The British Columbia Court of Appeal (“BCCA”) decision in R v Belcourt, 2015 BCCA 126 [Belcourt], weighed the constitutional underpinnings of two different issues—privacy, and instructions on mens rea requirements—in a second-degree murder charge. The BCCA concluded that the privacy rights of Belcourt, the accused, were not infringed by the production of text messages under […]
In Toronto (Police Association) v Toronto (Police Services Board), 2015 ONCA 188 [Toronto v Toronto], the Ontario Court of Appeal (“ONCA”) considered the interaction between the collective agreement that governs the employment of police officers (“CA”), and the Police Services Act, RSO 1990, c P15 [PSA]. The question was whether a particular decision of the […]
In Wilson v Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, 2015 FCA 17 [Wilson], released January 22, 2015, the Federal Court of Appeal (“FCA”) dismissed an appeal relating to a dismissal from employment under the Canada Labour Code, RSC 1985, c L-2 [CLA]. This judgment covers a broad range of administrative law issues, clarifying the permissibility of dismissal without […]
The Ontario Court of Appeal’s (“ONCA”) decision in R v Shin, 2015 ONCA 189, upheld a drug trafficking conviction that followed from an extensive police investigation in the Greater Toronto Area (“GTA”). Brian Shin was arrested after he entered a stash house where police were waiting for him. Although the arrest violated Shin’s Charter rights, […]
Henry v British Columbia (Attorney General), 2014 BCCA 15, was recently granted leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”). In 1983, Mr. Henry was wrongfully convicted of 17 sexual offences, for which he spent more than 27 years in jail. He was declared a dangerous offender and would have been incarcerated for […]
Omar Khadr’s journey through this country’s various courts will continue in May when the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) holds a hearing for the appeal of Khadr v Edmonton Institution, 2014 ABCA 225. Unlike earlier legal proceedings involving Khadr, this appeal is relatively less complex. The issue essentially boils down to whether Khadr should have […]
In Simon Gillies et al v Toronto District School Board, 2015 ONSC 1038, Justice Himel of the Superior Court of Ontario held that a mandatory breathalyser test for high school prom attendees violated section 8 of the Charter. This case applied the Charter in an interesting context and led to a win for the high […]
Judges should assume facts in claims are true when considering whether to strike out a pleading under Rule 21 of Ontario’s Rules of Civil Procedure (“Rules”). In a case earlier this month, Gaur v Datta, 2015 ONCA 151, the Ontario Court of Appeal overturned a motion judge’s ruling in a 3-0 decision, allowing the appellants […]
This is the first part of a two-part comment on the Supreme Court of Canada ("SCC") decision in Loyola High School v Quebec (Attorney General), 2015 SCC 12 [Loyola]. It will summarize the majority opinion of Justice Abella. Unlike the concurring opinion of Chief Justice McLachlin, which will be set out in Part II, Abella […]
On March 5, 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”), in R v Grant, 2015 SCC 9 [Grant], unanimously dismissed the Crown’s appeal, concluding that the trial judge had erred in law in treating the evidence relating to the alleged abduction of P.W. as known third party suspect evidence and in requiring Mark Edward Grant […]