Court amalgamation to have little impact here

BY BRENT FOX

The Advertiser

NovaNewsNow.com

The changes concerning measures to amalgamate aspects of provincial and family courts should have little effect in Kings County.

The Nova Scotia Justice Department announced last month that it would streamline the justice system by allowing provincial court judges to hear family court matters.

The intent is to provide more flexibility in the face of greater demand on the family courts. The amalgamation would increase the number of judges available to hear family cases.

Department spokesperson Carla Grant told The Advertiser April 5 that there would be no changes to justice administration in Kings County because of the move.

Grant said that Judge Robert Levy would continue to hear family court cases for the area. The aim was to provide more flexibility to the system. This would be useful in the event of vacations and the like, Grant said. “But it’s not something we feel will be widespread.”

The Kentville court facilities currently have room for up to two provincial courts and one Supreme court to run simultaneously, while the family court sits at the Provincial Building to the north of town. The Windsor provincial court is also administered out of the Kentville justice centre.

The department has also noted that the planned amalgamation wouldn’t affect the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia family court divisions at Halifax or in Cape Breton.