- Provincial Court of British Columbia
The Provincial Court of British Columbia (BC Provincial Court) is a trial level
court inBritish Columbia that hears cases in criminal,civil andfamily matters.The Provincial Court is a creation of
statute , and as such itsjurisdiction is limited to only those matters over which is permitted by statute. It has noinherent jurisdiction , other than to the limited degree in which it may control its own procedures. Its caseload falls into one of four main categories: criminal andyouth matters; family matters; small claims matters; and traffic andbylaw matters.In criminal matters, it is a trial court for all summary conviction offences. For indictablecriminal offences, it can be a trial court if an accused
person elect s to have his or her trial in that court. When an accused charged with an indictable offence elects trial by asuperior court (theBritish Columbia Supreme Court ), his preliminary inquiry will be held in the Provincial Court. The court will also deal withbail applications on most criminal charges exceptmurder and a select few other offences. It is also designated as theYouth Justice Court under theYouth Criminal Justice Act ofCanada .In civil matters, the Small Claims division of the court is limited to claims for
debt ordamages up to $25,000, or where the claimant agrees to abandon his or her claim for any amount in excess of $25,000. The Provincial Court also has limited family law jurisdiction, except fordivorce proceedings and the division of matrimonialproperty . TheSupreme Court of British Columbia shares jurisdiction over all matters that may be heard by the Provincial Court, except whereexclusive jurisdiction may be conferred by statute on the Provincial Court.Judges of the Provincial Court are appointed by the provincial cabinet, on recommendation of the
Attorney General . In court, judges are referred to as "Your Honour".All courts in the Province of British Columbia display the Arms of Her Majesty in Right of the United Kingdom are as a symbol of its judiciary [http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/index.asp]
External links
* [http://www.provincialcourt.bc.ca Provincial Court of British Columbia Website]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.