Edmonton court clerks file workload grievances

Judicial clerks working at the courthouse here filed 35 workload grievances against the government this spring, as more than 110 administrative job vacancies remain in courts across the province.

Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) spokesman Tyler Bedford confirmed Monday that most of the grievances were initiated at the end of April, though a few were filed in late May.

About 30 vacant administrative court positions exist in Edmonton, Alberta Justice said last week.

Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley said she is aware of the grievances, and said though she can’t comment at length because the matter remains in arbitration, she believes filling 30 of the vacancies across Alberta will help ease some of the pressures.

“We’re hopeful that that will have an impact and we’ll continue to monitor the situation closely,” Ganley said Friday.

In March, Alberta Justice announced $14.5 million in the province’s 2017-18 budget to fund 30 court support staff vacancies and 35 Crown prosecutor positions.

On Friday, the ministry confirmed hiring is underway. It expects to have reduced the province-wide court administrative vacancies from 111 to about 81 by the end of the summer.

The clerks’ grievances were filed amid efforts to cut down on a backlog of court cases that led to Edmonton’s overwhelmed Crown prosecutors staying charges because of lack of resources, and the introduction of a “triage” policy that is supposed to guide prosecutors in prioritizing cases related to public safety.