The Ministry of Attorney General is proposing amendments to the Court of Appeal Rules and civil forms. The proposed amendments are intended to clarify existing procedures, create efficiencies, and improve access to justice for litigants in the B.C. Court of Appeal. The civil forms will be redesigned to include readable instructions with plain language and consider future integration of electronic filing options.

A 2019 public consultation by the Ministry of Attorney General concerned proposed amendments to the Court of Appeal Act and Court of Appeal Rules. In early 2021, the consultation results were incorporated into the Court of Appeal Act, S.B.C. 2021, c – 6, which affected the organization of the Act and Rules and will come into force when the Rules are finalized.

Before providing feedback, please consult the White Paper and review the draft Rules for further information. The revised forms are also available for viewing. Note that all forms will be formatted to permit text entry. See this example in Form 1.

Please provide feedback to the Policy, Legislation and Planning team, Court Services Branch, Ministry of Attorney General by email at PLPConsultation@gov.bc.ca.

Feedback will be accepted until 4 pm on Friday, August 6, 2021.

Court of Appeal COVID-19 Recovery – Survey

The Court of Appeal has opened a separate public survey seeking feedback on court operations post-pandemic. This survey identifies changes implemented as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and requests feedback on how court operations should be modified post-pandemic. You can respond to the survey at BCCourts.ca until 4 pm on Friday, July 30, 2021.

Stakeholders and the public are invited to provide comments, concerns and opinions on the proposed amendments to the Court of Appeal Rules. When the consultation period ends, feedback will be reviewed and considered. A What We Heard Report will summarize the feedback.