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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
Do police officers have the power to enter a person’s backyard without express permission from the owner? On January 25, 2018, the Ontario Court of Appeal (“ONCA”) released R v Le, 2018 ONCA 56 [Le], a decision where the majority found the police had lawfully entered a backyard in order to investigate potential criminal activity. What […]
In Figueiras v Toronto (Police Services Board), 2015 ONCA 208, the scope of common law police powers were at issue in regards to their conduct with protesters during the 2010 G20 summit in Toronto. In what has been hailed a victory for G20 demonstrators, the Ontario Court of Appeal granted Mr. Figueiras’ appeal in holding […]
In R v Hart, 2014 SCC 52 [Hart], the Supreme Court of Canada ("SCC") set out a new framework for the admissibility of confessions elicited during “Mr. Big” operations. (I wrote about the decision in a previous post.) In this post, I will look at the companion decision in R v Mack, 2014 SCC 58 […]
Introduction In many ways, it is difficult to argue with the result of the Supreme Court of Canada’s ("SCC") decision in R v Clayton, [2007] 2 SCR 725 [Clayton] released on July 6, 2007. In Clayton, the court restored the convictions of two accused who had been found in possession of loaded handguns, and were part […]
