Only fully vaccinated now allowed to serve on Alberta juries – CBC
Policy implemented without formal notice given to lawyers
Feb 02, 2022
An Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench policy requiring anyone asked to serve on a jury to provide proof of two or more vaccinations has been quietly posted online.
“The Court of Queen’s Bench is taking precautions to protect your health during the jury selection and trial process to minimize the risk of transmission of COVID-19,” the policy states.
“You will be required to produce your Alberta-issued COVID-19 vaccine record with the QR code.”
A spokesperson for Alberta Justice could not say when the policy was posted.
No formal notice was given to counsel about the new directive, found on the court’s website on a page with the title “Jury.”
The policy came as a surprise to Edmonton defence lawyer Rory Ziv, who learned about it while attending jury selection last Thursday.
In part because no notice had been given to counsel, Ziv sought a mistrial, arguing the jury selection process was tainted and his client’s constitutional rights violated.
