Expanding capacity for Alberta’s superior court
2022-09-28

These two new positions will help prevent criminal charges from being stayed due to delay and allow Albertans to resolve civil and family matters in a timely manner.

Alberta’s government is taking action to address the judicial shortage in the Court of King’s Bench, which puts serious criminal matters at risk and prevents Albertans from resolving legal matters in a timely way.

“It is now up to the federal government to appoint these positions, and we urge them to take prompt action to ensure the justice system continues to be accessible for all Albertans.”

Tyler Shandro, Minister of Justice and Solicitor General

While Court of King’s Bench justice positions are created by the province, justices are appointed by the federal government. Alberta now has 10 Court of King’s Bench positions that need to be filled, including these two new positions and two positions created in 2021, which the federal government has not yet agreed to fill. The province has the fewest number of Court of King’s Bench judges per capita of any province.