COVID-19 Updates

Company asks customers to bring their own face coverings when they shop, starting August 12, 2020, at all stores nationwide. 

The Court of Appeal has extended the suspension of service and filing deadlines from August 5, 2020 to August 19, 2020.

See the Notice to the Public for more information.

On July 27, 2020, Dr. Bonnie Henry has issued a new order regarding mass gatherings. See the order regarding Gatherings and Events for exact wording but it limits the number of people who can attend an event at a vacation accommodation to 5 people plus the staying at the accommodation. 

Up to 50 people can attend an event at a place that is not a vacation accommodation as long as certain conditions are met such as there being an organizer and the number of people attending the event is closely monitored.

If your income has changed since January for reasons related to COVID-19, you can apply to  a simplified process to suspend or change child support and spousal support orders. See the practice directive from the Provincial Court HERE and see the Government’s guide on how to use the new process HERE.

The Province plans to lift the ban on issuing evictions for non-payment of rent ahead of September 1, 2020. Landlords will be able to issue a Notice to End Tenancy for unpaid rent or utilities if the tenant fails to pay full rent by September 1, 2020. A landlord cannot charge a late fee for any unpaid rent during the emergency period.

A landlord whose tenant has unpaid rent or utilities during the emergency period would be required to enter into a repayment plan for those arrears. A landlord would not be able to issue a Notice to End Tenancy for unpaid rent or utilities during this period unless the tenant has defaulted on their repayment plan. A Notice of Rent Increase may be issued, but it will not come into effect until December 1, 2020.

To learn more, see the BC Government’s Planned Residential Tenancy Changes.

Accordingly, effective July 27, 2020, the amendment of certain requirements in the Supreme Court Civil Rules and the Supreme Court Family Rules regarding the timing of certain TMCs and the timeframes for filing and serving trial briefs, trial records, and trial certificates no longer apply. Parties must schedule TMCs and file and serve trial briefs, trial records and trial certificates pursuant to the Supreme Court Civil Rules and the Supreme Court Family Rules and Administrative Notice #13. The Court’s direction that TMCs proceed by telephone unless the Court otherwise orders continues to apply.

For more information, or to learn how to schedule a TMC or rebook a trial, see COVID-19 Notice No. 40

On July 22, the BC Court of Appeal extended deadline suspensions until August 5 2020. For more information, see the Notice to the Public Regarding the Court of Appeal for British Columbia’s Response to COVID-19.

Effective March 19, 2020, Chief Justice Hinkson suspended regular operations of the Supreme Court of British Columbia at all of its locations to protect the health and safety of court users and to help contain the spread of COVID-19. As part of the suspension, civil jury selections and civil jury trials were cancelled up to and including September 7, 2020, everywhere in the province. 

Effective July 17, 2020, Chief Justice Hinkson has extended the cancellation of civil jury selections and civil jury trials up to and including January 1, 2021. The Court will resume civil jury selection and civil jury trials at the earliest opportunity when it is safe and practicable to do so.

Civil trials that are scheduled to be heard before January 4, 2021, where a Notice Requiring Trial by Jury has been filed and served, but where jury fees have not yet been paid, will automatically proceed by judge alone.

When there is a court order or written agreement for child or spousal support payments, unpaid amounts become a debt that must be paid in the future. People who have had trouble paying support because their income has decreased since January 2020 due to COVID-19 may want to apply to court to change or suspend their support order. The Provincial Court of BC has set up a new 2-step process to deal with these applications more quickly.

If you want to change or suspend an existing BC Provincial Court support order or an agreement about support that has been filed with the Court, you may choose to use this process, although you don’t have to. Click HERE to learn how it works.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said today the federal government is extending the emergency wage subsidy program to December of this year. The program covers 75 percent of wages, up to a weekly maximum of $847, for workers at eligible companies and nonprofits affected by the economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This week we'll be announcing an extension to the wage subsidy program until December, to give greater certainty and support to businesses as we restart the economy," said Trudeau.