Criminal
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November 06, 2025
Newfoundland Appeal Court cites public safety in denying drug dealer bail
There is growing concern that our courts are too lenient in granting bail to individuals charged with a criminal offence. Some criticize the judicial process as “catch and release.” However, there is little public comment when bail is requested pending appeal for what even the Crown considered an excessively harsh sentence.
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November 06, 2025
PROCEDURE - Trials - Mistrial
Appeal by appellant from the application judge’s decision dismissing his application for delay. This appeal called for guidance concerning how mistrials affect an accused’s right to be tried within a reasonable time.
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November 05, 2025
Saskatchewan introduces legislation to modernize defamation laws
Saskatchewan is proposing legislative changes in a bid to modernize the province’s defamation laws, which would include eliminating the “outdated” distinction between libel and slander.
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November 05, 2025
Recalculating Jordan after a mistrial
Every accused person has the Charter right to be tried within a reasonable time. What is considered reasonable was defined in R. v. Jordan, 2016 SCC 27. Calculations under Jordan can be complex. A recent Ontario Court of Appeal decision provided guidance on how to perform a Jordan calculation when there has been a mistrial.
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November 04, 2025
Federal budget proposes new laws, spending cuts and $1 trillion in ‘generational investments’
The Liberal government’s 2025 federal budget contains dozens of legislative and justice-related proposals, including new and expanded anti-money laundering provisions, a new Canada Labour Code restriction on the use of non-compete agreements, and the creation of an Environmental Protection Tribunal of Canada. Summed up, the stated theme of the federal budget introduced by Finance and National Revenue Minister François-Philippe Champagne in the House of Commons on Nov. 4, 2025, is “smarter public spending and stronger capital investment.”
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November 04, 2025
Maritime province supporting new sexual violence police unit
New Brunswick is throwing support behind a new sexual violence unit run by the RCMP in that province.
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November 04, 2025
B.C. appoints two judges to provincial court
The British Columbia government has appointed Diba Majzub and Megan Olson to the provincial court, effective Nov. 24.
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November 04, 2025
Border infractions can haunt non-citizens: Why appeals matter for immigration status
The consequences of border infractions under the Customs Act and the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (respectively, the CA and PCMLTFA; collectively, the Acts) are minor in most instances — but for non-citizens in Canada, the circumstances can be very different, as border infractions may produce a significant headache from an immigration status standpoint.
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November 04, 2025
SENTENCING - Possession for the purpose of selling, trafficking, distributing or exporting - Conditional sentence
Appeal by Crown from conditional sentence order. The respondent was found guilty of two counts of possessing illicit drugs for the purpose of trafficking. One of those counts involved fentanyl. The Crown sought a cumulative eight-year prison term.
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November 04, 2025
B.C. appeal decision reinforces court’s focus on punishment rather than rehabilitation
Although public safety is a shared goal, there remains debate over how best to achieve it. The courts generally stress punishment, denunciation and deterrence, imposing long sentences to keep offenders off the streets. In contrast, within the penitentiary system, a different philosophy has emerged: one centred on rehabilitation and reintegration.