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Alberta’s superior court is taking steps to reduce the reams of paper it consumes. 

The Court of Queen’s Bench said in an annual report released Tuesday that it aims to ultimately go “paperless,” but did not provide a date by when that might happen. 

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“The court recognizes that a paper-based system is antiquated, and fails to serve the public as effectively and efficiently as it should,” the report says. 

“Counsel and litigants are owed a modern system to manage the information flow that is essential to the justice system.” 

The report does not say how much paper the court uses a year, but it acknowledges that many of the processes that have been digitized in the world at large still rely on dead trees in the court system. 

Paper is difficult to store, the report says, and less secure than some digital storage options.  Paper evidence is often stored in boxes wheeled around by lawyers and clerks on handcarts.