Water main break shuts down Court of King's Bench in Saskatoon

A water main break led to the closure of Court of King's Bench in Saskatoon on Monday.

The loss of water to the courthouse at 510 Spadina Cres. E. sent lawyers and court staff scrambling to adjust Monday morning. Three trials and a sentencing had been scheduled to begin, or continue.

This was supposed to be the second week of a judge-alone murder trial. Colton Lischka and Ashtin Ritzand are on trial charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of James Swift on Aug. 29, 2022. They are also charged with attempted murder.

Prosecutor Paul Scott said that the disruption should not affect the flow of the trial. Two key Crown witnesses scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday are expected to testify as planned.

City of Saskatoon spokesperson Mark Rogstad said the issue at Court of King's Bench is not connected to the encampment fire beneath the University Bridge that damaged a raw sewage line and shut down the bridge for the day.