Vancouver: The government of British Columbia (BC)  has appointed three Provincial Court judges to help ensure timely and efficient access to justice.

The new judges are Micah Rankin, Charles Hutchison  and Jodi Michaels.

Rankin will be assigned by the judiciary to Victoria. Rankin has more than 18 years of legal experience, having served as chair of the board of directors of Access Pro Bono and as pro bono counsel for several organizations, including the BC Civil Liberties Association. In 2011, Rankin was a founding member of Thompson Rivers University’s faculty of law, returning to practice in 2018 with the Ministry of Attorney General, before transitioning to the BC Prosecution Service’s Criminal Appeals and Special Prosecutions Unit in 2020. In recognition of professional excellence, Rankin was appointed King’s Counsel in 2023.

Hutchinson, who will be assigned by the judiciary to Prince George, brings more than 12 years of legal experience. Upon being called to the bar in 2013, Hutchinson opened a private practice in Prince George, focused on criminal defence, family law and child-protection matters. Since 2017, Hutchinson has also served as a local agent for Legal Aid BC in the Vanderhoof and Fort St. James area, overseeing intake services and working and travelling throughout northern B.C.

Michaels will be assigned by the judiciary to Dawson Creek. Michaels brings more than 13 years of legal experience across criminal, family and civil litigation. After being called to the bar in 2012, Michaels opened a practice handling criminal defence, family litigation and parents’ counsel work, as well as a broad range of civil matters, including civil forfeiture proceedings, ICBC plaintiff litigation, and residential tenancy and property disputes.

Judges are appointed after a multi-step process that starts with interested lawyers applying and the Judicial Council of B.C. reviewing the candidates. The council is a statutory body made up of the chief judge, an associate chief judge, other judges, lawyers and members from outside the legal profession. The council recommends potential judges to the attorney general, with the final appointment made through a cabinet order-in-council. Although judges are assigned to a judicial region, many use technology, such as videoconferencing, for court proceedings, enabling the court to provide timely access to justice for all British Columbians. Judges also travel regularly throughout the province to meet demands.

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Vancouver: A survey from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has unveiled today that more than half of B.C. small businesses say crime has gotten worse in their communities, and nearly eight in ten say governments are not working well together to address public safety challenges.

The survey also shows that many business owners are no longer reporting crime, signaling a growing loss of confidence in the public safety system. Owners say they often do not report incidents because they do not expect a timely response or meaningful follow-up.

“When businesses tell us they no longer call the police or file reports, that’s a serious warning sign,” said Ryan Mitton, CFIB’s Director of Legislative Affairs for B.C. “We are hearing that confidence in the system is breaking down. Crime is not only becoming more common for small businesses, but increasingly something they feel forced to manage on their own.”

For many businesses, particularly in downtown cores and commercial corridors, crime and street disorder have become part of daily operations. Owners report repeated theft and vandalism, higher spending on security measures, and growing concerns about staff being harassed or threatened while at work or closing up at night.

The CFIB survey further revealed that among B.C. businesses 85% say the taxes they pay do not translate to improvements in community safety, 60% of owners are concerned about their personal safety, and the safety of staff and customers, due to crime and community safety issues, fewer than four in ten businesses are satisfied with the response time or service provided by law enforcement when calling about a crime or community safety issue. A similar share say they “always” file a police report.

Survey results are based on responses from 332 CFIB members between October 9-24, 2025. Though police authorities are repeatedly saying that they are taking required steps to improve safety and security of residents while authorities have also increased the required budget.

“We are hearing that crimes are going unreported because businesses say they are losing faith in the administration of B.C.’s justice system,” added Mitton. “While some new programs like CSTEP show early promise, B.C. businesses still need their governments to enforce the law, improve service levels and provide financial grants to businesses in need of security upgrades or vandalism repairs.”

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