Access to Justice
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January 17, 2025
Sentencing appeal unveils harm-filled trail of fraudulence
In the movie Catch Me if You Can, Leonardo DiCaprio portrays the notorious con artist Frank Abagale Jr., who poses as a doctor, lawyer and airline pilot before being apprehended by the FBI. The movie makes for good entertainment, but we seldom appreciate the harm that fraudsters can do to their unsuspecting victims.
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January 16, 2025
Murder appeal raises question: Can judges overstep authority?
It is trite to say that the judge is the trier of law, and the jury is the trier of fact. Can judges in criminal jury cases overstep their authority by refusing to allow a jury to consider a lesser and included offence as part of the jury’s deliberation? This was the first argument raised by Toronto criminal lawyers Nathan Gorham and Breana Vanderbeek in the appeal of James Scordino’s conviction for first-degree murder. The Ontario Court of Appeal issued its answer to the question on Jan. 13, 2025, in R. v. Scordino, 2025 ONCA 12.
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January 15, 2025
Class action brought against Walmart, Loblaw, Sobeys for allegedly overpriced meat products
A proposed class action has been launched against Walmart, Loblaw and Sobeys alleging that the weight of packaged raw and cooked meat sold by the grocery giants is often misrepresented, making the product overpriced.
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January 14, 2025
Settlement of $7.3 million reached in Windsor highrise fire class action
A settlement of $7.3 million has been reached in a class action relating to a fire in a downtown Windsor, Ont. highrise apartment building that displaced its tenants.
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January 14, 2025
Manitoba organizations can apply for accessibility funding
Organizations such as charities, non-profits and “on-reserve entities” in Manitoba can now apply for “accessibility project” funding from the province.
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January 14, 2025
Spontaneous exculpatory statement examined in drug smuggling appeal denial
Both the RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency investigate and prosecute narcotic smuggling. These agencies charged Narado Richardo Henry with importing a controlled substance when he arrived at Toronto’s Pearson Airport carrying 1.9 kilograms of cocaine hidden in the lining of his suitcase.
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January 13, 2025
Police are wrong: Deep-fake porn of teenage girls is illegal | Naomi Sayers
In the summer of 2014, I received an email. I was selected to testify at Canada’s Parliamentary Justice and Human Rights Committee and I would be testifying against the proposed bill coming down the pipeline after a successful Charter challenge to then-prostitution law provisions in the Criminal Code.
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January 13, 2025
Appeal Court affirms conditional sentence for teen in sex case
In 2014, Parliament passed the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act. The legislation was based on the premise that prostitution is a form of sex or gender inequality and that it is associated with human trafficking and violence.
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January 10, 2025
Federal Court grants review of Jordan’s Principle decision involving Indigenous dad and his children
Indigenous Services Canada must notify applicants making requests under Jordan’s Principle of any essential documents they must provide before it makes a decision, the Federal Court of Appeal has held, calling out ISC’s “passive approach” to procedural fairness.
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January 10, 2025
Ontario legal aid changes an important first step, Criminal Lawyers’ Association president says
The organization overseeing legal aid in Ontario has proposed a three-year increase in financial eligibility thresholds aimed at allowing more low-income people to access the justice system, a move the president of the provincial Criminal Lawyers’ Association characterized as an important first step.