Justice Minister Helen Conway-Ottenheimer has received the findings of the provincial court working group on the root causes of staffing shortages and systemic pressures on the provincial court system.
The report has found that the disruptions are the result of pressures that have “built over time,” including more complex cases that are taking up more resources, and persistent staffing shortages and vacancies.
The group has identified several areas for improvement, including the recruitment and retention of sheriff’s officers and court officers, potential infrastructure changes, and technological advancements
Government notes that addressing those areas will require budget lines and may require legislative changes.
On sheriff’s officers specifically, Conway-Ottenheimer says the group came up with a number of new initiatives such as streamlining all vacancies under one job competition, and working with the Public Service Commission to do targeted recruitment at CNA and other private institutions.
Conway-Ottenheimer says they are also looking at the possibility of correctional officers being able to help out sheriff’s officers, noting she has had conversations with NAPE about that.
Meanwhile, the issue of staff shortages came to a head this week when the first degree murder trial of Dean Penney had to be postponed because of a shortage of sheriff’s officers.
Conway-Ottenheimer says she’s been assured by the High Sheriff that the trial will go ahead in Corner Brook as scheduled next week.
She says how that will be achieved on an operational level is up to them, but she’s been assured that it will be addressed.
