Nova Scotia's prosecution service gets staffing boost to help clear court backlogs

HALIFAX -

Citing the need to cut a backlog in court cases, Nova Scotia's Justice Minister Brad Johns on Thursday announced 27 new permanent staff to bolster the ranks of the province's public prosecution service.

Johns said the government is committed to addressing COVID-19 pandemic-related backlogs and reducing the number of cases that are dismissed because they take too long to be tried.

"This is something that's been in the works for a while, we've just bumped up the priority on it," Johns told reporters following a cabinet meeting.

The Justice Department said 17 of the new positions -- 11 Crown attorneys and six legal assistants -- will support specialized prosecution teams dealing with human trafficking and sexual violence. The remaining 10 positions will allow the province to make permanent a 2017 pilot project that triages cases to help the justice system meet Supreme Court of Canada-mandated deadlines on the length of trials.

Johns said four of the new lawyer positions will be filled by equity-deserving candidates to improve minority representation within the organization.

Thursday's announcement followed concerns raised last fall by the association that represents Nova Scotia's Crown attorneys, which called for a "massive" increase in the number of prosecutors to deal with large backlogs in homicide and sexual assault cases.

Johns said the 11 additional prosecutors responds to that request. "This is a pretty significant influx of staffing for the public prosecution service," he said.

The minister said there are about 1,400 cases that risk being dismissed because they could surpass the time limits imposed by a 2016 Supreme Court ruling that sought to protect the right of defendants to be tried within a reasonable time. Known as the Jordan decision, the court set a ceiling of 18 months for cases going to trial in provincial court and 30 months for cases going to trial in superior court or for cases going to trial in provincial court after a preliminary inquiry.

Johns said he would make more announcements over the next two weeks aimed at helping the "system as a whole."

Rick Woodburn, acting director of the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service, said the government's announcement will provide "much-needed support."

"These new positions will contribute significantly to the Crown's role in protecting public safety and reducing the risk of criminal cases being dismissed for delay," Woodburn said in a government news release.

Nova Scotia's prosecution service currently employees more than 100 Crown attorneys.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 25, 2024.

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