Access to Justice
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April 24, 2026
Ontario FOI changes ‘one of the most serious attacks on the public’s right to know’ in years: expert
The Ontario government has fast-tracked legislation through the provincial legislature that makes significant changes to the province’s freedom of information (FOI) laws, a move observers are calling “undemocratic” and dangerous.
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April 24, 2026
To be, or not to be ‘in-person,’ that is the question
It may seem overly dramatic to compare the court’s dilemma about mandating “in-person” motions in family court to Hamlet’s musings about whether to suffer the hardships of life or succumb to the unknown of death.
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April 24, 2026
Court of Appeal orders new trial in London rooming house second-degree murder case
In October 2017, tensions escalated at a rooming house on Lansdowne Avenue in London, Ont., after disputes erupted among Raymond Beaver, his niece, Melissa George, and her boyfriend, Daniel Cavanagh.
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April 23, 2026
Saskatchewan introduces bill to bring in associate judges for King’s Bench
Taking its cues from a handful of other provinces, Saskatchewan has introduced legislation that would add associate judges to its Court of King’s Bench.
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April 23, 2026
Relocation law is stacked against mothers — Bill C-223 can fix it: Addressing bias
On Feb. 10, 2026, one of the deadliest mass shootings in Canada’s history occurred in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., where Jesse Strang killed her mother and half-brother in addition to several students of the local secondary school. We were surprised to find out that, in 2015, a court had denied Jesse’s mother’s request to relocate with her children from British Columbia to Newfoundland.
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April 23, 2026
B.C. sentencing decision pits victim safety against accused’s health issue
Sending individuals with mental health issues to prison rather than to specialized treatment facilities can yield several legal, punitive and societal outcomes.
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April 22, 2026
Alberta law institute report maps out how children can be heard in court
An Alberta-based legal institute has issued a report it says will help lawyers and the public understand the ways in which the voice of the child can be heard in family court proceedings.
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April 22, 2026
When courts turn back the clock: Rethinking the return to in-person family hearings
A recent article by Steve Benmor (The Zoom paradox: When a judge’s words and his court’s actions collide) draws attention to an emerging inconsistency within Ontario’s family justice system — one that warrants closer examination.
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April 22, 2026
Relocation law is stacked against mothers — Bill C-223 can fix it
Lucy is a 10-year-old child who spends most of her time in the care of her mother but also spends significant time with her father. Lucy’s mother just got a job across the province and asks the court to authorize the relocation of the child. The father objects.
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April 21, 2026
The view from jail: Family visits
Officially, Correctional Service Canada supports families. The problem is that imprisonment unavoidably damages family connections, often very badly and in multiple ways, and this damage hurts rehabilitation. When you are imprisoned, you are, obviously, apart from your family. As detailed in other columns of mine, visits are very limited, mail is restricted and censored, and phone calls are limited and monitored. Even having photos of family in a cell is not always simple.