New Legislation Updates Court Procedure Rules

Civil procedure rules that regulate procedures for the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal will be clearer because of legislation introduced today, Nov. 14, by Justice Minister and Attorney General Cecil Clarke.

The legislation ratifies and confirms the rules revised by the judges of the two courts.

"The previous rules were made in 1972," said Mr. Clarke. "Our judges have done considerable work to update them, make them more user-friendly, and put a new focus on plain language."

Although the rules have served the province well, concerns about delays, costs and undue complexity of court proceedings suggested they needed to be examined in detail and re-written as required.

The Supreme Court of Nova Scotia conducted a comprehensive review and revision of the rules over the past five years. At the invitation of the Supreme Court, the Law Reform Commission, the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society, and the Department of Justice helped with the revision.