Criminal
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July 24, 2025
CRIMINAL CODE OFFENCES - Offences in relation to sexual services for consideration - Procuring - Material benefit from sexual services
Appeal by appellants from a judgment of the Alberta Court of Appeal which restored their convictions. The appellants were convicted of receiving a material benefit from sexual services and procuring a person to offer or provide sexual services for consideration.
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July 24, 2025
Family separation consequences taken into consideration in sentencing
When a family relationship ends, it can be likened to the nursery rhyme “Humpty Dumpty.” When the details of the breakup are presented in court, a judge’s role is to try to put the pieces together again. That appears to be the task the Ontario Court of Appeal took on in R. v. D.L., 2025 ONCA 533. They became the king’s horses and king’s men.
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July 24, 2025
CRIMINAL CODE OFFENCES - Possession and trafficking - Possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000
Appeal by Miller from his conviction for unlawful possession of methamphetamine (meth) for the purpose of trafficking and unlawful possession of property obtained by crime not exceeding $5,000.
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July 23, 2025
G20 finance ministers discuss international tax reforms and debt relief framework in South Africa
Finance ministers and central bank governors from the world’s 20 largest economies (G20) have concluded their third meeting of the year in Durban, South Africa, by endorsing several initiatives with potential legal and regulatory implications for international finance and taxation.
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July 22, 2025
Federal Court affirms Ottawa can temporarily bar sex offenders from sponsoring immigrants
The Federal Court has affirmed that Ottawa acted within its scope of authority, under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), when it issued a temporary regulatory ban on immigration sponsorship applications from Canadians or permanent residents convicted of sex crimes.
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July 22, 2025
No surprise B.C. government conceded defeat in solitary confinement class action
With the abolition of corporal punishment and the end of capital punishment in Canada, we have long maintained that the only penalty we impose is deprivation of liberty. However, while we collectively praised ourselves for humane treatment of prisoners, we often overlooked the torture caused by solitary confinement. We were depriving inmates of their freedom but also inflicting psychological torment.
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July 22, 2025
Who is responsible when a dog bites?
Everybody loves a dog — until it bites.
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July 21, 2025
SENTENCING - Criminal Code offences – Homicide
Appeal by S.B. from an order of the Court of Appeal imposing the same adult sentence as that imposed by the youth court judge, life sentence without the possibility of parole for 10 years. When S.B. was 16 years old, he and others carried out a plan to shoot and kill another 16-year-old.
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July 21, 2025
SENTENCING - Criminal Code offences - Homicide
Appeal by I.M. from an order of the Court of Appeal dismissing I.M.’s appeal for an adult sentence of life imprisonment with a 10-year period of parole ineligibility. I.M. was 17 years and five months old when he and others sought to rob the victim. The victim sustained multiple knife wounds in the altercation and died.
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July 21, 2025
Where law takes centre stage in musical theatre
Long a vivid platform for storytelling, musical theatre unravels complex, multifaceted human experiences. One of the fascinating dimensions explored over decades is the intersection of law and art — a realm where legal themes provide both conflict and resolution, hamper and catalyze dramatic evolution within narratives. Legal themes are woven into the fabric of musical theatre, offering unique insights into society, personal morality and the enduring struggle for justice.