Manitoba increasing pay for jurors, expanding eligibility for jury service
Pay for jurors increases from $30 per day to $80; starts on 1st day of trial rather than 11th
The province is moving ahead with changes to who can serve on a jury in Manitoba and how much they are compensated.
Starting Aug. 20, jurors will be paid $80 per day starting on the first day of trial, says a news release from the province.
Previously, jurors were not compensated until the 11th day of a trial and were paid only $30 per day.
These changes are a result of amendments to the Court Practice and Administration Act, which were passed in the legislature this past spring, the province said in a Tuesday news release.
In addition to the compensation changes, the amendments also say people with disabilities that can be reasonably accommodated may also serve on juries moving forward.
That change will make Manitoba courts more fair, Families Minister Rochelle Squires said in Tuesday's news release, saying Manitobans with disabilities "are important representatives of a significant portion of society in our province."
As well, people with criminal records for summary convictions — involving crimes of a less serious nature — are now allowed to sit on juries in Manitoba.
However, those who have been convicted of more serious, or indictable, offences will still be barred from serving on a jury.
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