge K.A. LangRegina
Judge R. MackenzieLa Ronge
Judge M. MarquetteWynyard
Judge M. F. MartinezMeadow Lake
Judge J. E. McIvorMeadow Lake
Judge S. MetivierSaskatoon
Judge V. Monar EnweaniSaskatoon
Judge G. M. MorinPrince Albert
Judge B. G. MorganSaskatoon
Judge M. PennerSaskatoon
Judge D. J. O'HanlonNorth Battleford
Judge D. RaynerMoose Jaw
Judge P.A. ReisRegina
Judge S. I. RobinsonLa Ronge
Judge J.F. RybchukRegina
Judge S. SchiefnerPrince Albert
Judge D. C. ScottSaskatoon
Judge L. StangMelfort
Judge D. TaylorYorkton
Judge M. TomkaSwift Current
Judge L. WiegersEstevan
Judge B. WrightSaskatoon
Judge K. J. YoungLloydminster

Sittings of the Court

The Provincial Courts has permanent offices in 13 towns and cities: Estevan, La Ronge, Lloydminster, Meadow Lake, Melfort, Moose Jaw, North Battleford, Prince Albert, Regina, Saskatoon, Swift Current, Wynyard and Yorkton.[7] The Court also sits in almost 70 smaller centres across the province.[8] Judges of the Provincial Court are addressed as "Your Honour", or "His/Her Honour".

History

The Provincial Court superseded the former Magistrate's Court,[9] at which time the stipendiary magistrates were replaced by qualified lawyers.

Courts of Saskatchewan

There are three main courts in Saskatchewan:

Notes
  1. The Provincial Court Act, 1998, s. 13.
  2. Courts of Saskatchewan: Provincial Court - Judges
  3. Courts of Saskatchewan: Provincial Court - Judicial Appointments
  4. The Provincial Court Act, 1998, S.S. 1998, c. P-30.11, s. 3.
  5. Courts of Saskatchewan: Provincial Court - Judicial Independence
  6. The Provincial Court Act, 1998, S.S. 1998, c. P-30.11, s. 13.
  7. Courts of Saskatchewan: Provincial Court - Permanent Locations.
  8. Courts of Saskatchewan: Provincial Court - Circuit Court Locations and Sittings
  9. During an interim period as the transition was made, qualified lawyers appointed to the Magistrate's Court bench were deemed "Judges of the Magistrate's Court.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.