Criminal
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March 25, 2026
MOTOR VEHICLES AND HIGHWAY TRAFFIC - Driver licensing - Liability and offences
Appeal by Gregory from a decision dismissing her statutory appeal of the Registrar of Motor Vehicles’ (Registrar) cancellation of her driver’s licence. The Registrar cancelled the licence following concerns raised by police and after Gregory failed two recent driving examinations.
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March 24, 2026
SCC judges probe what Charter s. 33 ‘override’ may mean for survival of Charter judicial review
The argument that a legislature’s use of the Charter’s s. 33 “override” clause can temporarily prevent judges from striking down a law but not from reviewing the law’s constitutionality or stating that the law infringes Charter rights and freedoms sparked a lively exchange between counsel and the bench as the Supreme Court of Canada kicked off its inquiry into the constitutionality of Quebec’s controversial “secularism” (Bill 21) law.
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March 24, 2026
CBSA issues temporary halt on removals to UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar
On March 24, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) issued a “temporary halt” on removals to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar.
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March 24, 2026
Dalhousie U and King’s College to resurrect joint journalism-law program
Two universities in Nova Scotia are re-launching a joint degree program combining law and journalism in a bid to create professionals able to “cut through the noise” of today’s world.
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March 24, 2026
Generative AI not immune from potential legal action
The use of AI chatbots by self-represented litigants and lawyers has raised alarms in the justice system because the chatbots are prone either to hallucinate cases or to cite a legitimate case for a proposition which simply cannot be found in that case. With respect to lawyers, in general, the courts have awarded personal costs sanctions against them and are beginning to refer them for potential disciplinary penalties. A lawyer has a duty to not mislead a court.
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March 23, 2026
A few questions about the Law Society of Ontario’s mandatory Indigenous law requirement
It is déjà vu all over again at Ontario’s legal regulator.
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March 23, 2026
Manitoba Court of Appeal determines frustration and fear, not drugs, led to murder
Jon Preston Hastings was convicted of first-degree murder in a King’s Bench judge-alone trial (R. v. Hastings, 2024 MBKB 171). Although conceding that the evidence established an intent to commit murder, Hastings argued that the trial judge erred in finding planning and deliberation, which are essential elements for a first-degree murder conviction. The Manitoba Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal (R. v. Hastings, 2026 MBCA 11).
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March 23, 2026
Doug Ford on self-defence laws: Yippee ki‐yay, Mr. Premier
By now, we’ve all seen the news coverage surrounding the Vaughan, Ont., homeowner who shot one of three armed home invaders, sending the assailants fleeing like scalded dogs back into a waiting getaway vehicle. York Regional Police later arrested and charged the wounded home invader after he turned up at a Toronto area hospital. York Regional Police declined to charge the homeowner. This led Premier Doug Ford to issue his now infamous “congratulatory” remarks that the homeowner “should have shot him a couple more times.”
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March 23, 2026
N.B. moves to end limitation period for victims of intimate partner violence dependent on assailant
New Brunswick is proposing legislation that would remove the limitation period for civil claims by victims of intimate partner violence who were dependent on their assailant. A March 18 news release notes there is no civil limitation period to file claims for damages in cases of assault or battery “for acts of a sexual nature” or for “trespass to the person.”
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March 23, 2026
Seismic Bill 21 case draws record counsel & intervener presence at this week’s four-day SCC hearing
This week’s blockbuster Bill 21 appeal at the Supreme Court involves 140 counsel of record — with 64 of them slated to make oral argument over four days on behalf of the 10 main party groups and the record 51 interveners.