with the Chief Justice. As provincial appointees, masters do not have inherent jurisdiction. Their jurisdiction is limited to those matters granted to them by statute and the Rules of Court. Masters preside in chambers, where they usually hear interlocutory applications and other pre-trial matters. Masters cannot hear civil trials and do not preside in criminal matters. In court, Masters were formerly addressed as "Master," but in a practice direction issued on September 6, 1991, then Chief Justice Esson advised the most appropriate form of address would be "your Honour". Masters also sit and hear matters as registrars, hearing such matters as assessments of solicitors fees and accounts. Judicial districts The British Columbia Supreme Court sits in eight judicial districts called "counties". This is the only usage of "county" in British Columbia, which is a reference only to such court districts and has no similarity to the meaning in other provinces of Canada, the United States or United Kingdom. Prior to 1990, there existed in British Columbia a County Court, an intermediate court between the Provincial Court and the Supreme Court. In 1990, the County Court was merged with the Supreme Court and its judges became justices of the Supreme Court. The judicial districts of the Supreme Court have the same boundaries of the counties of the former County Court. The judicial districts are: Cariboo; Kootenay; Nanaimo; Prince Rupert; Vancouver Westminister; Victoria; and Yale. Within each county, or judicial district, justices are resident in the following locations: Abbotsford Chilliwack Cranbrook Kamloops Kelowna Nanaimo Nelson New Westminster Prince George Prince Rupert Victoria Vancouver The Supreme Court also holds sittings in the following court locations for which there is not a resident justice: Campbell River Courtenay Dawson Creek Duncan Fort Nelson Fort St. John Golden Penticton Port Alberni Powell River Quesnel Revelstoke Rossland Salmon Arm Smithers Terrace Vernon Williams Lake Chief Justices of the Supreme Court Prior to 1909, when the British Columbia Court of Appeal was established, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was considered the Chief Justice of British Columbia. Associate Chief Justices of the Supreme Court References External links Supreme Court of British Columbia website List of Current and Previous Justices Public Legal Education - Supreme Court of BC Public Legal Education - Supreme Court Self-Help Supreme Court Civil Rules British Columbia courts British_Columbia 1870 establishments in Canada Courts and tribunals established in 1870