There were no trials at Flin Flon provincial court July 4–only dozens of early appearances and smaller items. That said, that didn’t mean judge Malcolm McDonald didn’t have much to do.
The judge issued eight separate warrants for defendants not showing up for court.
At one point, an exasperated McDonald placed his head in his hands in frustration upon hearing an accused lived in Prince Albert and had not appeared in Flin Flon courts yet.
He also scolded an accused youth for showing up to court over an hour after proceedings for the day had started.
The other topic that dominated the court on July 4 were defendants dealing with securing legal aid. Andrew Harkiss, a man accused of arson after a house fire on Rush Place in June, made an appearance. McDonald pushed proceedings back to allow him more time to figure out if he qualified for legal aid.
One accused had three different lawyers assigned to defend him before figuring out who would be able to.
Being on the border usually means jurisdiction issues with Saskatchewan for Flin Flon court. One case had three provinces involved, needing to be prolonged because Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta all needed to figure out what the next steps should be.
Flin Flon’s next regular court date is set for Aug. 1.
