Night Court Capacity Doubles in Halifax Regional Municipality

Nova Scotians in the Halifax area are getting their night in court within a matter of weeks thanks to changes made by the Department of Justice.

The department has doubled its capacity by opening a second court room in both the Halifax and Dartmouth locations to ensure justice is served in a timely manner for those Nova Scotians with summary offence ticket trials.

With three new evening sittings, the wait is now down to two or three months rather than a year to get on the court docket.

The kind of violations heard at night court include speeding tickets, noise complaints, and offences under the provincial Liquor Control Act.

"The sooner people can get into court, the more accurate the facts and testimony are likely to be," said Attorney General and Justice Minister Cecil Clarke. "A quicker turnaround time benefits everyone from the plaintiff, to the police, witnesses, and court staff."

Summary offence tickets are issued by peace officers for offences under Nova Scotia laws and some federal laws, but not under the Criminal Code of Canada. They are punishable on conviction and may result in fines of not more than $2,000 or imprisonment for six months, or both a fine and imprisonment.

Night court is held in Halifax, Dartmouth and Sydney for people who choose to plead not guilty to summary offense tickets.