Access to Justice
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April 09, 2026
Tanzania upheld as appropriate forum in human rights abuse case against Canadian mining company
In a case of numerous alleged human rights abuses and deaths at a Tanzanian mine owned by a Canadian company, the Ontario Court of Appeal has upheld that Tanzania was the more appropriate forum than Ontario. Plaintiffs’ counsel and intervener Amnesty International stated that the decision did not advance access to justice. The case may go to the Supreme Court of Canada.
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April 09, 2026
Projects Picnic and Potluck are stark examples of surveillance overreach
It went mostly unnoticed at the time. There was no click on the line nor any strange echo. There was no warning. It was just an ordinary phone call. But this time, it was quietly copied, stored and filed away.
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April 08, 2026
Newfoundland Court of Appeal demonstrates nuanced alternative to catch and release
Critics of Canada’s bail procedures argue that our police often practise “catch and release.” The term describes a situation where police, like fishermen, catch their prey and then release it back into the wild. The practice is criticized, even though the law aims to uphold the presumption of innocence and a person’s constitutional right to reasonable bail.
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April 08, 2026
The rule of law is not a given
Most of us who have grown up in Canada, whether we realize it or not, have always taken the rule of law for granted. We never really thought about it, or what it even was, but that is precisely the point. It has always just been there, like oxygen. You don’t think about oxygen until you have trouble breathing. We as a society are now having trouble breathing.
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April 07, 2026
Legal team appeals ruling slashing $255M contingency fee to $40M
The legal team whose contingency fee was reduced from $255 million to $40 million after it negotiated a $10-billion settlement for 21 First Nations is appealing the decision, arguing the court undervalued its role in the historic agreement.
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April 07, 2026
N.B. seeking more resident input on changes to landlord-tenant laws
New Brunswick’s government is seeking additional input from residents on changes to rental rules for tenants and landlords as part of its bid to modernize residential tenancies legislation.
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April 07, 2026
Successful appeal sees murder sentences changed from adult life to youth life
The phrase “boys will be boys” is sometimes used to dismiss or normalize male aggression, sexual misconduct and dangerous behaviour, effectively acting as a cultural or sometimes legal shield that hampers accountability for criminal actions. Should it?
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April 07, 2026
The view from below: Response to Michael Crowley
I appreciate Mr. Crowley taking the time to respond to my piece on my experience of parole, and I respect his position in doing so. He has many years of experience; I only had my one experience, some years ago now, and what I heard from other prisoners.
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April 02, 2026
B.C. proposes amendments for various Acts, changes to certain legal processes
On April 1, the B.C. government introduced the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2026 to the legislative assembly. If passed, the amendments will make changes to numerous provincial statutes, including those relating to judicial review, administrative penalty proceedings, statutory authority of correctional officers and more.
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April 02, 2026
N.B. giving millions to justice services, increasing various fees
New Brunswick is investing millions in its justice and safety services — including more than $1 million for the agency investigating incidents of death, injury or sexual assault involving a police officer. As part of an April 1 news release, the province also detailed a myriad of fee hikes, including an increase in filing a claim to small claims court, a per-page increase for criminal and family matter transcripts and a rise in costs involving probate court.