Criminal
-
April 24, 2026
SCC upholds sex assault conviction, ruling Crown did not have to prove exact time of offence
Prosecutors are not required to prove precisely when a sex assault occurred, but rather that it happened “on or about” a certain time — unless the timing of the offence is essential to the case or crucial to the defence, says Canada’s highest court.
-
April 24, 2026
Ontario FOI changes ‘one of the most serious attacks on the public’s right to know’ in years: expert
The Ontario government has fast-tracked legislation through the provincial legislature that makes significant changes to the province’s freedom of information (FOI) laws, a move observers are calling “undemocratic” and dangerous.
-
April 24, 2026
CRIMINAL CODE OFFENCES - Offences against person and reputation - Assaults - Sexual assault - Consent
Appeal by the accused from an order of the Court of Appeal setting aside the acquittal of his sexual assault charge and substituting a conviction. On cross-examination, the complainant, who was the accused’s spouse, stated that the assault occurred around 10 or 11 p.m.
-
April 24, 2026
The hidden stress of workload management on young lawyers
Young lawyers expect to spend their early years learning how to research, draft, negotiate and advocate in court. Those skills are difficult, but at least they are taught openly. A senior lawyer will hopefully demonstrate how to structure a factum, mark up your work and explain what “good” looks like.
-
April 24, 2026
Court of Appeal orders new trial in London rooming house second-degree murder case
In October 2017, tensions escalated at a rooming house on Lansdowne Avenue in London, Ont., after disputes erupted among Raymond Beaver, his niece, Melissa George, and her boyfriend, Daniel Cavanagh.
-
April 23, 2026
RCMP charges consultant for federal procurement overbilling
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have charged a federal government consultant for fraudulent overbilling.
-
April 23, 2026
B.C. sentencing decision pits victim safety against accused’s health issue
Sending individuals with mental health issues to prison rather than to specialized treatment facilities can yield several legal, punitive and societal outcomes.
-
April 22, 2026
Nova Scotia failed to consider impact of 2025 woods ban on rights: lawyer
People’s constitutional rights “cannot be ignored by government decision-makers — period,” says the lawyer of a man ticketed during Nova Scotia’s controversial woods ban. That man, Jeffrey Evely, was the face of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia’s April 17 ruling in Evely v. Nova Scotia (Minister of Natural Resources), 2026 NSSC 118, in which it was found the province failed to consider people’s Charter-protected mobility rights when it prohibited them from entering forested areas for a period last summer.
-
April 21, 2026
The view from jail: Family visits
Officially, Correctional Service Canada supports families. The problem is that imprisonment unavoidably damages family connections, often very badly and in multiple ways, and this damage hurts rehabilitation. When you are imprisoned, you are, obviously, apart from your family. As detailed in other columns of mine, visits are very limited, mail is restricted and censored, and phone calls are limited and monitored. Even having photos of family in a cell is not always simple.
-
April 22, 2026
CRIMINAL CODE OFFENCES - Offences against person and reputation - Homicide - Second-degree murder
Appeal by George from her conviction for second-degree murder arising from the stabbing death of her uncle, Beaver. The Crown’s case at trial was that George organized a home invasion intending that Beaver be killed, with her boyfriend, Cavanagh, as the stabber.