By Tim Amey

Chilliwack, B.C. - Chilliwack MLA John Les is beside himself with anger.  Tuesday NDP leader Adrian Dix was in Chilliwack calling on the BC Liberals to fix the court system and get rid of all the delays. 

Les says it was then BC Premier Glen Clark with his chief of Staff Adrian Dix and Attorney General Ujjal Dosanjh who were going to close Chilliwack's courthouse.  Les was Mayor at the time and the city of Chilliwack had to subsidize the courthouse to keep it open for two years.  It was the BC Liberals who eventually built the new one.  “For Adrian Dix to now come into Chilliwack and have the balls to suggest that there isn’t sufficient court time in Chilliwack is just breathtaking in terms of brazen balderdash!”  Les calls Dix a hypocrite and says the then NDP government would have left Chilliwack with nothing. 

Les also dismisses Dix and the NDP’s solution to throw more money at the problem.  He says the BC Liberals have hired more judges and more sheriffs.  However he says it is a bit strange that there are increased delays in a time when crime is actually going down.  He says his government wants to get to the bottom of the problem and that’s why they’ve hired someone to look into it. 

However he says you have to fix the systemic problem and throwing money at it like the NDP suggests isn’t going to solve anything.
 

Comments

Posted by: loveinchilliwack on February 22 2012 12:45 PM

More money always solves the problems doesn't it? Of course I'm sure there is a magic money tree somewhere. I'm glad that as a citizen and tax payer I don't have to be on the hook for paying for that kind of stuff.....

Posted by: Sandra Stuppard on February 22 2012 1:00 PM

The back log in the courts is a multi-faceted problem that requires a comprehensive approach to remedy. Money? Well, if you are talking about increasing personnel and updating technology to speed up processing of documents, well that only goes so far. It's the actual legal process to ensure that everyone gets a fair kick at the cat that is slowing things down. Just remember that if it was someone you knew, loved, or worse, yourself, you would want everyone to check and double check every option, use every tactic, and implement every tool at their disposal to prove your innocence and moreover, gain your freedom. That is all these other individuals are doing too - even if they are guilty. They are entitled to the same rights, privileges and opportunities that you and I enjoy. Until a foolproof tool is built that can unequivocally prove an individual's guilt or innocence, we must allow everyone access to the same process in order to protect all.

Posted by: SardisisreallyChilliwack on February 22 2012 5:15 PM

Mr Les is bang on with the threats to close the court house completely by the NDP..I remember standing in the rain with a retired judge amongst others to "Protest"

damn fools can't have it both way.

The Back log is fairly well explained by Sandra Stuppard above.

It's just a matter of paying for everyone that gets in my way. Screw the boneheads even if they are mine.

I also believe that someone should be placed in Charge of the System and MAKE it run efficiently.