September 8, 2022

Amendments to Surrogate Rules and Forms – Requirement to Use the Surrogate Digital Service

The Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta is reminding lawyers that as of Sept. 13, 2022, members of the Law Society of Alberta will be required to utilize the Surrogate Digital Service (SDS) for applications the SDS is capable of processing (currently applications for probate only). Members of the Law Society filing grant applications after Sept. 12, 2022, other than through the SDS, must include a GA1 submission eligibility form with each application indicating why it was not capable of being processed through the SDS. A link to the current form is available here. The form will be updated as the applications the SDS is capable of processing expands, therefore the link should be used regularly to obtain the most current version of it.  

Read the Announcement

Court of Queen's Bench Announcements

Online Gladue Report Request Forms


On May 18, 2022 the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta and the Provincial Court of Alberta commenced a pilot project in Edmonton for completing Gladue Report Request forms through an online portal.


Effective Sept. 6, 2022, use of the online Gladue Report Request Form will be expanded to all Queen’s Bench and Provincial Court locations in the province.


This form is for use only by Defence Counsel after the Court has ordered a Gladue Report be prepared for sentencing purposes. There are a number of mandatory fields, which must be completed by Defence Counsel, so that the Gladue Report can be prepared in a timely manner. Once completed by Defence Counsel, this form is automatically submitted to the necessary offices for handling. Counsel are strongly encouraged to use this form as a more efficient means of obtaining Gladue Reports.


Return to In-Person Chambers and Process for Orders and Filing


With the return to in-person Chambers commencing Sept. 6, Queen’s Bench Administration has devised the following process for Orders and filing.


Litigants are encouraged to process all Orders electronically, either by email or on the Filing Digital Service. Proposed Orders can be submitted in advance for uploading to SharePoint and electronic signing. For email filing procedures, please see this announcement. In order to avoid delays, remember to use the proper naming conventions for email filing. 


If an urgent (same/next day) Order is granted and signed in paper during a Regular Chambers hearing, litigants may attend to the Urgent Counters in Edmonton and Calgary, or the main counter in regional locations for filing. Otherwise, litigants are instructed to scan the signed paper Order and file it electronically.


Queen’s Bench Administration staff will only process urgent Orders at the counters. Counsel will be advised to file all others electronically. 

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