Provincial court judge Adrian Brooks has been named an associate chief judge with responsibility for the 17 provincial court judges based on Vancouver Island.
The appointment is part of a reorganization of the provincial court in B.C. The reorganization is being headed by Chief Judge Thomas Crabtree.
The province’s 12 court regions are being consolidated into five.
Four other judges — Judge Peder Gulbransen, Judge Raymond Low, Judge Robin Smith and Judge Michael Brecknell — have been named associate chief judges to represent the Fraser, Vancouver, Interior and Northern B.C. regions.
The regional judges will be responsible for scheduling and the assignment of cases, Crabtree said.
Once the legislature approves the change, the regional judges will be regional administrative judges.
An independent review, carried out by Geoffrey Cowper, suggested the change as one way to create a clearer, more modern governance structure for the justice system.
The number of cases heard by provincial court judges has decreased over the past couple of years.
