May 07, 2026
Saskatchewan has passed new provincial prison legislation that will have justices of the peace decide on “major disciplinary matters” involving inmates.
May 07, 2026
There may be a new sheriff in town. The provincial government in Ontario plans to introduce regulations designating transit special constables as “officers” under the Restricting Public Consumption of Illegal Substances Act, 2025 (RPCISA). This move will grant them sweeping powers to arrest and detain individuals and to search, seize and even destroy property.
May 07, 2026
A recent report by Global News, drawing on freedom-of-information materials obtained by Donna Power and the Humane Initiative, adds an important and deeply troubling dimension to concerns I raised several weeks ago about Ontario’s animal welfare regime.
May 07, 2026
Substantive law defines what constitutes a crime, while procedural law dictates how the case is handled. A conviction requires both evidence proving guilt and adherence to proper procedure to ensure a fair trial. Sometimes, the substance is so glaring that the focus on trial fairness can take a back seat.
May 06, 2026
New Brunswick has proposed legislation aimed at improving patient safety and “quality of care” through the establishment of an advisory committee, the clarifying of what is meant by “safety incidents” and improving the use of data in tracking trends.
May 06, 2026
The Government of Alberta is investing $8.9 million to build Western Canada’s “first provincial forensic DNA laboratory to speed up investigations and support prosecutions.”
May 05, 2026
Last week, as I write this on May 4, 2026, I watched part of a press conference that made me want to puke.
May 04, 2026
Sometimes it is not a defence lawyer who is responsible for an acquittal. Sometimes an acquittal may result from police actions.
May 04, 2026
Let’s start with the burdens of proof in the 2021 amendments which I discussed in my October 2025 article (“Bill C-223: Bad ideas on child relocation”). The burdens of proof are intended to give structure to the analysis of the best interests of the child, based upon what we do and don’t know about the impact of relocation upon children.
May 04, 2026
First-year property law, 1988. Two hundred students. I could feel the energy in the room of young people excited to have made it into UBC law school. Professor Tod enters and slams the door. Walks over to the podium and scans the room while saying, “All title is vested in the Crown.” I felt like he was looking directly at me or even searching for visibly First Nation students as if to say, “We will not be tolerating any uppity Indians in this course!”