May 27, 2013 12:48 AM

Advocates pushing for justice reform say cases like these — particularly the legal bills — are driving INCREASING NUMBERS OF PEOPLE TO REPRESENT THEMSELVES IN COURT or avoid the courts altogether.

It's a problem Supreme Court of Canada Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin has been raising for years, and it's led her to lament that access to justice is becoming a privilege of the rich. Fotsch and her disabled son stand to lose their home, north of Pemberton, B.C.Fotsch and her disabled son stand to lose their home, north of Pemberton, B.C. (CBC)

Every year, the B.C. Court of Appeal flags the number of cases where people show up for court without a lawyer. In 2011, the number of unrepresented litigants had reached one-quarter of all cases.