Over a Shadowed Threshold: Supreme Court of British Columbia Litigation Activity 1992-2022

The Supreme Court of British Columbia between 2002 to 2022 published “Annual Reports” that include information and statistics from 1992 to 2022 concerning Court litigation and activities. Compiled Annual Report data and calculations permit the first long-duration survey of different litigation type volumes, specific process activities, and the frequency at which court and judicial resources could not support scheduled proceedings in a provincial superior court of inherent jurisdiction. The resulting observations in this article are strong support for further and expanded quantitative investigation and evaluation of Canadian courts and their operation. While the overall volume of new Supreme Court of British Columbia activity is generally stable, extended timeline data reveals long-duration shifts in the frequency of certain litigation types, and a general decrease in trial volume, with the largest decreases being in criminal subject litigation. However, the volume of “long chambers” interlocutory processes has remained stable.