Criminal
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December 16, 2025
Hosel rockets: ‘Sandbagger?! I’ll see you in court!’
A couple of incidents that happened while playing golf have been bothering me. It started a few years ago during an invitational tournament at what was then known as Doral Golf and Country Club in Florida. Our happy foursome was finishing the front nine of the famous 18-hole course called the Blue Monster. While waiting on the ninth tee, staring down a par three over water and into a stiff breeze, I made small talk with the fellows in our group: “Who won the tournament last year?” Their expressions suddenly turned sour, and one muttered, “Two [expletive] sandbaggers!” Then another added, “Those [expletive] cheaters will never be invited back, [expletive] them.”
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December 15, 2025
New Alberta legislation limits law society’s education, disciplinary powers
Hot on the heels of a controversial bill to limit the disciplinary authority of professional regulatory bodies, Alberta legislators have also passed a bill that brings significant change to the governance of the legal profession in the province — a move some legal observers are saying seems to reflect a distrust of the provincial law society.
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December 15, 2025
Joint trials, case complexity allow Crown to stray from Jordan guidelines, says Ontario Appeal Court
In a case involving two respondents charged with drug offences as part of a massive 11-month interagency investigation of cross-border trafficking, the Ontario Court of Appeal has set aside the stay of proceedings against them and ordered a new trial.
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December 15, 2025
How holiday stress contributes to domestic-related calls and charges
The holiday season is often celebrated as a time of warmth, tradition and togetherness. Yet for many households in Canada, it also brings a unique mix of pressures that can contribute to increased conflict in the home.
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December 15, 2025
Supreme Court to clarify how Gladue applies when offenders and victims are Indigenous
On Dec. 11 and 12, 2025, the Supreme Court of Canada heard R. v. Cope, 2024 NSCA 59, a rare sentencing appeal with far-reaching implications for Indigenous communities. At stake is how courts should sentence Indigenous offenders when the victim is also Indigenous. The appeal has drawn 20 intervenors, a clear signal of its national importance.
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December 12, 2025
SCC clarifies warrantless arrest power, affirms right of defence to challenge legality of such arrests
Ruling 9-0, the Supreme Court of Canada has delineated statutory limits on the power of police to make warrantless arrests and the nature of their statutory partial immunity for “good faith” but mistaken warrantless arrests, thereby clarifying that Criminal Code s. 495 does not bar a criminal accused from the opportunity to allege that their warrantless arrest was illegal and thus infringed their s. 9 Charter-guaranteed right not to be arbitrarily detained or arrested.
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December 12, 2025
Regulators shut down 3,900 fraudulent investment and crypto websites in 6 months
Canadian securities and investment regulators deactivated more than 3,900 fake investment platforms and cryptocurrency scam websites in less than six months, according to a release issued by the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) and Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) on Dec. 11.
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December 12, 2025
Canada, Ontario expand Toronto justice centres for at-risk youth
The federal government and Ontario have announced five new youth justice centre locations in Toronto that aim to improve access to legal and community supports for at-risk youth in the city.
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December 12, 2025
Washington jury decides: Hero sandwich or assault sub?
Murder by mustard? You are all no doubt wondering about the outcome of the recent trial in Washington, D.C., of Sean Charles Dunn. A jury found him not guilty of assault for throwing a Subway sandwich at a federal agent who Dunn thought was going to arrest some illegal immigrants.
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December 12, 2025
An ‘AI crash’ could leave behind an environmental mess
The world’s artificial intelligence (AI) boom is accelerating at a pace that few anticipated even a year ago. Data centres are rising across continents. Chip manufacturers are operating at maximum capacity. Investors are pouring billions into technologies, the long-term returns of which remain uncertain. Analysts now warn that this acceleration may be building towards an “AI crash.”