June 25, 2026
For any legal practitioner or advocate deep in the gender-based violence (GBV) sector, certain names carry an undeniable historical weight. Recently, my mind has been occupied by a striking parallel: two landmark legal decisions, separated by more than 30 years and a vast ocean, yet fundamentally bound by the same name, the same history of horrific abuse and the same foundational concept: coercive control.
June 25, 2026
Appeals by appellant Robertson from convictions and from a global sentence of 17 years’ imprisonment. The appeal arose from two incidents of dangerous driving. The appellant drove dangerously, appeared to lose consciousness, struck barriers on a sidewalk, fled when bystanders attempted to assist, and then led police on a high-speed chase before evading capture. While fleeing police in a residential neighbourhood, the appellant drove at extreme speed, ran traffic controls, and collided with a minivan that had the right-of-way, killing Karolina Ciasullo and her three young daughters. Blood samples taken shortly after the collision showed the appellant had approximately 40 ng/mL of THC in his blood, far exceeding the legal limit of 5 ng/mL. The appellant pleaded guilty to four counts of dangerous driving causing death and was convicted after trial of dangerous driving from June 16. He also faced four counts of operation causing death. The trial judge rejected a s. 8 Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charter) challenge to the seizure of the blood samples and found a reasonable doubt as to actual impairment but concluded the THC limit was constitutional and entered convictions on the drug-related counts. The appellant appealed his convictions, renewing his s. 7 Charter challenge and arguing the 5 ng/mL THC limit was arbitrary and overbroad because it could capture drivers who were not impaired, relying on hypothetical scenarios. He also appealed sentence, submitting that the 17‑year term was demonstrably unfit when compared with other multi‑fatality driving cases.
June 25, 2026
Ontario’s top court has upheld the convictions of a man accused of sexual assault, saying he did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in recordings the complainant made that allegedly included conversations they had about the assaults.
June 24, 2026
What purpose does imprisonment serve when a person’s body has already become its own prison? That question lies at the core of Canada’s compassionate release laws under s. 121 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA). More than 30 years after its enactment, however, the provision remains rarely used, raising concerns that it exists more in theory than in practice.
June 24, 2026
Being accused of sexual assault in Canada is an extremely serious matter with potentially life-changing consequences. Under s. 271 of the Criminal Code, sexual assault involves any sexual activity or contact without voluntary and informed consent.
June 23, 2026
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs has publicly weighed in on a Supreme Court of Canada nomination, stating they “wholeheartedly endorse” Manitoba Court of King’s Bench Chief Justice Glenn Joyal’s candidacy and are “confident he will bring fairness, wisdom and humility to Canada’s highest court.”
June 23, 2026
B.C. is launching a province-wide program aimed at disrupting street disorder and retail crime. The province is investing $16 million over two years in the Chronic Property Offending Intervention Initiative, which will focus on people involved in repeat offences, such as theft, shoplifting, vandalism and street disorder.
June 23, 2026
On June 2, the Ontario legislature rose for its summer recess and will not return until late October. Twenty-one weeks. For most people, that is a scheduling note. For the clients I represent in family court, it means the legal framework that is already failing them will continue to fail them, unreformed, for the rest of the year.
June 23, 2026
Appeal by appellant S.M. against his convictions for sexual assault and assault; cross-appeal by the Crown on the sentence imposed. The complainant alleged that throughout the parties’ marriage there were numerous incidents of non-consensual sexual activity and assaults.
June 22, 2026
On June 19, the Government of Manitoba appointed Judge Jerilee Ryle as the provincial court of Manitoba’s first associate chief judge of reconciliation. “The creation of an associate chief judge of reconciliation marks a historic step toward building a court system that better reflects and respects Indigenous traditions, values and lived experiences,” said Justice Minister Matt Wiebe.