Effective April 20, 2020, the Supreme Court of British Columbia has established procedures which allow parties to schedule a COVID-19 Telephone Conference Hearing ("TCH") for matters that are not considered urgent or essential (as specified in the Court's April 16, 2020 Notice) and that were scheduled for a hearing during the Suspension Period.

Eligibility for a COVID-19 Telephone Conference Hearing

At this time, the TCH is only available to parties who had a matter scheduled for hearing during the Suspension Period between March 19, 2020 and May 29, 2020). To schedule a TCH the following criteria must be met:

  • The matter is limited to one disputed issue, or, if the matter involves more than one issue, the parties have reached consent on some or all of the issues;
  • The disputed issue is suitable for determination by telephone and is estimated to take less than one hour; and
  • The disputed issue can be addressed on the basis of a single affidavit filed per party of no longer than 10 pages.

The Court may at a later date expand the availability of the TCH Process to matters not scheduled during the Suspension Period. EKB will continue to monitor this unfolding situation.

COVID-19 Update: The Supreme Court Expands The Hearing Of Civil Matters With Telephone Conference Hearings

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