How to Deal with Urgent Family Matters in the Provincial Courts During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• To protect the health of staff and the public, the Provincial and Supreme Courts of British Columbia have suspended their regular operations.  

• In Provincial Court, family case conferences, family management conferences and child protection conferences scheduled between March 16 and May 16, 2020, will not be going ahead.  

• All non-urgent provincial court family matters, including trials scheduled to proceed between March 18 and May 16, 2020, are also adjourned without the parties having to attend court.  

• In the Supreme court, all family matters scheduled for hearing between March 19, 2020, and May 1, 2020, are adjourned, unless directed otherwise by the court. This automatic adjournment extends to all trials, conferences and chambers applications or other hearings currently scheduled for hearing before May 1, 2020. 

• Parties will receive notification by May 4, 2020, regarding the next date they must attend court.  

What about urgent matters?  

• Urgent family matters are still being heard by the Provincial and Supreme Courts. These include applications for protection orders, relocation, denial of parenting time, medical decisions, and other urgent issues affecting the well-being of children.  

• To avoid having to travel to a courthouse or registry, or appear in person, a process has been outlined by the courts for filing applications through email (Provincial Court) and online (Supreme Court). 

• To bring an urgent application, parties must apply to the court for permission by way of an Application for Urgent Hearing (Provincial Court) or by using an online form (Supreme Court).  

• If the court believes your matter is urgent, then a hearing will be scheduled. Nobody will appear in person – the hearing will occur by telephone or teleconference (where available).  

If you believe you have an urgent matter, you can find information on how to apply below:  

YWCA Legal Education Resource: How to Deal With Urgent Family Matters During COVID-19 Pandemic in the Provincial Courts  

As of March 25, 2020, the Provincial Courts of BC have suspended regular operations. Between March 18, 2020, and May 16, 2020, only urgent family matters, as determined by a judge, will be heard over a telephone hearing. These may include: 

- Requests for immediate relief relating to the safety of a child or parent 

- Requests to obtain or set aside protection orders 

- Urgent orders involving parenting time 

- Contact with a child or communication between parties 

- Urgent issues relating to the well-being of the child including: 

• Essential medical issues 
• Relocation issues 
• Non-removal of a child 
• Wrongful removal of a child
• Wrongful retention of a child
• Applications to suspend, change or cancel any order for imprisonment or committal under the Family Maintenance Enforcement Act
• Urgent or mandatory child protection matters 

How to have an urgent matter heard  

You can make an application to a judge for determining if a matter is urgent by emailing your registry a completed application for urgent hearing form. If a judge determines that a matter is urgent, a hearing/trial will be scheduled through a hub court (Robson Square in Vancouver, Surrey in Fraser Valley) with everyone appearing by telephone. The hearing/trial will NOT be in person. The hub court will call you on the day of your telephone hearing. You should hear back if your application is denied.