B.C.’s rural criminal trials have a transportation problem, Supreme Court warns

B.C. Supreme Court is warning that some criminal trials might not be able to proceed in rural locations due to the sheer distance involved. Associate Chief Justice Heather J. Holmes issued a notice on the court website on Thursday stating that until last year, in-custody accused people were housed in local police detachments for the duration of their trials, if the drive between the nearest correctional centre and the courthouse was too far to travel twice a day.However, this changed when RCMP and other police forces said they were unable to provide staff and space to keep accused people in custody.The affected courthouses include:CranbrookDawson CreekFort St. JohnNelsonPowell RiverPrince RupertRevelstokeRosslandSmithersTerraceWilliams LakeThe court’s sheriffs have been trying to find a solution to these cases, but often the solution is for the accused person to be transported by chartered airplane between the pre-trial facility and the courthouse each day of the trial. Story continues below advertisement A working group has been trying to find solutions to the issues involving these courthouses, but until those arrangements are in place, each case will need to be examined separately, according to Holmes. Get daily National news Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you'll