B.C. court fees deemed unconstitutional

The Supreme Court has concluded that the administrative fees charged to litigants in order to access the B.C. supreme court are unconstitutional. In the B.C., if your case goes to trial, whether it’s a family matter or a civil matter, you are charged for every day of court time that is required. In the case which was appealed to the Supreme Court, a woman involved in a child custody dispute was being charged $3600.00 in administrative fees for a ten day trial. Although the fees were waived for anyone who qualified as impoverished, they were not waived for anyone else of modest means. The court has the right to charge administrative fees, but they cannot be so high that litigants are prevented from accessing the justice system.