Access to Justice
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February 05, 2026
Household goods as hostages: Why enforcement must catch up to ‘rogue mover’ scams
Every week in the Greater Toronto Area, consumers seek help with a problem that is difficult to believe until it becomes familiar: a moving company offers an attractive quote, loads a household’s belongings into a truck and then demands thousands of dollars more before releasing the goods.
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February 05, 2026
Carney at Davos: Why Canada needs the capacity to ‘stop pretending’
Recently in Davos, Switzerland, Prime Minister Mark Carney made a speech that captured everyone’s attention — opinions were varied. Here is mine.
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February 04, 2026
Alberta seeking greater role in judicial appointments, threatens to withhold funding for judges
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is asking the federal government for a greater say in judicial appointments and has threatened to withdraw funding to support any new judicial appointments in the province unless a more collaborative process is set up. In an open letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, Smith also said Ottawa needs to relax bilingualism requirements for judicial appointments “that do not reflect Canada’s broader linguistic diversity in Western Canada and alienates Albertans and western Canadians alike.”
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February 03, 2026
Counsel conduct leads to mistrial in Nova Scotia Court of Appeal
In many instances, the claim on appeal is that the accused received ineffective assistance of counsel. A claim of ineffective assistance can result in a new trial if it is shown that counsel’s acts or omissions fell below the standard of reasonable professional assistance and resulted in an unfair trial or a miscarriage of justice. It is rare for a trial in a provincial court to be adjourned because an accused person makes a claim for ineffective assistance of counsel midway through the trial. Yet such was the case in R. v. MacQuarrie, 2026 NSPC 5.
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February 03, 2026
Poverty big factor contributing to mass incarceration of Indigenous people in Saskatchewan: lawyer
Poverty is driving the high number of imprisoned Indigenous people in Saskatchewan, says a lawyer. Brady Knight, a Saskatoon-based criminal lawyer, calls the issue of Indigenous mass incarceration in the province “a concerning and pressing problem.”
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February 03, 2026
When compassion replaces accountability in Ontario’s animal welfare system
The recent decision of Ontario’s Animal Care Review Board (ACRB) to reduce a $108,928 cost recovery order — subsequently conceded by the respondent, the chief animal inspector, to be $101,771.64 — to $10,000 following the seizure of 64 dogs (55 miniature poodles; one Maltese; one shih tzu; one German shepherd; four poodle/Maltese puppies; and two miniature poodle puppies) from a Hamilton residence raises troubling questions not only about accountability in cases of large-scale animal neglect but also about the structural limits of Ontario’s animal welfare regime.
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February 02, 2026
Decision in much delayed drug trial proves Jordan must be applied flexibly
The Supreme Court of Canada has set a presumptive ceiling for delay at 18 months for cases tried in provincial court (R. v. Jordan, 2016 SCC 27). When an accused’s right to a speedy trial under s. 11(b) of the Charter is violated, charges should be stayed under s. 24(1) of the Charter.
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February 02, 2026
Access to Justice Week B.C. speaks to importance of system that evolves, listens and learns, AG says
British Columbia Attorney General Niki Sharma is marking Access to Justice Week by reaffirming the province’s commitment to building a justice system that is “responsive, inclusive and accessible.”
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January 30, 2026
Feds giving New Brunswick funding for tenants’ rights program
Canada’s government is supporting a new initiative providing renters in New Brunswick with free legal advice and education in navigating their “housing challenges.”
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January 30, 2026
Is international law really law or just a script the powerful edit at will?
International law likes to enter the room wearing a tailored suit, speaking in solemn tones about order, peace and a rules-based world. It carries binders full of treaties, conventions, charters and resolutions from an era post 1945. It invokes history, morality and the collective will of nations. It sounds authoritative. It looks official. It insists it is law.