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September 25, 2026
An Alberta Court of Appeal decision illustrates the discretion available to a sentencing judge under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) in determining how to consider a young offender’s pre-sentence custody (R. v. I.A., 2026 ABCA 298).
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September 25, 2026
In 2024, British Columbia took a seismic step away from treating family pets as ordinary property under the law when couples separate. Amendments to B.C.'s Family Law Act took effect on Jan.15, 2024 and introduced specific factors that courts must consider when determining which spouse should be granted ownership or possession of the family's companion animal. (See: B.C. Gov News.)
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September 25, 2026
Appeal by appellant from sentence of three years’ imprisonment for manslaughter. On the date of the offence, the victim wrote insulting comments about the appellant in chalk on the sidewalk. A physical altercation lasting a little more than two minutes ensued.
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September 24, 2026
A recent decision granting bail pending appeal in a serious firearms case reminds us that Canadian bail law focuses on risk, compliance and public confidence, not an accused person’s ability to post bail.
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September 23, 2026
The Indigenous court in Chilliwack, B.C., has moved as a means of getting closer to the people it serves. The court has moved from the Chilliwack courthouse to Siyá:m Lálem, a space on Qw'oqw'elith'a (Coqualeetza) grounds owned by the Stó:lō Collective.
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September 23, 2026
Chief Justice of Canada Richard Wagner says Canada’s independent justice system and perspective on confronting global threats to the rule of law has attracted interest abroad. Speaking Sept. 22 at a Newfoundland and Labrador law society event in St. John’s, Chief Justice Wagner told local lawyers and those online that he was the only non-European court leader invited to attend the meeting in Cyprus last June of the Network of the Presidents of the Supreme Judicial Courts of the 27-member European Union (EU).
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September 23, 2026
Since March 26, 2026, every reporting entity under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act must under the new s. 9.6(1.1) “ensure that the program is reasonably designed, risk-based and effective.” Its schedule entry is a very serious violation with a $20 million per violation ceiling for an entity ($4 million for a person). Little has been written about what s. 9.6(1.1) actually adds: an express program-level performance standard.
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September 23, 2026
Canada has released an update on the progress made under the National Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft, stating that national auto thefts fell by 10 per cent in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025.
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September 22, 2026
An Ontario man convicted of serious gun crimes has been granted bail as he appeals his convictions — despite the “hostile” political environment surrounding interim release in cases involving serious criminal offences, says his lawyer.
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September 22, 2026
A manslaughter case can turn on a single act for purposes of criminal liability, even if it is not a single-act case for purposes of sentencing.
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September 21, 2026
The Ontario Court of Appeal has ordered a new trial for Jonathan Massicotte after finding that he was convicted of second-degree murder on a theory of liability about which his trial counsel had not received sufficient notice (R. v. Massicotte, 2026 ONCA 526).
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September 21, 2026
Appeal by appellant from his conviction for second-degree murder. The Crown’s case was based on circumstantial evidence, the appellant’s recorded statements to police, and the testimony of a Vetrovec witness, Anderson.
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September 18, 2026
Canada’s government has created a firearms boss to serve the country’s three northern territories. On Sept. 17, Public Safety Canada announced that Ottawa has established a “dedicated” chief firearms officer (CFO) for the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
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September 18, 2026
“Good afternoon. My name is Ms. Ahuja — A-H-U-J-A, for the record. I am an independent correctional adjudicator and will be presiding over your matter today. I have the authority to conduct this disciplinary hearing from the assistant deputy minister under the Correction Act Regulation,” I routinely begin.
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September 18, 2026
A criminal conviction is not an ordinary judgment. It can take away a person’s liberty for years, and in the most serious cases, for life. That is why there is a strong argument that when reasonable grounds exist to challenge a conviction or sentence, no limitation period should prevent a court from hearing the challenge.
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September 18, 2026
Appeal by appellant from his conviction for second-degree murder. The appellant was convicted of the killing of Wapoose, who was beaten and stabbed to death. The key evidence at trial came from Zoccole and Shawanamash-Ignace.
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September 17, 2026
Justice Audrey Boctor has been appointed a puisne judge of the Court of Appeal of Quebec in Montreal.
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September 17, 2026
For justice to exist alongside AI governance, we must adopt a sociotechnical approach instead of a purely technical approach to safeguard rights. This requires maintaining the justice system, including courts and other legal institutions, at the core of the sociotechnical system, revealing how language shapes law and governance, and how power, authority and control over AI remain subject to human responsibility.
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September 17, 2026
A lawsuit brought by Jeffrey Hartman, a partner in the Toronto law firm Lockyer, Zaduk Zeeh, concerns an alleged incident at a federal institution in Ontario and raises an uncomfortable question for the correctional system: how should prisons accommodate transgender inmates while maintaining the safety, security and privacy of everyone in their care?
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September 17, 2026
Review by applicant of a Chambers judge’s decision denying his motion to extend the time to file a notice of appeal from his conviction for second-degree murder and sentence of life imprisonment.
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September 16, 2026
Manitoba’s Court of King’s Bench is now allowing accused persons in remand who are challenging their detention the option of affirming the truth of their affidavits via video appearance.
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September 16, 2026
Police need not perform “an exhaustive, confirmatory investigation” to form a reasonable belief that there is cannabis being illegally stored in a vehicle, states an Ontario court in ordering a new trial for a driver who was arrested after police allegedly found drugs in his car and a gun hidden in the gearshift.
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September 16, 2026
A behind-the-scenes bid by federal chief justices to make future recommendations from the federal independent judicial pay commission process binding on Ottawa is on hold as representatives of Canada’s 1,200 federal judges and Federal Court associate judges sue the Carney government for allegedly not giving “meaningful effect” to the work and non-binding advice of the latest quadrennial Judicial Compensation and Benefits Commission (Giardini Commission.)
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September 16, 2026
To survive in prison, many prisoners must resort to violence — not because they want to, but because they have to.
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September 15, 2026
I was recently approached by email and asked to be interviewed about my latest book on a Zoom call that would reach more than 800 viewers. What troubled me was that the Zoom call was to originate in Dubai. I checked the company before accepting. The Winnipeg Free Press had reported on the venture and labelled it a scam intent on pushing authors to make sizable donations.