COVID-19 Announcements

The Court of Appeal will resume in-person hearings on May 2, 2022 as set out below. As always during the pandemic, the Court is guided by several considerations including the continuing need to ensure the health and safety of all Court participants.

The purpose of this Notice is to advise that, due to short-term operational challenges, unless otherwise directed, all appeal sittings, applications before three‑judge panels and Bar Admissions will continue to be heard electronically until April 29, 2022. Appeal Conferences, Judicial Dispute Resolution matters and single judge matters will continue to be heard electronically until further notice.

The purpose of this Notice is to advise that, unless otherwise directed, all appeal sittings, applications before three-judge panels and Bar Admissions will continue to be heard electronically until March 25, 2022 with a return to in-person starting March 28, 2022. Appeal Conferences, Judicial Dispute Resolution matters and single judge matters will continue to be heard electronically until further notice.

Unless otherwise directed, all appeal sittings, applications before three‑judge panels, applications before a single judge and Bar Admissions will continue to be heard electronically until February 25, 2022; and Appeal Conferences and Judicial Dispute Resolution matters will continue to be heard electronically until further notice.

The purpose of this Notice is to advise that, unless otherwise directed, all proceedings - including applications before a single judge, Appeal Conferences, Appellate Judicial Dispute Resolution and Bar Admissions - will continue to be heard electronically by videoconference or teleconference until January 1, 2022.

The Courts now provide notice that effective November 1, 2021, all Court staff, including clerks and court technology personnel, and Sheriffs must be fully vaccinated to access courtrooms in Alberta courthouses. Full details are included in the attached notice.

The Court of Appeal of Alberta, the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta and the Provincial Court of Alberta (the Courts) have a responsibility to provide a safe workspace that protects the health and safety of individuals who work in, visit, or attend the Courts’ workspaces. Accordingly, the Courts have adopted mandatory Vaccination Policies which will be in effect as of Tuesday, September 21, 2021. These Policies apply to all secure areas of courthouses used by judicial officers and certain staff to which public access is restricted. Full details are included in the attached notice.

Effective November 1, 2021, the Court of Appeal will resume in-person proceedings for all appeal sittings and applications before three-judge panels. Full details are included in the attached notice.

Access to all courthouses in Alberta will continue to be restricted in accordance with the Courts’ Notice dated November 27, 2020 until further notice. The mask requirements set out in the Courts’ Notice dated July 3, 2020 will continue to apply to individuals attending at courthouses, subject to the exceptions noted therein. Anyone claiming a medical or disability exemption from the masking requirement must provide proof thereof. For those who do not have a face mask, one can be obtained from perimeter security at the entrance to the courthouse. All current protocols relating to physical distancing and courtroom capacity will continue until further notice.

In light of the ongoing public health crisis caused by the pandemic, access to all courthouses in Alberta continues to be restricted, and masks continue to be mandatory for visitors. Full details are included in the attached notices.

The Alberta Courts are attempting to balance the open court principle with public health priorities. Given the ongoing public health crisis, the Courts are continuing to take proactive preventative measures to protect justice system participants and reduce the spread of COVID-19. Access to all courthouses in the province of Alberta continues to be restricted until further notice.

The purpose of this Notice is to advise that, unless otherwise directed, all proceedings will continue to be heard electronically by videoconference until further notice.

The purpose of this Notice is to confirm that the Court of Appeal will continue to use electronic hearings for all Court proceedings until at least November 1, 2020.

Counsel and self-represented litigants are now required to complete and submit a Confidentiality or Privacy Concerns Form prior to electronic hearings. A fillable e-form and instructions are included in this notice.

This notice provides an update on attendance at electronic hearings, now open to counsel and self-represented litigants, media and the wider public in accordance with the process set forth in this Notice. Also, a reminder of electronic resources available.

The suspension on appellate judicial dispute resolution has been lifted. However, until further notice, appellate JDR, as well as bar admissions, will be conducted through online video conference only.

The Court of Queen’s Bench and Provincial Court are scheduled to increase in-person hearings July 6, 2020. Accordingly, to enhance safe access to Alberta courthouses, effective that day, all persons entering a courthouse in Alberta shall be required to wear a face mask while in any public area of the courthouse subject to the exceptions outline in this notice.

On May 21, Chief Justice Catherine A. Fraser and the Advocates’ Society had a fireside chat to discuss how the Court of Appeal has navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, including moving to virtual hearings, and the ongoing work to “digitize” Alberta’s top court.

Canadian Lawyer has surveyed a number of chief justices of courts across Canada on how they are handling the COVID-19 crisis. Here, in the second of the series, Catherine Fraser, Chief Justice of Alberta and the Northwest Territories, answers Canadian Lawyer’s questions about COVID-19’s impact on the Court of Appeal of Alberta.

Update to the Canadian Bar Association and Law Society from Alberta's three courts on the steps being taken to return to more regular sittings for the trial courts in response to the provincial government’s recent relaxation of some COVID-19 restrictions.