The Honourable Felix Collins, Minster of Justice and Attorney General, and Chief Judge D. Mark Pike of the Provincial Court of Newfoundland and Labrador, are pleased to announce the official launch of the Small Claims e-filing Initiative. As a result of this initiative, any person in the province wishing to file a small claims application with Provincial Court now has the option to file the claim and pay the related fees online.

"The ability to file small claims applications online provides greater access to the courts for the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador," said Minister Collins. "Recently, our government brought to the House of Assembly amendments to the Small Claims Act and regulations which increase the monetary jurisdiction of Small Claims Court and also allow judges to provide return of property or specific performance judgments. The capability for online filing is complementary to these important amendments and I commend Chief Judge Pike and the Provincial Court of Newfoundland and Labrador for this initiative."

E-filing is the Provincial Court's first experience with an alternative method of service delivery for one of its lines of business. A targeted pilot of e-filing was implemented and included some of the most frequent filers of small claims applications. As well, the Office of the High Sheriff provided a gateway through the Judgment Enforcement Remote Registry for people to register e-filings for small claims. Prior to e-filing, a user would have to file an application at the registry of Provincial Court or by mail. As a result of e-filing, individuals can now file applications from anywhere they have access to the Internet.

"The Small Claims e-filing Initiative supports the Provincial Court's strategic direction of improving access to justice by alternative service delivery models," said Chief Judge Pike. "Newfoundland and Labrador and British Columbia are the only provinces in Canada which provide online filing for Small Claims Court. Our court is a leader in this area of the law and I encourage participants of Small Claims Court to take advantage of the e-filing process."

The online service provides many help boxes throughout the e-filing process. An email address and a toll free helpline (1-888-729-1569) are also available to users during normal business hours and a voice mail service is provided. The public can access the e-filing process at: www.court.nl.ca/provincial/courts/smallclaims/efiling.html.

- 30 -

Media contacts: