Effective April 20, 2020, the Supreme Court of British Columbia has established procedures which allow parties to schedule a COVID-19 Telephone Conference Hearing ("TCH") for matters that are not considered urgent or essential (as specified in the Court's April 16, 2020 Notice) and that were scheduled for a hearing during the Suspension Period.
Eligibility for a COVID-19 Telephone Conference Hearing
At this time, the TCH is only available to parties who had a matter scheduled for hearing during the Suspension Period between March 19, 2020 and May 29, 2020). To schedule a TCH the following criteria must be met:
- The matter is limited to one disputed issue, or, if the matter involves more than one issue, the parties have reached consent on some or all of the issues;
- The disputed issue is suitable for determination by telephone and is estimated to take less than one hour; and
- The disputed issue can be addressed on the basis of a single affidavit filed per party of no longer than 10 pages.
The Court may at a later date expand the availability of the TCH Process to matters not scheduled during the Suspension Period. EKB will continue to monitor this unfolding situation.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.