BarTalk April 2005
Volume 17, Number 2

by The Honourable Geoff Plant, Attorney General of BC

Court Services Online e-search was officially launched in February in Vancouver. It’s an innovative project that allows searches of civil court proceedings filed in any B.C. Supreme Court or Provincial Court registry over the Internet. It was developed to modernize the court system and significantly improve access to court registries and court records for lawyers, registry agents, and litigants by allowing them access to information on a 24/7 basis.

Before e-search, lawyers and all other British Columbians living and working in rural and urban centres in British Columbia had to drive to a court house or leave their offices to get information. There was no ability to do province-wide searches, so people had to physically attend the specific registry where the file was located.

The old system is still available, but for a fee of $6 per transaction, users can now access information about a court file entered by court registry staff, including details about the nature of the claim or proceeding; the parties; documents filed; hearings; and results online. The standard restrictions to information access still apply in cases involving family matters, or any files subject to a judicial order restricting access.

The e-search application of Court Services Online is one of the first steps we are taking in B.C. to modernize the way day-to-day business in the courts system is conducted in our high-tech world. Future enhancements planned this year include providing access to court lists for Supreme Court chambers and for small claims proceedings. Access to B.C. Court of Appeal information will include both civil and criminal appeals.

Another feature under development will allow Court Service Online users to make an electronic request for documents from the list of documents on the CSO e-search page. They will also have the option of receiving the copy of the document by fax or regular mail.

In 2006, Court Services Online will introduce electronic filing, which will allow for the electronic submission of civil court documents to any court registry in the province. E-filing will be available for civil matters in the Provincial Court, Supreme Court, and for appeals in the B.C. Court of Appeal. When the e-filing capability is underway, CSO users will be able to access and download court documents that have been submitted electronically, subject to judicial policy on access.

Increased access to court records information via the Internet means that anyone in the province or the world can now search 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This new tool is just one of many that we are using to make the justice system in B.C. more responsive and reflect the needs of its citizens, legal community and the judiciary.

This article was published in the April 2005 issue of BarTalk and is subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2005, all rights reserved.