Criminal
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November 18, 2025
Alexandre-Philippe Avard appointed to Quebec Superior Court
Alexandre-Philippe Avard, a partner at Dentons, has been appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Quebec for the district of Montreal.
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November 18, 2025
B.C. appoints 6 new judges
The federal Department of Justice has announced the appointment of six new judges to British Columbia courts.
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November 18, 2025
Ontario gaming reference shows Criminal Code is statute open to modern interpretation, lawyer says
Ontario’s top court has paved the way for the province to establish an online gaming and sports betting system where users are allowed to compete against people outside of Canada after it ruled such a scheme would not violate the Criminal Code.
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November 18, 2025
The broken shield: Who is accountable when a Canadian’s life savings disappear?
Canadian banks say they’re on the front lines of the fraud war. But for Ray Anholt, a now 90-year-old Victoria resident, these defences were paper-thin. His entire life savings, painstakingly acquired and entrusted to RBC and CIBC, vanished in a slick “bank investigator” scam that exposes some interesting holes in Canada’s so-called consumer safety nets.
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November 17, 2025
Manitoba giving hundreds of thousands in support of crime victims
More than a dozen groups dedicated to helping victims of violent crime in Manitoba will receive money collected by the province through the seizing of criminal property.
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November 17, 2025
Sheri L. Woods joins Court of King’s Bench in Saskatchewan
Sheri L. Woods has been appointed a judge of the Court of King’s Bench for Saskatchewan in Prince Albert.
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November 17, 2025
Geneviève Langlois appointed to Court of Quebec
Geneviève Langlois has been appointed to the Court of Quebec, where she will primarily serve in the Criminal and Penal Division in Joliette.
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November 17, 2025
Continuing education for judges
When an accused person is found guilty and sentenced to prison, it is likely that no one in the courtroom — not the prosecutor, not the defence counsel, not the jury and not the judge — fully understands what a prison term involves. To address this, the Ontario Court of Justice has established a continuing education program to enhance and maintain professional skills, as well as foster social awareness.
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November 17, 2025
ATV accident decision illustrative of ‘so much grey in criminal law’
A Toronto criminal lawyer, Michelle Psutka, posted this comment online: “There is so much grey in criminal law. Accused and convicted people are not inherently bad, and the state is not inherently good.”
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November 14, 2025
SCC settles appellate courts’ clash over evidentiary requirements for impaired driving convictions
Ruling 8-1 on the Criminal Code’s evidentiary requirements for impaired driving convictions, the Supreme Court of Canada has clarified that (1) the Crown does not have to prove at trial (but must disclose to the defence) the target value used in a breath test for alcohol and (2) the Crown can rely on a certificate from a qualified technician who administered the breath test to prove the breath machine was properly calibrated.