New municipal bylaw courts up and running in Rosthern, Fort Qu’Appelle

The Government of Saskatchewan says two new municipal bylaw courts are up and running in Rosthern and Fort Qu’Appelle.

The new bylaw courts began operating in late March, the provincial government said in a statement issued on Monday. The province said the new courts, which will be presided over by a justice of the peace, will reduce the pressure on existing bylaw courts in Regina and Saskatoon.

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“This new court model is based on the regional bylaw court model already in operation in Kindersley, with 42 partnered west-central Saskatchewan municipalities,” the Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice said in a statement.

“This model has successfully increased compliance with bylaws in the partnered communities and diverted bylaw matters from regular court dockets.”

The model offers several advantages, the ministry said, including increased revenue for municipalities through fine payments, streamlined court attendance for police and bylaw officers, improved access to bylaw courts and more accountability and enforcement when someone breaches a bylaw.

“Investing in the Justice of the Peace program strengthens our justice system and ensures timely, fair resolution of bylaw matters for the community,” Provincial Court of Saskatchewan Chief Judge Shannon Metivier said in a statement.

In addition to the new bylaw courts, the ministry said new traffic safety courts are coming to Fort Qu’Appelle and Rosthern this summer, with the intention of combining bylaw court and traffic court into a single court sitting.