Access to Justice
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October 20, 2025
The Major Projects Office, Bill C-5 and the limits of Indigenous ‘advisory’
Bill C-5 received royal assent in June 2025. The process was swift and not without criticism. Now, the implementation of this new legislation, the Building Canada Act, raises more questions and concerns about what is lost at the sake of expediency.
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October 17, 2025
Risks and challenges of AI in online dispute resolution for family law, part two
While the use of AI offers tremendous potential to enhance online dispute resolution (ODR) in family law, its use also introduces serious risks spanning technical, ethical, legal and social domains. Family law disputes are deeply personal and often involve vulnerable individuals; thus, if AI is not carefully implemented, it can reinforce inequalities, erode trust and undermine fairness and justice.
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October 17, 2025
Manitoba proposes law to automatically have court weigh in on use of notwithstanding clause
Manitoba has introduced legislation which would make it so the provincial government’s use of the notwithstanding clause would automatically be put before a court to determine whether it results in a violation of people’s rights.
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October 17, 2025
Legal professionals under fire: Rising threats stir
In recent years, legal professionals across Canada, from Crown prosecutors to administrative staff have increasingly found themselves on the front lines of violence. High-profile assaults, random attacks and deadly outcomes are prompting reflection on how safe our legal system really is, and what must change.
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October 16, 2025
New report urges ‘common sense’ Ontario bail system reforms
With the federal government promising action on bail reform, a new report from a criminal justice reform organization is calling for Ontario to take steps to strengthen the provincial bail system through what it calls “common sense” changes.
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October 15, 2025
Is Doug Ford endorsing vigilantism?
Starting around 2020–2021, police departments in British Columbia, especially in Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna reported sharp increases in repeat property crimes, assaults, and random stranger attacks downtown. Police chiefs and mayors described a pattern of people being arrested but released back onto the street within hours.
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October 15, 2025
A veteran correctional officer’s take on personal self defence: The Kurt Suss three-foot rule
21:45 hours. Recreation was announced closed at one of Canada’s largest high medium penitentiaries. “Return to your units,” echoed over the loudspeakers in the gym and the rec field.
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October 14, 2025
New housing projects for victims of interpersonal violence coming to Saskatchewan
In a bid to increase support for victims of interpersonal violence, the governments of Saskatchewan and Canada have opened two new affordable housing projects in the city of Prince Albert.
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October 09, 2025
Manitoba premier digs in on legislature remarks on bail system
Despite a scolding from two prominent lawyers’ groups, Manitoba’s premier is standing by remarks he made in the legislature about an ongoing court case as part of his criticism of the bail system.
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October 10, 2025
Self-represented litigant loses bid to include trial transcripts
It is common knowledge that when a person testifies, the witness promises to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. That is because the judge, the decision-maker, needs the whole truth to render a just decision. What happens when an appeals court faces a situation where the “whole” truth is not put before it?