Everytime I go to the courthouse to get documents that are supposedly public, I end up frustrated at how inaccessible the whole process is. Frankly, it's ridiculous. Just to search for a lawsuit, you have to cough up at least $10. 

It's $10 to search for all actions against a certain party, and if you want to search for actions initiated by the same party, you have to pay another $10. Then, just to look at (or "inspect") the file, it's another $10.

Sometimes key documents are missing. ("Where are they?" "Don't know. Someone must have them out." "When will they be back?" "Don't know.") And when that happens, you still have to pay the $10 viewing fee depending on whether or not you're dealing with a reasonable staffer.

Sometimes you get a stack of paper six inches thick for one suit. Way too much to take in while standing at the counter. So the obvious option is to get photocopies of the key documents. But the fees here are extremely prohibitive — it costs a buck for each photocopied page. Harsh.

Which makes one wonder: why is our legal still system stuck in this inefficient, inaccessible paper system? Maybe this is a naive question, but why can't all these documents go online? Then court records would be truly accessible (and searchable!). Right now court records are public only if you can pay.

While Fast Forward obviously covers my court fees, the cost is still a barrier to my reporting. We're a small operation and can't afford to do many searches with fees like those. I find it maddening. This is 2009. Is there a legitimate reason this stuff can't be put on the internet? (I ask that question earnestly: I want to know if there's actually a good reason.)

On the plus side, the glass elevators are the Calgary courthouse are a thrilling experience. If you're scared of heights and stand facing out the window, it's like a carnival ride (but with black-and-white lawyers instead of cotton-candied kids). The elevators move fast. And you can see out above downtown. I like to think I get some of my money's worth by riding up to the 24th floor, then down to the ground, then up again, then down, up, down, until my stomach feels queasy.

Seriously. It's fun.