Court will also implement a new digital document management system
The Nova Scotia government has announced the immediate commencement of work to implement the Provincial Court of Nova Scotia’s new electronic filing and digital document management system, expected to be fully in place in fall 2027.
“The pandemic showed us the efficiencies that were possible with electronic filing and management of documents and, after much consultation, research and planning, we are now at the stage to implement these improvements,” said Perry Borden, chief judge of the Nova Scotia Provincial Court, in a news release.
New system’s goals
The Nova Scotia government shared that the new system will aim to:
- Decrease delays
- Promote access to justice
- Help judges, lawyers, court staff, police, and other justice system partners file, share, store, and access documents more easily and securely
“We want to use every tool available to make sure Nova Scotians have timely access to justice,” said Scott Armstrong, Nova Scotia’s attorney general and justice minister, in the news release.
“We are grateful for the government’s ongoing collaboration and commitment to modernize Nova Scotia’s court system,” Chief Judge Borden added.
In 2021, the province’s Department of Justice and judiciary spearheaded the launch of a digital task force, which sought to digitally transform the provincial court system.
More on Nova Scotia Provincial Court
According to the Nova Scotia government, with 17 courthouses throughout the province, the Provincial Court has bail court and specialized wellness court programs, aimed at advancing Indigenous restorative justice principles and tackling issues involving mental health, substance use, and domestic violence.
“People come to provincial court at important and often stressful moments,” Armstrong said in the news release. “By modernizing how court documents are filed and managed, we can help them move through the system with greater confidence and less delay.”
In 2025, over 18,000 informations (sworn or affirmed statements initiating a criminal proceeding) were laid, while 76,000 summary offence tickets were issued across the province.
Work in Nova Scotia Court of Appeal
In its news release, the Nova Scotia government noted that the Provincial Court of Nova Scotia’s new electronic filing and digital document management system seeks to supplement existing efforts to digitize the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal, expected to be implemented later this year.
Other Nova Scotia news
Here are some other news stories involving Nova Scotia.
In its Apr. 29 announcement of the release of its 2025 annual report, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal shared that court users filed 141 appeals, 95 of which were civil and 46 of which were criminal, representing a slight increase from the previous year.
On Feb. 25, the Nova Scotia government announced the introduction of amendments under the province’s Children and Family Services Act to strictly prohibit the publication of information on social media to identify children who are the subject of court proceedings.
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