The backlog at the Provincial Offences Court in Blenheim will likely get longer because the court is now sitting for only one day a week instead of two.
Manager of Provincial Offences Court Christine Jackson said a critical shortage of Justices of the Peace who preside over the municipally-run court is responsible for cutting the days in half until further notice.
Jackson said the shortage of judicial officers is due to a significant number of retirements and leaves of absences, adding the hiring process by the Ministry of the Attorney General is not able to keep up with the pace of vacancies.
"With a pending caseload in excess of 2,500 matters before the court and matters waiting to be set for trial, this reduction will result in a critical backlog," Jackson wrote in an information report to go before Chatham-Kent Council Monday night.
Administration, Jackson said, will be contacting the local Member of Provincial Parliament to make suggestions and seek support.
The Provincial Offences Court in Blenheim is only sitting on Tuesday now and the reduced court days are expected to last until June 2024, according to Jackson, adding the Blenheim court could have further closures throughout the year.
Chatham-Kent has operated court sittings two times per week on Tuesdays and Wednesdays since taking over court operations in the year 2000, but court time has slowly been cut back over the past two years because of the judicial shortages, her report said.
Jackson said the court closures have and will further impact a defendant’s right to timely access to justice.
"All Provincial Offences Courts in the West Region have experienced cancellation of scheduled court sittings on short notice. Chatham-Kent was advised the morning of Wednesday, July 18, 2023 that there was not a Justice of the Peace available to preside and accordingly all 80 matters were to be adjourned by the court clerk to already full court days. This will continue to be a possibility until changes are made by the Ministry of the Attorney General in conjunction with the Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice," said Jackson.
She said under the Charter of Rights matters could be dismissed for delay if they're not dealt with in a timely manner.