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{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2019}}{{Short description|Superior trial court of British Columbia, Canada}}{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}{{third party|date=February 2015}}
{{Infobox high court
|court_name = Supreme Court of British Columbia
|image = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (Tudor crown).svg
|imagesize = 150px
|caption = Coat of Arms of the Supreme Court <ref>The Court continues to use the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom to identify itself, though the colony joined Canada as a province in 1871.</ref>
|established =
|Province = [[Image:Flag of British Columbia.svg|border|20px]] [[British Columbia]]
|location= Cariboo; Kootenay; Nanaimo; Prince Rupert; Vancouver; Victoria; New Westminster; and Yale
|coordinates=
|type =
|authority = Supreme Court Act, 1996
|terms =
|positions = 102
|website = [http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/supreme_court/ Supreme Court]
|chiefjudgetitle = Chief Justice
|chiefjudgename = Christopher E. Hinkson
|termstart = November, 2013
}}

The '''Supreme Court of British Columbia''' is the [[superior court|superior trial court]] for the [[Provinces and territories of Canada|province]] of [[British Columbia]], Canada. The Court hears [[civil law (common law)|civil]] and [[criminal law]] cases as well as appeals from the [[Provincial Court of British Columbia]]. There are 90 judicial positions on the Court in addition to supernumerary judges, making for a grand total of 108 judges.<ref>[http://www.fja.gc.ca/appointments-nominations/judges-juges-eng.aspx NUMBER OF FEDERALLY APPOINTED JUDGES AS OF JULY 1, 2018, www.fja.gc.ca]</ref> There are also 13 Supreme Court [[Master (judiciary)|masters]] who hear and dispose of a wide variety of applications in chambers.<ref name="iafd">{{cite web | title = BC Supreme Court "About us" |url =http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/supreme_court/about_the_supreme_court/| access-date = 2011-07-19 }}</ref>

The court was established in 1859 as the "Supreme Court of the Mainland of British Columbia" to distinguish it from the "Supreme Court of Vancouver Island". The two courts merged in 1870 under the present name.<ref> {{cite book|title=The Laws of British Columbia: Consisting of the Acts, Ordinances |page= 112}} </ref>

==Jurisdiction==
The British Columbia Supreme Court is a [[court of record]], having original [[jurisdiction]] in all cases, civil and criminal, arising in British Columbia. The Court has [[inherent jurisdiction]] under the [[Constitution of Canada]] in addition to any jurisdiction granted to it by federal or provincial statute.

The Court has jurisdiction in any civil dispute, including those matters where the dollar amount involved is within the jurisdiction of the [[Small claims court|Small Claims]] division of the Provincial Court. Under the [[Criminal Code (Canada)|''Criminal Code'']], the Court is included as a "superior court of criminal jurisdiction", meaning that it has exclusive jurisdiction for the trial of serious crimes within British Columbia.

The Court also hears some appeals from the Provincial Court and some administrative tribunals. Appeals from its own judgments are heard by the [[Court of Appeal of British Columbia]].

The Supreme Court is also responsible for call ceremonies for admitting [[lawyers]] and [[Notary_public#Canada|notaries public]] where the respective oath of office is administered by a justice.<ref> [http://www.lawsociety.bc.ca/page.cfm?cid=33 Call and Admission to the Bar]</ref><ref> [http://www.notaries.bc.ca/resources/Upload/28-06-2011-09-54-36_BecomingANotary-062711_ONLINE%20VERSION.pdf Information on Becoming aBC Notary Public]</ref>

==Justices and masters==
All justices of the Supreme Court (including the position of [[Chief Justice]] and Associate Chief Justice) are appointed by the [[Government of Canada|federal]] [[Cabinet of Canada|cabinet]], on recommendation of the [[Minister of Justice (Canada)|Minister of Justice]]. All justices have full jurisdiction over any matter before the Court.

It is court protocol to refer to the judges of the Court as "justices". Prior to 2021, justices in the court were addressed as "my Lord" or "my Lady". As of 2021, by directive of the Chief Justice, the terms "my Lord" and "my Lady" are to be avoided. Rather, Justices are addressed as "Chief Justice", "Associate Chief Justice", "Justice", "Madam Justice" or "Mr. Justice" as context requires.

Masters are appointed by the provincial [[Executive Council of British Columbia|cabinet]], on recommendation of the [[Attorney General]] in consultation with the Chief Justice. As provincial appointees, masters do not have inherent jurisdiction. Their jurisdiction is limited to those matters granted to them by [[statute]] and the Rules of Court. Masters preside in chambers, where they usually hear [[interlocutory]] applications and other pre-[[trial (law)|trial]] matters. Masters cannot hear civil trials and do not preside in criminal matters. In court, Masters were formerly addressed as "Master," but in a practice direction issued on September 6, 1991, then Chief Justice Esson advised the most appropriate form of address would be "your Honour". Masters also sit and hear matters as registrars, hearing such matters as assessments of solicitors fees and accounts.

