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SCC Refuses to Extend Random Sobriety Stop Power to Private Property: R v McColman

Driving, as a licensed activity, carries certain limitations. Perhaps most important among them is the prohibition against driving while impaired. But the law cannot reach every corner of a person’s life. At a certain point, privacy interests come into play. To be a driver in Ontario is to drive a vehicle on a “highway”—that is, […]

R. v. Zacharias: SCC to Consider Alleged Charter Breaches in Drug Trafficking Case

On May 15, 2023, the Supreme Court of Canada [“SCC” or “the Court”] will hear the appeal of R. v. Zacharias, 2022 ABCA 112 [“Zacharias”]. The appeal is from the Alberta Court of Appeal [“ABCA”] and relates to alleged breaches of the accused’s rights under ss. 8 and 9 of the Canadian Charter of Rights […]

R v Metzger : The Supreme Court overrules the Trial Judge on Findings of Fact

In R v Metzger, 2023 SCC 5 [Metzger], the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) upheld the acquittal of Shawn Metzger, who had been convicted of a number of offences arising from a home invasion robbery, on the grounds that the evidence in the case was circumstantial (Metzger, para 1). In the process, the SCC overruled […]