Canada Commits to Fighting Human Trafficking As a result of mounting international pressure, Canada has finally agreed to take action to combat human trafficking. The announcement was made on Wednesday in Ottawa by the Public Safety Minister, Vic Toews. According to Toews, it has been in development in years. Since 2005, provinces have been developing […]
Imagine working diligently to be admitted into law school, and then, once admitted, pouring over thousands of cases, cramming them into your brain, being tested on them, and once this is all said and done, studying for two more exams, articling for ten months and finally becoming a lawyer— only to be disbarred. The thought […]
The Supreme Court of Canada's decision in R v Maybin, 2012 SCC 24 is the Court’s latest foray into causality in the context of criminal liability. The decision is arguably the Court’s most important statement of the law since R v Nette, [2001] 3 S.C.R. 488. If anything, Maybin serves to broaden an approach to […]
As I explained a few weeks ago, Bedford v Canada (Attorney General), 2012 ONCA 186 [Bedford] decision asks more questions than it answers. One of those questions is how prostitution can be communicated, specifically how prostitutes (or their pimps) can solicit clients and how clients can express interest in those prostitutes. The provision in the Criminal Code, RSC 1985, […]
SCC Won’t Weigh in on Whether Domain Names are Property On May 24th, the Supreme Court of Canada denied leave to appeal with respect to the Ontario Court of Appeal’s decision in Tucows.Com Co. v Lojas Renner S.A. 2011 ONCA 548. Tucows.com Co. (“Tucows”) and Lojas Renner S.A. (“Renner”) disputed Tucows’s right to keep the […]
Unholy Alliances? Gay-Straight Clubs, Catholic Opposition and Ontario’s Anti-Bullying Bill 13 The Canadian media has been awash with reports of support and opposition since the Ontario Minister of Education, Lauren Broten, announced the provincial government’s stance on certain amendments to the existing Education Act on May 25, 2012. Officially called the Accepting Schools Act (“ASA”), […]
The one-two punch of the Quebec government trying to control the student strikes and the Canadian Pacific Railway ("CPR") being threatened with back to work legislature have turned Canadian attention to the state of union workers. The rights and privileges of workers when on strike have become a constant stream of headlines. Another controversial union […]
On May 24, 2012, the Ontario Court of Appeal ("ONCA") released a sensitive and nuanced judgment that promises to polarize opinions and provide plenty of fodder for thought regarding the handling of criminally accused mentally ill persons. On the one hand, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) v Ontario, 2012 ONCA 342 [CAMH], on […]
Having taken criminal law courses in law school, and having written numerous commentaries on criminal cases before the courts for TheCourt.ca, I have developed a rather strong stomach. Not much gets under my skin anymore. One case decided by a lower court in Ontario earlier this month stood out for me, though. The case of […]
Bill 78 – No Surprise It’s Having the Opposite Effect Responding to what some have coined anti protest legislation, protestors outside of Quebec have joined in on the Montreal student protest. On May 22, 2012, demonstrators in Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, New York, and even Paris united in red to show their support for the protestors. The […]