Criminal
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December 12, 2025
Alberta Court of Appeal weighs in on medical privacy
How far does the privacy of medical records restrict police in their investigation of impaired driving? That question was at the heart of a decision recently released by the Alberta Court of Appeal (R. v. Ouellette, 2025 ABCA 340).
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December 11, 2025
Report finds N.B. highways in poor condition, overseers not keeping up
An audit report out of New Brunswick finds almost half of its highways to be in poor condition, and that it recently had the highest per capita highway death rate of all Canadian provinces.
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December 10, 2025
Canada designates four new terrorist organizations under the Criminal Code
In order to “counter terrorism and violent extremism, in particular the radicalization of young people online,” the federal government has added four new organizations to the Criminal Code list of terrorist entities.
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December 10, 2025
B.C. appoints 2 new judges to provincial court
The Government of British Columbia has appointed Michael Lefebure and Christina Proteau to the provincial court, with both appointments effective Jan. 5, 2026, according to the announcement from the province.
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December 10, 2025
Prison lawyers: Contraband smugglers or misunderstood advocates?
The main gate phone rang; it was the shift supervisor: “We got Milano’s lawyer comin’ in at 13:30, make sure you check him good!”
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December 09, 2025
Federal Protecting Victims Act proposes wide-ranging & some contentious criminal law changes
The federal government has introduced a wide-ranging “Protecting Victims Act,” which proposes, among many things: the expansion of various offences and punishments; new restrictions impacting the current interpretation of the Charter rights of accused persons to speedy trials and to make full answer and defence in sexual assault and other prosecutions; the creation of a number of novel Criminal Code offences; and the effective “restoration” for future sentencing (via a new judicial discretion “safety valve”) of “all” unconstitutional Criminal Code mandatory minimum penalties (MMPs) that were struck down as cruel and unusual punishment by various courts.
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December 09, 2025
Ontario urged to rethink ban on restorative justice in sexual offence cases
A number of legal organizations are calling for the Ontario government to change a policy that bans the use of restorative justice as an alternative to the criminal justice system in cases involving sexual offences.
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December 09, 2025
N.S. police could refuse order to crack down on illegal cannabis sales: expert
Nova Scotia has directed police in the province to crack down on illegal sellers of cannabis — but one expert says they may be able to refuse due to government overreach. Dalhousie University Schulich School of Law professor emeritus Wayne MacKay said the recent directive compromises the independence of the police operations and is “pushing the limits a bit of what is appropriate.”
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December 09, 2025
B.C. case highlights differences between ‘con code’ and law’s limited understanding of jail justice
Canadian courts often invoke the Charter of Rights and Freedoms when evaluating the actions of police, prosecutors and trial judges. Section 7, guaranteeing “life, liberty and security of the person,” forms the core of our constitutional framework. However, the protection it offers does not always reach those who need it most.
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December 09, 2025
Driving this holiday season: Understanding offences of impaired driving and dangerous driving
The holiday season is upon us. Every year, it feels as though everyone is trying to accomplish in one month what they set out to do in a year. The days of our lives and the roads grow busier. Then, factor in the holiday office parties, inclement weather and poor road conditions. Together, it is a recipe for disaster.