Charlotte County lawyers launch legal action to stop court closures
The lawyers allege a lack of transparency surrounding the decision to close courts in the county
A group of Charlotte County lawyers has launched a legal action to try to stop the closure of courts in St. Stephen and Grand Manan.
A notice of Application was filed Wednesday on behalf of the Charlotte County Barristers' Society.
It asks that the decision to close the courthouse be either quashed, suspended, or that a temporary injunction prohibiting the closure be granted until issues raised by the lawyers can be addressed.
The lawyers allege there is a lack of transparency surrounding the decision to close courts in the county.
The application says the decision was "arbitrary in that it completely discredits and disregards the interests of the Applicant and residents of Charlotte County."
There was no consultation."- David Bartlett, lawyer
St. Andrews lawyer David Bartlett says justice is being denied to people in Charlotte County, many of whom live more than an hour and a half away from the new courthouse in Saint John.
"There was no consultation," said Bartlett.
"They seem to have ignored obvious issues such as that there is no public transit existing between Charlotte County and Saint John. We have no idea of how people are supposed to get there if you don't have a car," he said.
Bartlett says instead of patrolling their communities police officers stationed in the county will be required to spend a lot of time commuting back and forth to court in Saint John.
On March 31, in the Gallant government's first budget, it was announced courthouses in Grand Manan and St. Stephen would close, along with those in Sussex and Grand Falls.
In his budget speech from March 31, Finance Minister Roger Melanson said, "with the opening of the Saint John Law Courts in 2013, we now have a number of facilities that are no longer critical to the proper functioning of our justice system."
The government is projecting a $476 million deficit for this fiscal year.
The province did not immediately respond to CBC News' request to discuss the filing.
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