A judge in Campbell River is joining a growing chorus of B.C. justices who say they've been forced to throw out drunk-driving charges because government funding cuts are causing unacceptable delays.

Provincial Court Judge Peter Doherty says he's had to declare a stay of proceedings for at least three accused drunk drivers in the last three months because a lack of judges meant their cases weren't tried within a reasonable time.

In the most recent case, the judge threw out charges against Jeanine Elizabeth Sumner after she waited more than 19 months to see get a trial date. Stall tactics by defence lawyers didn't cause the delay, and Crown prosecutors weren't to blame, either.

"This, once again, is a limitation on institutional resource issue," Doherty wrote in a Feb. 9 decision.

"There is a long line of cases throughout the province in which my brothers and sisters on this bench vent their frustration at having to stay cases because of the lack of judicial resources."

The judge says that Campbell River used to have enough judges to deal with the court's caseload, but when one of two resident justices retired, no replacements were recruited.

Doherty estimates that judges in the North Vancouver Island region have tossed out about a dozen cases altogether in recent months.

"The general conclusion is that the problem is systemic. It results from a lack of judicial resources. The problem is easily rectifiable, in Campbell River at least, by the government appointing another provincial court judge," Doherty wrote.

He acknowledged that judges should be careful about making political statements, and said it is ultimately up to elected figures to decide how to allocate funds.

"However, in not making adequate judicial resources available, there are consequences to government inaction," Doherty wrote.

Clogged courts in Surrey and Cranbrook, too

The Campbell River judge is just one of many legal officials across the province that say they've been forced to toss charges because resources are stretched too thinly.

In November, Surrey Provincial Court Judge Peder Gulbransen issued strongly worded reasons for staying proceedings in two drunk-driving cases.

"The backlog is so great and the courts so crowded that in many cases there will be an unreasonable delay should there be even one adjournment on a trial date," Gulbransen said.

Early last year, two cocaine-trafficking cases were thrown out of court in Cranbrook because of lengthy delays -- one man had waited three years to see his case go to trial.

Government officials have called the delays "troubling" and five new judges were appointed to provincial courts in September, including one on North Vancouver Island.