Court service fees and money paid to jurors will be updated as the province introduced legislation to amend the applicable acts.
Bill 46 was introduced to modernize the reasons that people can be exempted from jury duty as well as improve the fees jurors receive when sitting on a trial.
Currently jurors receive $30 per day beginning on the 11th day of a trial but under the proposed legislation fees would be paid beginning on the first day and would be increased.
“Our government continues to modernize Manitoba’s courts, to take advantage of technologies, provide better services and decrease wait times for access. This includes addressing fees that have not been updated in years,” said Justice Minister Cameron Friesen. “Current juror fees have become a barrier, and these changes will increase fairness for jurors and acknowledge their investment of time.”
The amendments to the Court Services Fees Acts would allow for adjustments to court fees to more reasonably reflect the cost of services. This change would also prepare for an increased range of services coming online with the implementation of the Integrated Case Management System announced in June 2020.
Friesen noted that the updates would align Manitoba with other jurisdictions who have already made the types of changes.
© News4.ca 2021
