Province Proclaims Eighth Annual Access to Justice Week

Released on October 24, 2023

Highlights Include Improved Virtual Court Access, Child Support Calculation Services, and Reopened Court Locations in Weyburn and Lloydminster

The Government of Saskatchewan has proclaimed October 23 to 27 Access to Justice Week.

"This week is an opportunity to highlight key initiatives that promote equal access, help Saskatchewan people navigate the justice system, and provide resources to communities across the province," Justice Minister and Attorney General Bronwyn Eyre said. "We are proud to have reopened judicial centers in Weyburn and Lloydminster, improved virtual courtroom access, and introduced child support calculation services, which allow separated parents to largely forego the courts."

• In the six months since the Weyburn Court House has once again been operational, 793 documents have been filed and a total of 91 cases have been administrated or commenced. The Court House is set to have its first jury trial in the spring of 2024. The Lloydminster Court House has presided over 13,000 appearances since becoming a permanent Provincial Court location in 2022.
• In 2023-24, the Government of Saskatchewan will invest approximately $3.3 million to support the modernization of court technology.
• Virtual courts have been established at 46 Provincial Court locations, ten King’s Bench Court locations, the Court of Appeal, 28 Victim Services soft rooms, four Provincial Correctional Centres, three Youth Centres, two federal institutions, one municipal police detention centre, two RCMP detachments, 12 Legal Aid offices, and at the Saskatchewan Hospital in North Battleford.
• The Family Maintenance Amendment Act, 2023, came into force on September 15 and makes it easier to forego the family court process for child support. The Child Support Service expands the Recalculation Service, launched in 2018, to update child support amounts for existing child support orders and provides calculation services for initial child support amounts. 

For more information about Access to Justice Week, including a list of events across the province, please visit Saskatchewan Access to Justice Week (lawsociety.sk.ca).

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