Access to Justice
-
May 22, 2025
Trial prep 101: A practical guide for lawyers (and a message for clients who want to win)
Preparing for trial is not something that begins a month out, or while drafting the trial scheduling endorsement. It begins the moment a lawyer first opens a file. This article walks through the foundational elements of strong trial preparation in the context of family law.
-
May 22, 2025
SCC won’t weigh in, for now, on how chronic judge shortages may impact Charter speedy trial right
The Supreme Court of Canada has declined to rule on whether chronic judicial vacancies can contribute to criminal charges being thrown out for unconstitutional trial delay; however the top court appears to be open to grappling with that persistent problem in a future Charter s. 11(b) case, according to counsel for an accused whose Toronto jury trial was postponed for 10 months due to the lack of a judge to preside at the first scheduled trial date.
-
May 22, 2025
Opening Iran to tourism and technology: Economic potential, strategic implications
This article examines the transformative potential of opening Iran’s tourism and technology sectors to international investment and co-operation.
-
May 21, 2025
600 kilometres north of Sweet Grass
It’s 3:27 in the morning, and I’m at my desk in the basement. A fan clicks on behind the furnace-room door, and my fingertips scatter keystrokes across my MacBook like dropped pins. Other than that, it’s silent.
-
May 21, 2025
Should TV cameras be allowed in Canadian courtrooms?
The month of May has seen Canadians unusually fixated on courtroom drama. In the United States, we watched as the Menendez brothers sought resentencing to end their “life without parole” for shooting their parents, allowing them in future to go before a parole board to rejoin free society.
-
May 20, 2025
Quick guide to specialized peace bonds
The Criminal Code contains eight types of peace bonds, set out in ss. 810 to 810.2. The purpose of this article is to detail their similarities and differences, and in doing so, offer some clarity for those seeking to prevent future harm.
-
May 20, 2025
Prison food: Canada vs. Beijing
The BBC is reporting on the case of Matthew Radalj, an Australian citizen sentenced to five years (he claims wrongly) after being forced to sign a confession following his Jan. 2, 2020, arrest in Beijing. Radalj was confined in the Beijing No. 2 prison, a facility housing international inmates. He listed a variety of abuses to a BBC reporter, including severe physical punishment, forced labour, food deprivation and psychological torture.
-
May 16, 2025
Federal Court extends deadlines for immigration JRs due to surging cases, inadequate gov’t funding
Contending with far too many immigration cases for its tight budget, the Federal Court this week extended by 45 days its regulation 30-day deadlines for litigants to perfect their applications for leave and judicial review of immigration decisions (ALJRs). Why? Because the registry’s beleaguered staff simply can’t keep up, and now often needs weeks rather than days to intake and process the ALJRs — which have more than quadrupled the average volume the court experienced over the five years immediately preceding the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
-
May 16, 2025
Ontario bill ‘does a good job’ of creating certainty in home, infrastructure construction: lawyer
Ontario legislators are considering a bill aimed at speeding up construction of new homes and transit, and observers are saying the changes are welcome — but note there are a number of things that legal practitioners need to keep an eye out for as a result of the legislation.
-
May 16, 2025
B.C. Court of Appeal caps opioid appeal factums at 195 pages per side
The B.C. Court of Appeal has capped factums in the province’s national opioid class action appeals at 195 pages per side, rejecting the defendants’ bid for nearly 300 pages and ordering aligned parties to co-ordinate submissions to avoid duplication and inefficiency.