'I think people are suffering': Provincial court judge calls out legal aid CEO over Saskatoon cuts
Dan Zakreski | CBC News | Posted: July 23, 2018 4:48 PM | Last Updated: July 23, 2018
Judge Barry Singer describes situation as 'macabre' and 'dire'
A provincial court judge is calling out the CEO of the Saskatchewan Legal Aid Commission over cuts to the Saskatoon office.
Judge Barry Singer made his remarks on July 19 during video appearances on the morning docket in courtroom #5. There had been multiple adjournments.
During a break, he spoke to Legal Aid lawyer Val Harvey, who was handling that day's appearances.
Harvey says it was unprecedented in her experience.
"I've never seen this happen. Never. Judges typically don't get involved in those sorts of things," she said.
"What he said was that Legal Aid offices across the province, and not just Legal Aid but Crown, probation, everywhere else that he sits, and he sits in courts across the province, and he says that the other jurisdictions, they're all adequately resourced. Saskatoon is not. Saskatoon, he says, is being picked on."
It's no one else's fault but the Commission's head office. - Judge Barry Singer
Judge Singer urged Harvey to send a memo to Commission CEO Craig Goebels.
"Please, if you're able to, tell Mr Goebels, my dissatisfaction. Send him a memo. I think people are suffering, these are people on remand who haven't been convicted of anything," Singer said.
"It's no one else's fault but the Commission's head office."
Singer described the situation as "macabre" and "dire."
The Commission announced the cuts at the end of June. They are to take effect in September.
The Saskatoon office is losing six support positions and choosing not to fill three vacant lawyer positions. Harvey said it's the shortage of lawyers that created the problem identified by Judge Singer.
She said that, once the support positions are cut in the fall, it will be "a nightmare."
On Monday, NDP Justice critic Nicole Sarauer called on Justice Minister Don Morgan to step into the fray.
"These comments from the bench speak to the seriousness of the resourcing problems at the Saskatoon Legal Aid office," she said.
"The Sask. Party government's Minister of Justice is responsible for making sure Legal Aid has the resources it needs to advocate for vulnerable people. It's clear from these comments that he is failing."