The Alberta government plans to hire 50 Crown prosecutors and 30 support staff to deal with a chronic backlog in the court system that has prompted Crowns to stay charges and triage cases. "The steps we plan to take are vital for access to justice and our justice system as a whole," Ganley said. The government was already hiring 15 Crown prosecutors before Thursday's announcement. The Alberta Crown Attorneys Association revealed the next day that 200 charges had been stayed since the start of 2017. A hiring freeze has created a shortage of Crown prosecutors and court clerks.

Source: CBC News March 09, 2017 18:23 UTC