The pandemic's impact on access to justice

This article was originally published in CBA Alberta's Law Matters publication on November 9, 2021.

By: The Hon. Judge Michelle Christoper

I am delighted to have been asked to share my perspectives on life as a provincial court judge, particularly since I have now been a judge long enough to suppress the urge to stand up when the clerk calls out "all rise" and to back out of the courtroom when I depart, both remnants of my 30+ years as a litigator.

I now travel the circuit of Alberta's southernmost region, which is comprise of the judicial districts of Medicine Hat and Lethbridge. Seven courthouses dot the small cities and towns of this area, which stretches south of Calgary from our borders with Saskatchewan to the east, British Columbia to the west and the U.S. to the south. It is also home to the Kainai Nation (the Blood Tribe), the largest First Nation reserve by area in Canada and one of the most populous in the country.

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