The Territorial Court of Yukon (french: Cour territoriale du Yukon) is the lower trial court in the court system of the Canadian territory of

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

. The court sits permanently in

Whitehorse Whitehorse () is the capital of Yukon, and the largest city in Northern Canada. It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1426 (Historic Mile 918) on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's Downtown Whitehorse, downtown ...

but also provides services in 14 other communities including

Dawson City Dawson City, officially the City of Dawson, is a town in the Canadian territory of Yukon. It is inseparably linked to the Klondike Gold Rush (1896–99). Its population was 1,577 as of the 2021 census, making it the second-largest town in Yuko ...

and Watson Lake.

Responsibilities

According to the official website of the government of Yukon,Territorial Court of Yukon
Government of Yukon Territory official site the court deals with most criminal prosecutions in the territory under the

Criminal Code A criminal code (or penal code) is a document that compiles all, or a significant amount of a particular jurisdiction's criminal law. Typically a criminal code will contain offences that are recognised in the jurisdiction, penalties that might ...

and other federal statutes, as well as

young offender A young offender is a young person who has been convicted or cautioned for a criminal offense. Criminal justice systems often deal with young offenders differently from adult offenders, but different countries apply the term "young offender" ...

s and offences under the laws of Yukon. It also handles

bail Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Bail is the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when required. In some countrie ...

hearings, first appearances,

trial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribun ...

s and sentencing, and has jurisdiction over both

summary may refer to: * Abstract (summary), shortening a passage or a write-up without changing its meaning but by using different words and sentences * Epitome, a summary or miniature form * Abridgement, the act of reducing a written work into a sho ...

and

indictable offence In many common law jurisdictions (e.g. England and Wales, Ireland, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore), an indictable offence is an offence which can only be tried on an indictment after a preliminary hearing ...

s. The Territorial Court does not deal with most matters of family law, such as

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving th ...

child custody Child custody is a legal term regarding '' guardianship'' which is used to describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent or guardian and a child in that person's care. Child custody consists of ''legal custody'', which is the ri ...

and

adoption Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, fro ...

. Its jurisdiction in

civil cases Civil law is a major branch of the law.Glanville Williams. ''Learning the Law''. Eleventh Edition. Stevens. 1982. p. 2. In common law legal systems such as England and Wales and the United States, the term refers to non-criminal law. The law rel ...

is limited to $25,000.Territorial Court of Yukon
at the Yukon Courts official site

Composition

The court has three full-time

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

s and twelve deputy judges, predominantly retired judges from other jurisdictions. The Justice of the Peace Court, which is also part of the Territorial Court, consists of one full-time judge and 32 part-time

Justices of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or '' puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission (letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sam ...

, who are not legally qualified.

List of Current Judges

Presiding Judges * Judge Karen Ruddy * Judge Michael Cozens * Chief Judge Peter Chisholm Deputy Judges * Justice Michael S. Block, Ontario * Judge Michel Chartier, Manitoba * Judge Thomas Crabtree, British Columbia * Justice Joseph De Filippis, Ontario * Judge William Digby, Nova Scotia * Judge John Faulkner, Yukon * Judge Christine V. Harapiak, Manitoba * Judge Murray J. Hinds, Saskatchewan * Judge Martin Lambert, Ontario * Judge Heino Lilles, Yukon * Judge Donald S. Luther, Newfoundland * Judge E. Ann Marie MacInnes, Nova Scotia * Judge Gerald Morin, Saskatchewan * Judge Brian M. Neal, British Columbia * Judge Nancy K. Orr, Prince Edward Island * Judge James Plemel, Saskatchewan * Judge E. Dennis Schmidt, British Columbia * Judge Richard D. Schneider, Ontario * Judge Herman J. Seidemann III, British Columbia * Judge Carol Ann Snell, Saskatchewan * Judge Murray P. Thompson, Manitoba * Judge David C. Walker, New Brunswick * Judge Timothy W. White, Saskatchewan * Judge Pamela Williams, Nova Scotia * Judge Raymond E. Wyant, Manitoba

References

External links

Territorial Court of Yukon website

Territorial Court Act

{{Courts of Canada Yukon courts