We were very pleased to receive some kind letters from two of our recent clients after we successfully challenged their 90-day Immediate Roadside Prohibition from driving. I’d like to share their words with you: Hi Paul, “I want to thank you most sincerely for your incredible service. Receiving an IRP was one of the low […]
Testimonials Continue Reading »
A recent Supreme Court of Canada decision, in the case of R. v. Miljevic, considers the question of whether or not a judge is required to provide specific examples of a crime, when the jury asks for them. This case is particularly interesting because the court was split. The majority judgment was written by Justice Cromwell, with Justices
How far can a judge go in answering questions from a jury? Continue Reading »
What about breath tests and smoking? When you are stopped at the roadside for an impaired driving investigation, the police will often ask you to blow into a roadside breath testing device. These are known in law as Approved Screening Devices (ASDs). But what happens if you just finished a cigarette and you are asked
Roadside breath tests and smoking Continue Reading »
The RCMP is concerned that they can no longer fund the National Police Services. For those of you who don’t know, the NPS maintains not only the databases of fingerprints and criminal records for Canada, but also the Canadian Police Centre for Missing and Exploited Children and the nation’s sex offender registry. It’s estimated that this year alone
National police services Continue Reading »
A judge in Michigan has conducted two studies to address the well-known CSI-effect. For those of you who are unfamiliar, the CSI-effect is the theory that jurors who have seen a great deal of television shows like CSI, Criminal Minds, and the like are more likely to expect sophisticated DNA and technological evidence to be presented in
Use of technology increases expectations in court Continue Reading »
A man in Montreal has been given a speeding ticket and fines of $2,598 after he was clocked on radar at over 200km/hr. He is also being given 42 demerit points against his license. This is one of the most notable cases of excessive speed in Canadian history, but the insurance company in Quebec has not yet
Excessive speeding and your license Continue Reading »
Just one day after a Surrey teenager was killed by an RCMP cruiser, we learn that the Abbotsford Police are recommending a charge of assault causing bodily harm against thepolice officer who kicked a suspect in the face during an arrest. Of course, we remember that the Abbotsford police are themselves the target of an investigation into the
Policing in the province Continue Reading »
Harper recently said in an interview that there are times when he believes the death penalty is appropriate. Despite this, he claims to have no designs to reopen the debate. Regardless, his comments have effectively done just the opposite of his purported intent. Many people are now talking about the death penalty and when it may
The death penalty debate Continue Reading »
Any time a child dies is a tragedy. There is simply no getting around that. A woman in Mississauga has been charged in connection with the death of a child at a daycare she ran. The Crown has decided to proceed by laying charges of second-degree murder. On Friday morning, the woman found out her
Canadian bail provisions Continue Reading »
Why has this taken so long? In October of 2009, a video surfaced on YouTube that depicted Abbotsford Police taking down suspects they believed were involved in a drug transaction. The clip depicts officers kicking a man in the head, as well as standing on his legs, despite the fact that the man was lying on the
Police takedown in Abbotsford finally investigated Continue Reading »
The Supreme Court of Canada recently released their decision in R. v. Tran, a case about a murder that occurred loosely in the context of a domestic assault. The case concerned the quasi-defence of provocation. Provocation exists as a partial defence only to the charge of murder. Although raising and successfully establishing provocation at trial will
Provocation and murder Continue Reading »
By now, I’m sure you’ve heard of the changes to the law of drinking and driving in British Columbia. There has been a lot of controversy about the new laws, which will be a feature of discussion on this blog. In this post, I hope to outline a little bit about drinking and driving offences
Some facts about drinking and driving Continue Reading »
