A provincial association that represents prosecutors says the Kootenays need four more Crown counsels to address high staff workloads in the region's courtrooms.
Adam Dalrymple, the president of the B.C. Crown Counsel Association that represents 500 prosecutors in the province, has filed a workplace grievance with the B.C. Prosecution Service meant to address what he says is inadequate staffing in the Kootenays and Okanagan.
Crown counsels in the Kootenays work out of two main hubs, Nelson and Cranbrook, that also serve nearby communities. Nelson has four prosecutors who also work on Castlegar, Trail and Rossland cases. Cranbrook has five Crown counsellors who also oversee Fernie, Creston and Invermere.
Dalrymple, who toured the region last week speaking with courtroom staff, elected officials and community leaders, said each office needs to add two more prosecutors.
Four total hires, he said, may not sound like much but would be a substantial increase for Kootenay courtrooms. He couldn't say when the last time staffing levels increased in the region.
“It's not a science. It's difficult to get the data, but we believe that, based on what we've heard from our front-line prosecutors and what we know about the increasing complexity of crime, that we need that increase.”
The number of needed hires, he said, is based in part on population growth as well as the changing nature of police work. Footage from body cameras worn by RCMP in Cranbrook, for example, is a new category of evidence submitted by police, all of which has to be reviewed by Crown counsellors before charges are approved or declined.
That differs from the amount of evidence submitted only a few decades ago, when Dalrymple said it might be more limited to witness statements.
"Now we're seeing more and more digital devices and recordings being used, whether it's body-worn cameras that's starting to come out, or it's just someone's cell phones or their hard drives or their computers. So it's quite a lot of information that needs to be reviewed, and it may or may not even result in charges."
Dalrymple also pointed to a 2023 mental-health study by the association that found 50 per cent of B.C. prosecutors were burned out.
The association's collective agreement with the prosecution service expired in 2019, but Dalrymple said the grievance will allow both organizations to negotiate the matter. If that process doesn't end in an agreement, it may be considered by an arbitrator.
A spokesperson for the B.C. Prosecution Service said it does not comment on active grievances.
