Criminal
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November 06, 2025
Power at the door: Bouncers and the use of force
Bars, lounges, nightclubs, et cetera are public stages for private enterprise; lively, necessary, sometimes combustible places where the safety of staff and patrons is paramount. At the door stands the bouncer: an individual whose presence reassures staff and is said to reassure customers as well. They enforce house rules and must, on occasion, confront disorder.
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November 06, 2025
A veteran correctional officer’s take on personal self defence, part two: Developing the mindset
It was 3:45 p.m. and school was out. Kids were gathering around an outdoor basketball court anticipating a schoolyard fight.
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November 06, 2025
Biometric identities and the invisible person: The fight for ‘facial privacy’ in Canada
When you walk down a city street today, cameras are quietly watching, capturing and, in some cases, analyzing the smallest details of your face. This, in essence, is the new frontier of identity: the age of biometric recognition.
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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legislative changes in a bid to modernize the province’s defamation laws, which would include eliminating the “outdated” distinction between libel and slander.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.