Albertaâs association representing crown attorneys is calling on the province to take action, saying hundreds of cases have been stayed in recent months due to a persistent lack of resources.
On Tuesday morning, Edmontonâs chief crown prosecutor stayed charges in 15 criminal cases, citing a lack of resources and a shortage of crown prosecutors.
According to the Alberta Crown Attorneysâ Association, approximately 200 similar cases in Alberta have been stayed over two months, as courts remain at staff levels from more than a decade ago.
According to the association, 35 full time-equivalent positions are currently vacant within the province, and 15 more are needed to deal with the workload in Alberta in 2017.
âSo from 2006 to the current day, weâve added about a million people, which is equivalent to the population of Saskatchewan,â James Pickard, president of the Alberta Crown Attorneysâ Association, told CTV Edmonton. âWe have met with the deputy minister about two weeks ago, but there hasnât been, as of yet, any proactive cancelling of the hiring freeze thatâs in place.â
Pickard says heâs optimistic Alberta Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley will address what his association calls a crisis. Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Ganley disputed the associationâs numbers.
âI do think that (prosecutors) are working very hard and like most government employees, we are asking them to maybe work harder than they used to do,â Ganley said. âI definitely think it is inaccurate to say that we havenât hired any crown prosecutors since 2006.â
Ganleyâs office told Âéśš´ŤĂ˝ that 28 prosecutors, along with 25 support staff and two students were hired between 2009 and 2010.
The ministerâs office also said that the provincial government is currently recruiting as many as 16 prosecutors in the region.
The minister canât say currently how much, if any, extra funding will arrive in the upcoming provincial budget.
The chief crown prosecutor is already saying the province hasnât seen the last of significant criminal charges being stayed as a result of the overburdened workload.
With a report by CTV Edmontonâs David Ewasuk
