Criminal
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June 23, 2025
Alberta Appeal Court balances Taser use, Charter breach against public safety in gun case
To what extent should police error be considered when a court is asked to exclude evidence due to a Charter breach? The Alberta Court of Appeal recently addressed this issue in an appeal against Sheldon Brian Blyan’s conviction (R. v. Blyan, 2025 ABCA 213).
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June 23, 2025
Only 24 hours to live
There was a time, altogether not too long ago, when I lived and practised law in Nunavut. Living in the Arctic was a wonderful experience. Learning from Inuit and sharing in Inuit culture was a privilege. I have many fond memories and could speak at length about them. One of the most serious challenges that nearly every person who has visited or lived in Iqaluit knows about, however, is the city’s loose dog problem.
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June 16, 2025
SCC clarifies how to determine child’s ‘habitual residence’ in non-Hague Convention custody disputes
In upholding an Ontario Superior Court’s assumption of jurisdiction over an international custody dispute, the Supreme Court of Canada has given guidance on how courts should determine the habitual residence of children allegedly wrongly taken or withheld by a parent from a foreign jurisdiction that has not signed onto the Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (Hague Convention).
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June 20, 2025
OBA awards gala celebrates service to the legal profession and community at large
Toronto lawyer Angela Ogang had a good excuse not to attend the Ontario Bar Association’s annual awards gala June 19: She’d given birth to her baby the night before.
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June 20, 2025
Federal Court of Appeal overturns denial of psilocybin exemptions for health care practitioners
The Federal Court of Appeal has set aside federal decisions denying certain health care practitioners exemptions from criminal prosecution for possessing and using psilocybin mushrooms as part of experiential training for psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PSAP).
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June 20, 2025
B.C. court denies U.S. extradition request in ‘Silk Road’ drug case
In what is being described as a rare move, a B.C. court has denied a request to extradite a man to the United States to face prosecution for drug offences alleged to have been committed on the now-defunct “Silk Road” online black market.
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June 20, 2025
Keeping your designs in good order
A recent decision of the U.K. Court of Appeal raises interesting issues concerning industrial design registrations (Safestand Ltd v Weston Homes Plc, [2025] EWCA Civ 374).
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June 20, 2025
Appeal Court underscores judge’s reasonable inferences in Thunder Bay drug case
Tourists view northern Ontario as a region of contrasts, showcasing lively populated areas amid pristine natural beauty. However, during a drug trial, expert evidence portrayed Thunder Bay as a hub for drug trafficking, where drugs sold at elevated prices attracted dealers from outside the region.
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June 19, 2025
FCA sets aside decision that declared Ottawa must fill judicial vacancies ‘within a reasonable time’
A novel Federal Court action that tried to compel Ottawa to fix its chronic tardiness in filling superior court vacancies has been dismissed for lack of jurisdiction by the Federal Court of Appeal; however, the law firm that launched the case to help its clients and other litigants says its efforts were not in vain.
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June 19, 2025
Ottawa quietly reboots Trudeau-era cybersecurity bill passed by Commons but makes changes
The Carney Liberal government has quietly rebooted — with changes — a Trudeau-era cybersecurity bill that proposed new offences, large administrative monetary penalties (AMPs), gags and broad “compliance orders” for businesses, with the stated aim of defending critical infrastructure in the federally regulated sectors of finance, telecommunications, energy and transportation from the rising tide of electronic espionage, ransomware and other “malicious cyber activity.”