Residents around the Carnduff area will now have to travel to Estevan to have their court matters heard. The Chief Judge of the Provincial Court of Saskatchewan made the announcement which will take effect on May 4, 2017 and will mean the closure of four circuit court points including Carnduff, Watrous, Big River and Southey with Southey going until July. Before this, court officials from Estevan would travel to Carnduff and hold court in the Legion Hall every other month. 

The move will expect to save the justice department $7000 of travel and facility rental fees. 

However, not everyone is a fan of the change.

"I have a few concerns," shares Justice Critic, Nicole Saraeur. "These circuit points are all very important for the ability of justice to occur in communities. When these circuit points get closed, they get moved to larger centres and a part of that community disappears." 

She adds that one of the important things about having circuit point locations, even though they sit sporadically, is the importance of having justice occurring in the community.

"It's important that justice is felt to be meted in the location in which it happens for the purpose of community healing."

Saraeur also warns that the closure might create problems for those who now need to travel to Estevan.

"For those who aren't on remand, they are going to have to figure out their own way of getting to Estevan. Even though it may only be an hour away, for some people, that can be very, very difficult. And if you don't show up to your court date, that results in further delays in the court system and further charges."

The closure was made after a review of judicial resources around the province. The Chief Judge also consulted with local judges and made inquires to whether the receiving courthouse could handle the influx of appearances. 

Saraeur is concerned the change will add to the workload in Estevan. 

"The worry is that Estevan Provincial Court will become busier because these cases will now be heard in Estevan. We're also dealing with a justice system that is already quite bogged down and with moving these charges and individuals to larger centres, the concern is that it will further delay justice."

The Estevan Court House also recently took over Queen's Bench duties from Weyburn when the courthouse there stopped hearing trials. Provincial court matters are still being heard in Weyburn. In 2015, Weyburn heard only two out of 400 Queen bench trials in the province. Two deputy sheriffs and one administrative assistant lost their jobs while others were transferred to Estevan. It was expected to save the government $108,000.

The Carlyle circuit court, served by the Estevan Provincial Court, will not change.

READ MORE: Carnduff Cirucuit Court Shutting Down