Inverness wants jury duty exemption for rural residents
Last Updated: Tuesday, November 3, 2009 | 1:56 PM AT
CBC News
Inverness County council wants jury duty exemptions for anyone who lives 100 kilometres or more from the courthouse where the jury is to serve.
The Nova Scotia Supreme Court no longer hears trials in Port Hood, N.S., which means all jury trials for Inverness County are held farther south in Port Hawkesbury.
Inverness deputy warden Daniel Boudreau, who represents the Cheticamp district, said his phone hasn't stopped ringing since about 50 of his constituents received a summons for jury duty.
Travelling so far can be a real hardship, he said.
"If they leave from Cheticamp, it's 100 miles [or] 160 kilometres. And if they leave from Pleasant Bay, it's 125 miles, and Meat Cove is 150 miles," said Boudreau. "I think there has to be a better system of selecting jury duty."
He said seniors are especially upset because many don't have transportation and are afraid they will be prosecuted if they fail to appear in court.
Inverness County council voted Monday to send a letter to the Department of Justice.
Department officials have not yet been reached for comment.
