The Saskatchewan government took in more money in fees at its two highest courts last fiscal year than in any of the previous four, according to statistics recently provided by the Ministry of Justice.

During the 2018-19 fiscal year, the ministry charged $2.1 million's worth of court fees at Court of Queen's Bench and Court of Appeal clerk's offices. That does not include court fees collected at Provincial Court offices.

Near the tail-end of that same fiscal year, the ministry raised the prices for certain fees, including:

The cost of filing a civil lawsuit (to $200 from $100, for cases not involving mediation).

The cost to launch an appeal (to $200 from $125).

The cost of photocopying legal documents (to $1 per page from 50 cents per page for Court of Queen's Bench and Court of Appeal documents).

Some of the fees hadn't been raised since 1988.

Up from previous years

The $2.1 million generated in 2018-19 was up from $1.9 million the previous year. It also represented the highest amount raised in the last five years.

(CBC)

"The current fees have not kept up with the actual costs of operating the courts," a spokesperson for the ministry said. "The introduction of new fees and changes to existing fees better reflects the costs of the services being provided."

Court fees are waived for low-income residents and also do not apply to legal aid services.

Access to the justice system

Sarah Buhler, an associate professor at the University of Saskatchewan's College of Law who specializes in legal ethics, said the amounts raised aren't surprising.

"The court fees are generally a small part of the total cost of bringing a matter to court, which can be absolutely tremendous," she said. "But in themselves they certainly can function as a barrier, which can be problematic for people with limited financial resources."

Court fees do serve another purpose besides recouping service costs, Buhler pointed out.

"By charging a fee, you can make sure that people have maybe made sure that they thought through their claim before they before they file it. And that's probably a good idea."