A Prince George lawyer is expressing relief at the province's decision to restore funding for auxiliary and part-time courtroom sheriffs.
The government had cut what amounted to 34 full-time sheriff positions in late May and the move sparked heated protest from the B.C. Government Employees Union (BCGEU) and led to some judges delaying or halting trials across the province after citing safety concerns.
There were no reported problems in Prince George, where the hours of two part-time sheriffs had been cut by seven hours a week, but lawyer Harris Johnsen, who is the northern B.C. representative on the Trial Lawyers Association of B.C., said the safety concerns remained.
