Alberta jury trials to resume next month at offsite locations due to COVID-19 pandemic

The Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta says jury selection and jury trials will resume next month, but most won’t be in courtrooms.

The court says on its website that proceedings will start Sept. 8, after they were postponed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most courtrooms and jury deliberation rooms, including the Edmonton Law Courts and the Calgary Courts Centre, are not designed to ensure adequate physical distancing for everyone.

READ MORE: Alberta courthouses preparing for disruptions as COVID-19 spreads 

The court says the trials will, for the most part, be held offsite.

It says approximately 12 locations across Alberta may host the trials in halls, hotels and community centres.

Jury summonses are currently being prepared for trials starting in September and will be issued shortly.

Watch below: (From June 2, 2020) Courthouses in Alberta largely shut down in the middle of March because of the pandemic, but now they’re beginning to resume some in-person trials and ramping up the use of online video conferencing. Sarah Ryan has the details from the Edmonton Law Courts.

1:57 Alberta Law Courts slowly reopening with restrictions