Criminal
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June 02, 2025
Prime Minister Carney taps Montreal lawyers for key roles in PMO
Prime Minister Mark Carney has hired prominent Montreal lawyer Marc-André Blanchard, the former chair and CEO of McCarthy Tétrault LLP, as his chief of staff, while ex-federal justice minister David Lametti, counsel with Montreal’s Fasken, is also taking on senior responsibilities in the new Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), according to media reports.
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June 02, 2025
Appeal Court determines uninformed guilty plea merits retrial
Dwayne Gordon felt dismayed when he received a longer sentence than he believed was agreed upon during a pretrial negotiation session.
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May 30, 2025
SCC rules Quebec licensing law does not apply to firms providing airport, maritime private security
In a judgment that turns on the application of the constitutional doctrine of interjurisdictional immunity, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled 9-0 that Quebec’s Private Security Act (PSA) does not apply to two companies that engage in airport and marine port security in the province because the Quebec law impairs activities at the core of exclusive federal jurisdiction over aeronautics, navigation and shipping.
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May 30, 2025
The legal status of non-human animals in Canada: Sentient beings or property?
Tank follows me everywhere; not out of obedience, nor because he is bound by some legal designation as “property,” but because he chooses to. My commissioned knight who positions himself between me and the world, a quiet protector against perceived threats.
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May 30, 2025
Lack of remorse, restitution failure inform N.S. Supreme Court lobster fraud conviction
“How many families get destroyed because of Terry f--king Banks?” Those were the words of one of three men who stopped by the cottage of Beaverdam Lake, N.S., lobster dealer Wayne Banks, who was recorded on a tape subsequently turned over to CBC News. The visitors complained that, over about 10 days, someone had defrauded them for approximately $1.6 million.
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May 30, 2025
DND says it now offers independent legal advice to victims of sexual misconduct in the military
The Department of National Defence (DND) says it has expanded the services of its Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre to offer “independent” and “direct” free legal assistance to those 18 years and older, who have experienced sexual misconduct in a DND or Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) “context.”
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May 30, 2025
N.L. accepting grant proposals for violence prevention program
The government of Newfoundland and Labrador is inviting proposals for its 2025 Community Violence Prevention Grants Program.
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May 30, 2025
Canada might not be for sale ... but is Ontario?
Ontario Premier Doug Ford campaigned on a tough response to Trump’s bullying, but now that he has his new mandate, it sure looks to me like he is adopting the president’s authoritarian playbook. That should be no surprise, since he frequently expressed admiration for the Donald before the latter declared a trade war.
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May 28, 2025
Justice minister defends Trudeau bail reforms, but throne speech confirms new restrictions coming
The official Opposition Conservatives have renewed calls to repeal the Trudeau government’s so-called “catch and release” bail reforms, but the new Carney government is defending the changes while pledging to legislate new bail restrictions for certain crimes and repeat offenders.
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May 29, 2025
Judge blows the cap on retroactive child support
Not every case has such juicy facts like those in Jansen v. DiCecco, 2025 ONCJ 189, in which a father was ordered to pay $899,811 forthwith in back child support for 22 years.