Outstanding Warrants (Details)

Name of province/ territory:

Alberta

City/ Region:

Alberta

Description of Initiative:

Warrants are issued in cases where an individual does not appear in court as required, or does not pay a fine by a specified due date as required by a provincial statute or municipal bylaw. Despite several initiatives targeting outstanding warrants in the past two years, the number of outstanding warrants in Alberta continues to increase, rising to over 171,000 in May 2011. In response, the Alberta Ministry of Justice and Solicitor General created an Outstanding Warrants Process Review Working Group to identify potential solutions to the problem. This committee was made up of representatives from the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association, the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties, the City of Edmonton, the City of Calgary, and the Alberta Department of Justice.

Initiative Key Objectives:

Reduce the number of outstanding warrants, relieve the backlog, and better manage the use of police resources.

Section Responsible for Implementation:

Undetermined at this time.

Key Contact:

Gordon K. Falconer
Gordon.Falconer@gov.ab.ca

Groups/ Agencies/ Key Partners Involved:

• civilian governing authorities

Level of Involvement (consultative - information sharing) and/or cooperative - direct involvement):

Involvement is consultative and information-sharing.

Amount of Time Initiative has been in Place:

The review commenced in November 2011.

Reason for Undertaking the Initiative:

On May 1, 2011, there were over 171,000 outstanding warrants in Alberta and the initiative was undertaken to assess the volume and explore potential solutions to the problem.

Resources Required to Implement this Initiative:

In June 2012, a consultant was hired to assist with the ongoing work. The full costs associated with the implementation are undetermined. The costs will be determined along the way.

Method of Implementation:

N/A

Key Outcomes of the Initiative:

The Outstanding Warrants Process Review Working Group produced a report in August 2011 proposing five key projects to address outstanding warrants in Alberta and improve associated business practices. Those currently underway include improving and standardizing the warrants processes, maintaining comprehensive baseline data, and creating incentives to reduce the number of matters going to warrant.

Recommendations to collect debts on outstanding fines and address the current backlog of warrants have not yet been addressed.

To address existing warrants, the Alberta government is undertaking the Prosecution Service Historical Warrant Review Process and the Sheriff Services’ Warrant Review Process. To reduce the number of new warrants issued in the future, it is proposed that amendments be made to the Provincial Offences Procedure Act.

Availability of a Communication Strategy:

No

Key Messages used to Publicize the Initiative:

N/A

Forms of Evaluation by which the Initiative will be Assessed:

• N/A

Evaluation Completed or Community Feedback Received:

No

Summary of the Outcomes:

N/A

Summary of the Performance Measure Data Collected:

N/A

Economics of Policing Pillars:

• Efficiencies within Police Services
• New Models of Community Safety
• Efficiencies within the Justice System

Further Details:

N/A

Additional Comments or Suggestions:

N/A

Record Entry Date:

2013-08-01