In R v Bouvette, 2023 BCCA 152 [Bouvette] the Court of Appeal for British Columbia (BCCA) set aside a guilty plea and ordered a stay of proceedings where the Crown failed to disclose material documents to the defence. In doing so, they adopted a strict version of the test for when an acquittal is an […]
The Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) will soon give direction to lower courts on how to assess the prejudicial and probative value of permitting an accused’s criminal record to be admitted as evidence. In R v Hussein, 2023 ONCA 253 [Hussein], the Court of Appeal for Ontario (“ONCA”) upheld the trial judge’s dismissal of the […]
The Court of Appeal for Ontario (“ONCA”) has re-emphasised that capacity for rational decision-making has no place in the test for fitness to stand trial. In its ruling in R v Bharwani, 2023 ONCA 203 [Bharwani], the ONCA held that fitness to stand trial under s. 2 of the Criminal Code, RSC 1985, c C-46 […]
In R v Breault, 2023 SCC 9 [Breault], the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) settled a long-running dispute regarding the flexibility of the immediacy requirement in situations where a police officer demands a breath sample to be provided “forthwith” by a suspected impaired driver (Criminal Code, RSC 1985, c C-46, s. 254(2)(b) as it appeared […]