Criminal
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October 20, 2025
Feds announce new Financial Crimes Agency to lead anti-fraud strategy
The federal government has announced plans to create a new Financial Crimes Agency to lead a new National Anti-Fraud Strategy set to be unveiled in the fall budget, according to a release issued on Oct. 20.
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October 20, 2025
Staying of Nygard charges in Manitoba sends message to police
A Manitoba court’s recent staying of sex-crime charges against a former fashion mogul sends a “clear message” to police to maintain proper records of investigations into serious offences, says a law professor.
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October 20, 2025
Perils of lost or destroyed evidence: Lessons from Nygård stay for criminal defence in Canada
In criminal prosecutions, the loss or destruction of evidence can strike at the very foundation of the right to a fair trial. The recent decision to stay charges against Peter Nygård highlights how significant these issues can be, and why defence counsel across Canada must remain alert to them.
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October 20, 2025
View from inside prison: What to do if your friend is arrested
About 250,000 people are charged with a crime in Canada every year. Estimates are that about four million Canadian adults have a criminal record. That’s about one in eight adults, and probably about one in five or six adult men. Which means that most of us know someone — quite possibly more than one person — who has been convicted of a crime.
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October 17, 2025
SCC sheds light on sentencing judges’ discretion and on Crown’s duties of fairness in plea deals
The Supreme Court of Canada has provided guidance about the Crown’s duties of fairness in plea bargaining and also confirmed sentencing judges’ discretion to take into account facts related to serious charges that were abandoned by the prosecution in exchange for the accused pleading guilty to a lesser offense. On Oct. 17, 2025 the top court handed down reserved reasons for its oral judgment last February allowing the Quebec Crown’s appeal from a 2023 Quebec Court of Appeal decision, which had reduced to six months the 15-month conditional sentence the judge at first instance imposed on Enrico Di Paola in 2022 : R.v.Di Paola, 2025 SCC 31.
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October 17, 2025
Beware of immigration fraud and misrepresentation
Canadian immigration is increasingly being targeted with fraudulent schemes, misrepresentation, identity theft, and passport-related crimes. Applicants and unscrupulous consultants exploit weaknesses in the system by using forged documents, stolen identities, sham marriages and misleading claims to obtain immigration status.
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October 17, 2025
Legal professionals under fire: Rising threats stir
In recent years, legal professionals across Canada, from Crown prosecutors to administrative staff have increasingly found themselves on the front lines of violence. High-profile assaults, random attacks and deadly outcomes are prompting reflection on how safe our legal system really is, and what must change.
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October 17, 2025
Sentencing - Criminal Code offences - Corruption and disobedience - Fraud on the government
Appeal by the Crown from a judgment of the Quebec Court of Appeal which reversed a trial judgment in part and imposed a six-month conditional sentence.
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October 16, 2025
Carney says Liberals’ impending crime bill will propose more bail reverse onuses & stiffer sentences
Next week Ottawa will propose Criminal Code reforms — including new reverse onuses for bail, a ban on conditional sentences for a number of sexual offences, and stiffer sentences for repeat convictions for auto-theft, organized crime and home invasion, says Prime Minister Mark Carney, who added that his government is also poised to unveil new border security measures on Oct. 17.
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October 16, 2025
New report urges ‘common sense’ Ontario bail system reforms
With the federal government promising action on bail reform, a new report from a criminal justice reform organization is calling for Ontario to take steps to strengthen the provincial bail system through what it calls “common sense” changes.