CSO - Search Traffic/Criminal By Agency Name

UNDERSTANDING THIS SITE

Court Services Online provides access to the public court record including the Provincial Court ticket records and Provincial Court criminal records. Most of the records displayed in this site are traffic offences or criminal code offences. Some offences are municipal bylaw offences or offences under provincial or federal Acts, such as the Fisheries Act. Not all the offences identified as (P,A) are criminal code offences.

You should not assume that every person who appears on this site has been convicted of an offence. Not all charges proceed to a trial and a conviction. Many charges are dismissed and many charges result in an acquittal. You must read through all the information to determine whether or not a person charged with an offence was found guilty of the offence.

Is a search of the court record the same as a criminal record check?

A search of the court record through Court Services Online is not the same as a criminal record check. Court Services Online only displays information on proceedings in British Columbia and only displays public court record information. A criminal record check is not limited to British Columbia and not limited to the public court record.

Why is this information available?

An open and transparent judicial process is important in order to preserve public confidence in the courts and the administration of justice. The principles governing access to the court record balance the right of the public to transparency in the administration of justice with the right of the individual to privacy. The courts and the legislators recognize the need to protect the privacy of vulnerable individuals involved in court proceedings. As a result, much of the court record information is not available through Court Services Online or at the court registry.

Court Services Online does not display all of the information in the public court record.

Who has the authority to approve access to court record information?

The Judiciary in British Columbia has the sole authority to approve access to court record information in the province. The Judiciary has approved access to the public court record through Court Services Online.

What is the public court record?

Court records are public unless legislation, rules of court or court orders require that information not be available to the public. Information that is not available to the public includes; youth matters and matters sealed under a court order.

It is policy to remove a record suspension (formerly known as pardon) file from the public record when the registry receives notice of the record suspension from the federal authorities (Parole Board of Canada at www.pbc-clcc.gc.ca).

It is also policy to remove a matter that has been stayed one year after the stay is ordered.

Can I request that a record suspension (formerly known as pardon) offence be removed from this site?

It is policy to remove a record suspension (formerly known as a pardon) file from the public record when the registry receives notice of the record suspension from the federal authorities (Parole Board of Canada at www.pbc-clcc.gc.ca). If you have received a record suspension for an offence and the offence record still appears on the site, you can request that the record be removed from this site by emailing bcolhelp@gov.bc.ca and providing the following information:

your name and, if different than your current name, the name associated with the record suspended offence
the document reference number for the record suspension offence as it appears on the search results screen (this is the number in the second column from the left)
a scanned copy of the letter or certificate from the Parole Board of Canada confirming that you have received a record suspension of the offence identified by the document reference number. If you are unable to scan and attach the letter to your email, send an email first and ask for directions on faxing or mailing the letter.

How do I request that a file be sealed?

Files that are "sealed" by order of the court do not appear on Court Services Online. To request an order sealing the file, you must appear in court and explain to the judge why the record should not be available to the public. If the judge grants the order sealing the file, the court registry will block access to the file through Court Services Online and at the registry counter.