Criminal
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May 23, 2025
Sentencing - Sentencing considerations - Rehabilitation - Protection of the public - Aboriginal offenders - Health (incl. mental health)
Appeal by J.W. from a judgment of the Ontario Court of Appeal which allowed in part an appeal from his sentence. J.W., an Indigenous man, repeatedly sexually assaulted the complainant, a worker at the group home where he lived.
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May 23, 2025
Manitoba, Ottawa to fund hate-crime education for prosecutors
Manitoba is partnering with the federal government to invest in “specialized training” for the province’s Crown lawyers in their prosecuting of hate crimes — and will turn to two Jewish advocacy groups to help “co-ordinate and support” the initiative.
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May 23, 2025
Appeal Court cites misapplication of totality as basis for new sentence
No one would deny that child abuse is serious, and more so when the conduct involves child sexual abuse. Should the abuser’s physical and mental condition be factored into a sentence when that person is sentenced? That was a key question before a Manitoba court recently.
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May 22, 2025
Proposed $21-million class action settlement reached for victims of Ottawa doctor
The end of a long-running class action against a former Ottawa family doctor who sexually abused and secretly filmed numerous female patients is potentially in sight with the announcement of a proposed $21-million settlement.
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May 22, 2025
SCC won’t weigh in, for now, on how chronic judge shortages may impact Charter speedy trial right
The Supreme Court of Canada has declined to rule on whether chronic judicial vacancies can contribute to criminal charges being thrown out for unconstitutional trial delay; however the top court appears to be open to grappling with that persistent problem in a future Charter s. 11(b) case, according to counsel for an accused whose Toronto jury trial was postponed for 10 months due to the lack of a judge to preside at the first scheduled trial date.
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May 21, 2025
600 kilometres north of Sweet Grass
It’s 3:27 in the morning, and I’m at my desk in the basement. A fan clicks on behind the furnace-room door, and my fingertips scatter keystrokes across my MacBook like dropped pins. Other than that, it’s silent.
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May 21, 2025
Should TV cameras be allowed in Canadian courtrooms?
The month of May has seen Canadians unusually fixated on courtroom drama. In the United States, we watched as the Menendez brothers sought resentencing to end their “life without parole” for shooting their parents, allowing them in future to go before a parole board to rejoin free society.
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May 20, 2025
New judge and justice of the peace appointed to the Court of Quebec
Quebec Minister of Justice Simon Jolin-Barrette has announced the appointment of Karine Beaudry as a judge and Karen Inkel as a justice of the peace of the Court of Quebec.
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May 20, 2025
Ontario Court of Justice appoints 42 new justices of the peace
The Ontario government has announced the appointment of 42 new justices of the peace to the Ontario Court of Justice, effective May 14, 2025.
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May 20, 2025
Quick guide to specialized peace bonds
The Criminal Code contains eight types of peace bonds, set out in ss. 810 to 810.2. The purpose of this article is to detail their similarities and differences, and in doing so, offer some clarity for those seeking to prevent future harm.