The Nova Scotia Court of Appeal has released its Annual Report for 2025, which includes information about proceedings and the work of the Court’s judges and staff.

This is the fourth year the Court has released an Annual Report for the public.

“Over the last four years, this annual report has become an important way for the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal to share information with the public about our work, caseloads, and timelines. Public engagement and education continue to be priorities for our Court, and this report helps enhance transparency and public accountability,” said the Hon. Michael J. Wood, Chief Justice of Nova Scotia and Chief Justice of the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal. “If you have an interest in the court system or ever had any questions about how the Court of Appeal operates, I invite you to take a few minutes to read through this report.”

The Nova Scotia Court of Appeal 2025 Annual Report reports on case loads and timelines:

- 141 appeals were filed (95 civil and 46 criminal), up slightly from 2025

- 75 appeals were disposed of by judgment in 2025, a decrease from 2024 when 81 appeals were disposed of by judgment

- 62 appeals saw the panel reserve its decision and subsequently issue a formal judgment; all but one judgment was released within 6 months, with the average reserve time being 1.5 months

- In 2025, about 60% of the court time was dedicated to civil, including family law, appeals and motions and about 40% to criminal appeals and motions

There continue to be few, if any, scheduling delays.

The full 2025 Annual Report is available online here.