May 26, 2026
Canada is on the verge of closing a significant gap on how the law understands abuse. Bill C-16, the Protecting Victims Act, would create a standalone criminal offence for coercive and controlling conduct in intimate partner relationships, recognizing that a pattern of non-physical behaviour can be as harmful as a single act of violence. This shift reflects growing legal recognition of coercive control as a serious form of family violence, most notably in the Supreme Court of Canada’s recent decision in Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia, 2026 SCC 16.
May 26, 2026
An argument escalated into a physical fight during which Maria Elena Martinez bit off the tip of the complainant’s pinkie finger.
May 26, 2026
During the Holocaust, Nazi Germany and its agents systematically looted approximately 20 per cent of Europe’s art, totalling an estimated 600,000 artworks. Although the restitution of these artworks and other cultural artifacts is very challenging work, the “legal framework” applicable has been evolving over the past few decades to the benefit of the families of despoiled victims.
May 25, 2026
Amid a whirlwind of technology around us, sometimes age-old presentations still shine and are most useful in presenting our cases, regardless of forum. The longstanding “Table” feature in Word is a presentation tool that has stood the test of time.
May 25, 2026
Can an out-of-court statement be used to convict a party of a crime, or must it be rejected as hearsay? That question was the focus of a Supreme Court of Canada decision released on May 22.
May 22, 2026
The Supreme Court has confirmed that a new trial is necessary for an Alberta man convicted of second-degree murder after ruling the trial judge improperly relied on hearsay evidence. The man in question, Dylon Saddleback, had been socializing with several friends outside a trailer when most of the group left to attend a birthday party. Saddleback and the victim, Joshua Dennehy, stayed behind — and afterward Dennehy was found beaten to death, struck more than 45 times with a blunt instrument. When police arrived, they found Saddleback on the scene.
May 22, 2026
In an effort to strengthen maritime security, the federal government has announced a “foundational investment of $816 million over seven years” to expand the Canadian Coast Guard’s role in monitoring Canada’s waters.
May 22, 2026
Appeal by Crown from decision quashing Saddleback’s conviction for second-degree murder and ordering new trial. Saddleback had been convicted at trial in relation to the killing of the victim. A key issue at trial was whether Saddleback had exclusive opportunity to commit the offence after others left the scene.
May 22, 2026
Amnesty International’s latest annual report on the global state of the death penalty paints a sobering picture.
May 21, 2026
In an effort to “protect provincial data and enhance security,” the Government of Ontario is mandating new restrictions on the “use and purchase of Chinese-made drones by the government and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), beginning with an immediate ban on the use of Chinese drones for highly sensitive OPP operations.”