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By Darren Rathwell

Masking to remain in place

Provincial Courts in Alberta to resume all in-person trials

Feb 18, 2022 | 4:55 PM

EDMONTON, AB — Trials and a number of other court matters will be held in-person once again come Tuesday at provincial courthouses across Alberta following temporary restrictions.

According to a news release, restrictions will be removed on out-of-custody trials, preliminary inquiries and other hearings put in place in January “as a result of the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.”

Chief Judge Derek Redman said, “We’re always mindful of the impact that these kinds of restrictions can have on those who are having to navigate our justice system, and we never bring in these restrictions lightly.”

Redman also said provincial courts have expanded the use of virtual courtrooms for cases that could be handled remotely.

COVID-19 precautions will continue to remain in effect, including mandatory facemasks as per court directive, social distancing rules, limited capacity, plexiglass barriers, and enhanced cleaning.

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You can find addItional information on provincial court COVID-19 measures at https://albertacourts.ca/pc/resources/covid.

The Provincial Court of Alberta says it’s the busiest court in Alberta, with 95 per cent of all matters beginning and ending at that level.