In order to increase access to justice for residents, BC’s provincial government is appointing three new provincial court judges and reappointing three senior provincial court judges, according to a Ministry of Attorney General media release.
The appointments and reappointments will increase the capacity of the provincial court and further reduce delays in courtrooms throughout the province, according to the release. Senior judge reappointments provide the court with additional capacity to address the backlog of cases and support the response to COVID-19 impacts on the justice system.
Senior judges being reappointed for a term of one year, effective July 21, 2020, are Jane Cartwright, Thomas Gove and Richard Miller.
Wendy Bernt, Tamera Golinsky and Oliver Fleck are the new three judges, effective August 10, 2020.
Bernt has practised law in BC since February 1999. She has practised exclusively in the area of child protection for the last 15 years, and recently began representing the government on child protection matters.
Golinsky has held the position of Crown counsel in Dawson Creek for 15 years. Before this, she worked in two private law firms, primarily doing family and insurance law.
Fleck is currently a Crown counsel and has held this position since 2012. He has spent most of his career as counsel for the federal government, working in the area of international trade agreements and disputes.
Government and the public rely on judges for their integrity and impartiality and trust they will deliver fair, learned decisions; these qualities are essential for maintaining the public's confidence in the courts and are a vital component of any democratic justice system, stated the ministry.
The chief judge determines the locations to which judges are assigned in order to meet the needs of the court.
