COVID-19 Announcements Archive

Masking requirements and restrictions on persons who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or have tested positive for COVID-19 continue to be in effect.

Effective May 24, 2022, social distancing requirements and related capacity limits due to COVID 19 will be rescinded in some courtrooms in Alberta as noted below. While social distancing in those courtrooms will no longer be required, it is, nevertheless, still encouraged. We stress that social distancing and capacity limits remain in effect in all Provincial Court courtrooms until further notice. All restrictions in relation to masking, vaccination policies and the current use of Plexiglass remain in effect until further notice.

Effective May 2, 2022, the restrictions on access to courthouses set out in the Alberta Courts’ Notice to the Public and Legal Profession of March 26, 2020, will be lifted. Access to Alberta courthouses will no longer be restricted to the categories of individuals set out in that Notice. All other COVID-19 measures currently in place, including the use of Plexiglas barriers, mandatory masking, courtroom capacity limits, physical distancing, and vaccination policies will remain in effect until further notice.

Effective immediately, and until further notice, jury selections in Calgary will return to the Calgary Courts Centre. Social distancing, masking and all other current pandemic-related measures will continue to be observed.

The Bonaventure Centre will not be available for Edmonton criminal jury trials for the weeks of April 18 and April 25, 2022. The Bonaventure Centre will remain the location for any jury selections scheduled to occur during these weeks.

Court and Justice Services (CJS) is in the process of transitioning the platforms from which emails are sent and received. With high volumes of email traffic to and from Queen’s Bench Administration, the transition is taking longer than originally anticipated. We ask counsel to please be patient during the transition process, and limit emails sent to qbfiling.edmonton@just.gov.ab.ca and qbfiling.calgary@just.gov.ab.ca to essential emails only, at this time.

Throughout the COVID–19 pandemic, courthouses across the province have been operating under restrictions designed to ensure the safety of all participants. Given the unique position of the Courts, where persons who attend are often compelled to do so, and where vulnerable segments of the population attend, there is an ongoing need to continue with the restrictions and policies presently in place until further notice.

Subject to any issues arising in particular matters between the date of this Announcement and the date of a hearing that may require an adjournment due to COVID issues affecting that particular hearing, the Court Schedule for the week commencing March 7, 2022 will proceed as follows:

Subject to any issues arising in particular matters between the date of this Announcement and the date of a hearing that may require an adjournment due to COVID issues affecting that particular hearing, the Court Schedule for the week commencing February 28, 2022 will proceed as follows:

Subject to any issues arising in particular matters between the date of this Announcement and the date of a hearing that may require an adjournment due to COVID issues affecting that particular hearing, the Court Schedule for the week commencing February 21, 2022 will proceed as follows:

Subject to any issues arising in particular matters between the date of this Announcement and the date of a hearing that may require an adjournment due to COVID issues affecting that particular hearing, the Court Schedule for the week commencing February 14, 2022 will proceed as follows.

Subject to any issues arising in particular matters between the date of this Announcement and the date of a hearing that may require an adjournment due to COVID issues affecting that particular hearing, the Court Schedule for the week commencing February 7, 2022 will proceed as follows.

Subject to any issues arising in particular matters between the date of this Announcement and the date of a hearing that may require an adjournment due to COVID issues affecting that particular hearing, the Court Schedule for the week commencing January 31, 2022 will proceed as follows.

Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta Master Order 6, dated December 31, 2021, will expire at the end of Friday, January 21, 2022. Though the Court is faced with significant staff shortages as a result of COVID-19, it has been determined that matters scheduled for the week of January 24, 2022 will proceed as follows.

Given the current restrictions on congregations and courtrooms, the Court will continue to conduct Bar Admissions remotely. Bar Admissions will be conducted via Webex, which will allow a student's family and friends to attend via Webex link.

Per the Court's Announcement of December 31, 2021 regarding additional measures to limit traffic at court facilities, please see the attached Master Order 6, which governs court operations for the period of January 4 to 21, 2022.

Effective January 4, 2022 and for the weeks of January 4, 2022, January 10, 2022, and January 17, 2022, and subject to any further adjustments that may be required, additional measures to limit traffic at court facilities have been put in place. For further details, please refer to the full announcement.

The Court of Appeal of Alberta, the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta and the Provincial Court of Alberta (the Courts) have a responsibility to provide a safe location for all individuals who voluntarily come to or who are compelled to attend court. The Courts now provide notice that effective November 1, 2021, all Court staff, including clerks and court technology personnel, and Sheriffs must be fully vaccinated to access courtrooms in Alberta courthouses. Full details are included in the attached notice.

The Court of Appeal of Alberta, the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta and the Provincial Court of Alberta (the Courts) have a responsibility to provide a safe workspace that protects the health and safety of individuals who work in, visit, or attend the Courts’ workspaces. Accordingly, the Courts have adopted mandatory Vaccination Policies which will be in effect as of Tuesday, September 21, 2021. These Policies apply to all secure areas of courthouses used by judicial officers and certain staff to which public access is restricted. Full details are included in the attached notice.

The Court of Queen’s Bench will continue to take a cautious approach to the resumption of operations as they were being conducted prior to March, 2020. With the commencement of the 2021 Fall Term on September 7, 2021, the Court will continue to take steps to minimize traffic at courthouses as much as possible. For further details, please refer to the full announcement.

Access to all courthouses in Alberta will continue to be restricted, and Mask requirements will continue to apply. For further details, please refer to the full announcement.

It has been determined that the Court of Queen’s Bench will return to operations as they were being conducted prior to Master Order 5, which expires on May 28, 2021. For further details, please refer to the full announcement.

The Court of Queen's Bench is experiencing technical problems with email servers in Calgary. For further details, please refer to the full announcement.

Due to heightened Covid-19 restrictions, certain upcoming jury selections have been cancelled. For further details, please refer to the full announcement.

Further to the Court's Announcement of May 5, 2021 and its Master Order of May 7, 2021, Counsel and parties should be aware that the Court is directing additional judicial resources to desk applications and remote hearings. Counsel and parties are encouraged to utilize the increased access to remote and desk processes in civil, family, and surrogate matters.