==Judicial districts==

The [[British Columbia Supreme Court]] sits in eight judicial districts called "[[Counties of British Columbia|counties]]". This is the only usage of "county" in British Columbia, which is a reference only to such court districts and has no similarity to the meaning in other provinces of Canada, the United States or United Kingdom. Prior to 1990, there existed in British Columbia a [[county court|County Court]], an intermediate court between the Provincial Court and the Supreme Court. In 1990, the County Court was merged with the Supreme Court and its judges became justices of the Supreme Court. The judicial districts of the Supreme Court have the same boundaries of the counties of the former County Court.<ref name="bcsc">{{cite web|title=Supreme Court - Court Locations and Contacts|url=http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/supreme_court/court_locations_and_contacts.aspx|website=The Courts of British Columbia|access-date=8 April 2018}}</ref> The judicial districts are: Cariboo; Kootenay; Nanaimo; Prince Rupert; Vancouver Westminster; Victoria; and Yale.<ref>{{Cite canlaw|short title =Supreme Court Act|abbr =RSBC|year =1996|chapter =443|section =8(1).|link =https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/96443_01#section8}}</ref> Within each county, or judicial district, justices are resident in the following locations:
* [[Abbotsford, British Columbia|Abbotsford]]
* [[Chilliwack]]
* [[Cranbrook, British Columbia|Cranbrook]]
* [[Kamloops]]
* [[Kelowna]]
* [[Nanaimo]]
* [[Nelson, British Columbia|Nelson]]
* [[New Westminster]]
* [[Prince George, British Columbia|Prince George]]
* [[Prince Rupert, British Columbia|Prince Rupert]]
* [[Victoria, British Columbia|Victoria]]
* [[Vancouver]]

The Supreme Court also holds sittings in the following court locations for which there is not a resident justice:<ref name="bcsc" />

* [[Campbell River, British Columbia|Campbell River]]
* [[Courtenay, British Columbia|Courtenay]]
* [[Dawson Creek]]
* [[Duncan, British Columbia|Duncan]]
* [[Fort Nelson, British Columbia|Fort Nelson]]
* [[Fort St. John, British Columbia|Fort St. John]]
* [[Golden, British Columbia|Golden]]
* [[Penticton]]
* [[Port Alberni]]
* [[Powell River, British Columbia|Powell River]]
* [[Quesnel, British Columbia|Quesnel]]
* [[Revelstoke, British Columbia|Revelstoke]]
* [[Rossland, British Columbia|Rossland]]
* [[Salmon Arm]]
* [[Smithers, British Columbia|Smithers]]
* [[Terrace, British Columbia|Terrace]]
* [[Vernon, British Columbia|Vernon]]
* [[Williams Lake, British Columbia|Williams Lake]]

==Chief Justices of the Supreme Court==
Prior to 1909, when the [[British Columbia Court of Appeal]] was established, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was considered the Chief Justice of British Columbia.

{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
! Name<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/supreme_court/about_the_supreme_court/Judges_and_Masters_of_the_Supreme_Court.aspx|title=Supreme Court - Members of the Supreme Court|website=www.courts.gov.bc.ca|access-date=2018-08-15}}</ref>
! Duration
|-
|Christopher E. Hinkson || 2013–present
|-
| [[Robert J. Bauman|Robert James Bauman]]|| 2009–2013
|-
| [[Donald Brenner|Donald Ian Brenner]] || 2000–2009
|-
| [[Bryan Williams (Canadian lawyer)|Bryan Williams]] || 1996–2000
|-
| William A. Esson ||1989–1996
|-
| [[Beverley McLachlin]] (afterwards [[Chief Justice of Canada]], 2000–2017)|| 1988–1989
|-
| [[Allan McEachern]] (afterwards Chief Justice of BC Court of Appeal, 1988) || 1979–1988
|-
| [[Nathaniel Nemetz]] (afterwards Chief Justice of BC Court of Appeal, 1979) || 1973–1979
|-
| John Owen Wilson ||1963–1973
|-
| [[Sherwood Lett]] (afterwards Chief Justice of BC Court of Appeal, 1963) || 1955–1963
|-
| Wendell Burpee Farris (died 1955) ||1942–1955
|-
| [[Aulay MacAulay Morrison]] || 1929–1942
|-
| Gordon Hunter || 1902–1929
|-
| Angus John McColl ||1898–1902
|-
| [[Theodore Davie]] ||1895–1898
|-
| [[Matthew Baillie Begbie]] (incumbent Chief Justice of the [[Colony of British Columbia (1866–71)|Colony of British Columbia]] at the time B.C. joined Canada) || 1869–1894
|}

== Associate Chief Justices of the Supreme Court ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Name<ref name=":0" />
!Duration
|-
|Heather J. Holmes
|2018–present
|-
|Austin F. Cullen
|2011–2017
|-
|Anne W. MacKenzie
|2010–2011
|-
|Patrick D. Dohm
|1995–2010
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |last1=Verchere |first1=David R. |title=A progression of judges : a history of the Supreme Court of British Columbia |date=1988 |publisher=University of British Columbia Press |isbn=978-0-7748-0293-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/progressionofjud0000verc |url-access=registration}}

==External links==
* [http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/supreme_court/index.aspx Supreme Court of British Columbia website]
* [http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/supreme_court/about_the_supreme_court/Judges_and_Masters_of_the_Supreme_Court.aspx List of Current and Previous Justices]
* [http://www.supremecourtbc.ca/ Public Legal Education - Supreme Court of BC]
* [http://www.supremecourtselfhelp.bc.ca Public Legal Education - Supreme Court Self-Help]
* [https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/168_2009_00 Supreme Court Civil Rules]

{{Courts of Canada}}

[[Category:British Columbia courts]]
[[Category:Superior courts in Canada|British_Columbia]]
[[Category:1870 establishments in Canada]]
[[Category:Courts and tribunals established in 1870]]

Supreme Court of British Columbia - Revision history

RomaineAchen489: General cleanup and content improvements

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article