A temporary suspension of limitation periods to commence court proceedings in British Columbia is coming to an end next week.
The BC Government says that the suspension of limitations period will be lifted on March 25, 2020.
The end date comes nearly one year after limitation periods for commencing a new civil or family action or appeal were suspended on March 26, 2020.
The suspension was deployed by the government due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the request of the Attorney General, the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General made the order last March to suspend limitation periods in recognition that, during the pandemic, British Columbians involved in legal or administrative proceedings may have been unable to take steps required to commence legal proceedings.
The decision behind ending the suspension was made because the justice system has since been able to adapt its operations.
The end date of March 25 was announced back on Dec. 22 in order to “provide certainty and advance notice for lawyers and litigants to prepare to commence actions and appeals,” according to the BC Government.
“Persons, tribunals and other bodies with a statutory power of decision will continue to have a temporary discretionary power to waive, suspend or extend mandatory time periods relating to the exercise of that power, but this does not extend to courts,” adds the government.
The government says that this power will remain in force for 90 days beyond the end of the provincial state of emergency that remains in place and was initially declared on March 18, 2020, under the Emergency Program Act.
For more information about the end of the suspension of limitations, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/
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