Access to Justice
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February 27, 2025
CBSA launches new operation to target fentanyl and other synthetic narcotics
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has announced the launch of "Operation Blizzard," calling it a targeted cross-country initiative to intercept fentanyl, synthetic narcotics and other illegal contraband arriving in and leaving Canada.
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February 26, 2025
Federal Court strikes $100M class action against Canada over its handling of COVID-19 pandemic
The Federal Court has dismissed a proposed $100-million class action lawsuit against the federal government over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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February 26, 2025
Ontario Trial Lawyers’ Association calls for key auto insurance changes amid election clamour
In the run-up to Ontario’s Feb. 27 election this week, the organization that represents more than 1,300 legal professionals in the personal injury sector has been campaigning to raise awareness about issues with the province’s auto insurance system that it argues are unfair to accident victims and the personal injury bar.
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February 25, 2025
Decision freighted by insufficient dicussion?
It is difficult to talk about childhood sexual abuse. It seems this difficulty includes members of Ontario’s Court of Appeal. It is common on appeal decisions from Ontario that a fulsome discussion of facts is set out in the court’s reasons for the decision. However, this was not the case in the decision upholding the indecent assault conviction of J.S. handed down on Feb. 19 (R. v. J.S., 2025 ONCA 125).
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February 26, 2025
Women & 2SLGBTQI+ applicants came out ahead as ‘highly recommended’ for federal benches in 2023-2024
Asserting his new administration is “ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity,” U.S. President Donald Trump recently issued controversial executive orders banning diversity, equity and inclusion policies and hiring at the federal level in America. But in Canada, the most recent demographic statistics on federal judicial appointments and the professional competence and character assessments made by the Trudeau government’s non-partisan judicial advisory committees (JACs) indicate that diversity has gone hand in hand with “merit.”
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February 25, 2025
Feds, Northwest Territories agree on nature protection plan
Ottawa has entered into a multi-year agreement with the Northwest Territories that will see the latter work with local Indigenous governments in a bid to protect nature in the territory.
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February 25, 2025
Yukon top court uses murder case to examine impact of harsh pre-trial custody on parole ineligibility
Sentencing judges deciding whether to increase parole ineligibility beyond the 10-year minimum for those found guilty of second-degree murder may consider harsh pre-trial conditions as a mitigating factor, says a lawyer involved in the appeal of a crack addict who killed another man in a drug deal gone bad.
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February 25, 2025
Why appeal court grants deference to the trial judge’s reasoning on conviction
When Daasebre Boakye went to court in May 2023, he was facing very serious charges: several counts of human trafficking, assault and assault causing bodily harm.
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February 21, 2025
Under the Ford government: Justice delayed and denied at Tribunals Ontario | Kathy Laird
In December 2024, Tribunals Ontario released its much-delayed Annual Report for 2023/24, and despite some self-congratulatory messaging, the data inside, and on the Tribunals Ontario website, demonstrates that there are serious deficits in the quality, accessibility and timeliness of justice at three of its busiest tribunals — the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB), the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) and the Licence Appeal Tribunal — Automobile Accident Benefits Service (LAT-AABS), which hears motor vehicle injury claims against insurance companies.
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February 21, 2025
Nova Scotia set to change laws for powers of attorney, substitute decision-makers
Nova Scotia has introduced a set of legislative amendments to clarify the role of a power of attorney, further safeguard the process of becoming a substitute decision-maker and modernize language on the state of the province’s unified family court.