This year's bar ceremony won't happen at Supreme Court in St. John's

This year's bar ceremony for newly minted lawyers won't take place at the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador in St. John's — that's because of the building's accessibility issues.

Instead, the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador is holding its annual call to the bar ceremony at the St. John's Convention Centre.

Incoming lawyer Blair Curtis, who is a wheelchair user, says he's thankful the ceremony is being held in an accessible location, but it doesn't fully solve the problem.

"I think the standard should be that disabled people should have access to the building. That the building should be accessible," he told CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show.

"That's not going to work when I need to represent the client in that courthouse, when there's a disabled person needing to access that core courthouse for a variety of different reasons, just as a member of the public."

During a tour of the building that is more than a century old, Curtis said it was quickly apparent the facility wasn't accessible. It doesn't have accessible infrastructure for wheelchair users or people with disabilities. The front entrance ramp is too steep, courtroom one doesn't have an accessible door and the elevator is under repair and out of service. 

"As somebody who wants to be independent, who should be able to be independent as a disabled person, I should be able to access that building the same as any other lawyer, any other articling student," he said.

And this isn't his first time raising concerns about courthouse accessibility in the province. Last year, Curtis spoke to CBC News about similar problems at the courthouse in Corner Brook.

"I think every time I'm surprised. I'd like to think in 2025 that things would be accessible," he said.

Curtis says he worries a lack of courthouse accessibility sends a message that disabled students aren't welcomed in the legal profession.

"We need to raise awareness of these issues so that disabled people can see themselves represented in these careers and … in the justice system as a whole," he said.

Limitations to accessibility

In a statement to CBC News, a spokesperson for the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure said the provincial government is committed to making buildings accessible.

"At the same time, limitations remain with some publicly operated, historical buildings and options to meet code requirements are not always available," the statement reads.

The statement continued on to say that the courthouse ramp was in full compliance with code requirements when it was installed in 2008, but there are no "immediate available means" to address the slope.

Further, the statement says an architectural feature means an automatic door opener can't be installed, and the current practice is to hold the door open for people. The elevator is expected to be working again in the summer.

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