Justice minister hopes new group tackles provincial court suspension by February

The Newfoundland and Labrador government is forming a working group to tackle what it calls systemic issues in the justice system, but answers or solutions could still be months away.

"The complexities we face will take time to resolve, but I am optimistic about the future. Our new government is working hard trying to tackle the problems that have been building over the past number of years," Justice Minister Helen Conway Ottenheimer told reporters Thursday.

Her comments come close to a week after several key operations inside Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Court were suspended indefinitely, including civil hearings, traffic hearings and more.

The move also impacts circuit courts and mental health and intimate partner violence prevention courts, which will move to bi-weekly schedules.

Conway Ottenheimer said the government is taking "decisive action" to address shortfalls by launching the provincial court efficiency committee.

The group will include Chief Judge Robin Fowler, deputy justice minister Gerrie Smith, retired judge Pamela Goulding, lawyer Erin Breen and others.

The group plans to meet before Christmas, with Conway Ottenheimer adding they hope to have solutions by mid-February.

"There's nothing broken here that can't be fixed," she said. "This is not going to be a long, drawn out, protracted exercise by any means. This will be dealt with quickly."

While Conway Ottenheimer said solutions will soon be in place, the Canadian Bar Association of Newfoundland and Labrador said justice has effectively been put on pause.

"It really represents what I would describe as an access to justice crisis," Joe Thorne, the association's advocacy chair, told CBC News.

"Court proceedings are stressful, no matter what. Whether it's a traffic ticket or a Contravention Act ticket … These are important things to people, and the inability to, kind of, get resolution on those is a problem."

Thorne said the suspension of courts will also add more stress to the system in the future as it catches up. He's heard anecdotally staffing continues to be a core concern that could be a driving factor in the suspensions.

The 2025 provincial budget, put forward by the previous Liberal government, allocated $3.4 million for the hiring of six Crown attorneys, 14 new deputy sheriffs, 32 new correctional officers and a manager of court security for Labrador.

Conway Ottenheimer didn't answer directly if that would be enacted under the new government.