Access to Justice
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February 28, 2025
Nova Scotia planning update of human rights commission
Nova Scotia’s government is planning an upgrade of the province’s human rights commission in a bid to make it more accessible and “responsive” to the public.
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February 28, 2025
SCC rules Métis Nation’s pursuit of overlapping lawsuits against Saskatchewan not abuse of process
The Supreme Court of Canada has affirmed 9-0 that a legal challenge by the Métis Nation–Saskatchewan to provincial permits that allow a company to explore for uranium on land to which the Métis claim Aboriginal title in Saskatchewan is not an abuse of process and may go ahead, notwithstanding that the Métis have also launched other lawsuits involving similar issues against the province.
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February 28, 2025
Juror questions at heart of successful murder appeal
The Ontario Court of Appeal was asked to review the second-degree murder conviction and sentence imposed on a London, Ont., man who chose to call no evidence in his three-week murder trial in 2021.
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February 27, 2025
Justice Minister quashes murder conviction, finds possible miscarriage of justice in decades-old case
Citing the emergence of new information, federal Justice Minister Arif Virani has ordered the retrial of Roy Allan Sobotiak, who was convicted in Edmonton 34 years ago of second-degree murder in the 1987 disappearance of Susan Kaminsky, whose body has never been found.
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February 27, 2025
CBSA launches new operation to target fentanyl and other synthetic narcotics
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has announced the launch of "Operation Blizzard," calling it a targeted cross-country initiative to intercept fentanyl, synthetic narcotics and other illegal contraband arriving in and leaving Canada.
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February 26, 2025
Federal Court strikes $100M class action against Canada over its handling of COVID-19 pandemic
The Federal Court has dismissed a proposed $100-million class action lawsuit against the federal government over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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February 26, 2025
Ontario Trial Lawyers’ Association calls for key auto insurance changes amid election clamour
In the run-up to Ontario’s Feb. 27 election this week, the organization that represents more than 1,300 legal professionals in the personal injury sector has been campaigning to raise awareness about issues with the province’s auto insurance system that it argues are unfair to accident victims and the personal injury bar.
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February 25, 2025
Decision freighted by insufficient dicussion?
It is difficult to talk about childhood sexual abuse. It seems this difficulty includes members of Ontario’s Court of Appeal. It is common on appeal decisions from Ontario that a fulsome discussion of facts is set out in the court’s reasons for the decision. However, this was not the case in the decision upholding the indecent assault conviction of J.S. handed down on Feb. 19 (R. v. J.S., 2025 ONCA 125).
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February 26, 2025
Women & 2SLGBTQI+ applicants came out ahead as ‘highly recommended’ for federal benches in 2023-2024
Asserting his new administration is “ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity,” U.S. President Donald Trump recently issued controversial executive orders banning diversity, equity and inclusion policies and hiring at the federal level in America. But in Canada, the most recent demographic statistics on federal judicial appointments and the professional competence and character assessments made by the Trudeau government’s non-partisan judicial advisory committees (JACs) indicate that diversity has gone hand in hand with “merit.”
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February 25, 2025
Feds, Northwest Territories agree on nature protection plan
Ottawa has entered into a multi-year agreement with the Northwest Territories that will see the latter work with local Indigenous governments in a bid to protect nature in the territory.