Courts of Saskatchewan

Court Structure

Courts Resources

The court structure in Saskatchewan follows a hierarchical model similar to that found in provinces across Canada. There are three levels of court in Saskatchewan:

Provincial Court of Saskatchewan

• Trial court that handles the great majority of criminal cases that come into the justice system
• Court of first appearance for almost all criminal matters
• Civil and criminal jurisdiction defined by federal and provincial statutes, including:
  • Adult criminal
  • Youth criminal
  • Civil – small claims less than $50,000
  • Traffic safety
  • Municipal bylaws
  • Some family law matters in courthouses outside of Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert
• Chief Judge and 49 judges
• 13 permanent court offices around the province
• Approximately 60 circuit point court locations

Court of King’s Bench for Saskatchewan

• Highest level of trial court in the province
• Typically deals with the most serious criminal offences
• Handles the great majority of family law matters
• Inherent jurisdiction to hear any matter put before it; including:
  • Serious adult and youth criminal matters
  • All jury trials
  • Civil matters greater than $50,000
  • Family matters including divorce, custody, access, support, property division
  • Charter and constitutional challenges
  • Applications related to estates
• Hears appeals from most civil and criminal matters in Provincial Court and from provincial administrative boards and tribunals
• Chief Justice, Associate Chief Justice and 36 justices
• 10 permanent court locations around the province 

Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan

• The highest court in the province
• Not a trial court, only hears appeals from:
  • Court of King’s Bench in all matters
  • Provincial Court in certain (indictable) criminal matters
  • certain provincial administrative boards and tribunals
• Chief Justice of Saskatchewan and 7 justices
• Located in Regina; sits regularly in Regina and travels to Saskatoon to hear civil matters for one week six times per year

A party can seek to leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada from a decision of the Court of Appeal.

It is not an automatic right of appeal and there are typically fewer than five cases per year that advance to the Supreme Court from Saskatchewan.