Ever since the federal Liberal government announced that it would table legislation legalizing the sale and use of cannabis marijuana for recreational purposes we’ve taken many calls and met with many people who talk about the legal “grey area” that they believe exists. To be clear, there is no grey area. Marijuana is illegal in […]
Recently, there have been numerous community-based groups of volunteers who have decided to take law enforcement into their own hands. There are several different iterations, but most of them include the word “creep” in their title. Generally, what these groups who they say, want to meet with underage girls for sexual activity. Then they set […]
When the police believe that there are reasonable and probable grounds that a person has committed a crime, they will usually make an arrest. After an arrest, the police have the discretion to take one of two courses of action: 1. They may decide to release the accused person without a bail hearing. In this situation an […]
Court delays drop significantly but province still dealing with judge shortages Vancouver, BC, Canada / News Talk 980 CKNW | Vancouver’s News. Vancouver’s Talk Emily Lazatin Posted: October 20, 2016 10:47am Minister Justice Suzanne Anton announced yesterday the number of cases dismissed because of backlog have gone from 120 in 2012 to 13 this year […]
As we move toward whatever model of marijuana legalization that the Trudeau government has promised to implement in the spring of 2017, we see a proliferation of medical cannabis retailers in BC, especially throughout Vancouver and the rest of the Lower Mainland. It’s obvious to most people, whether out for a walk near a park, […]
On February 24, 2016 a Federal Court judge in Vancouver struck down the federal government’s regulations stopping licensed personal growers of medical marijuana from growing their medicine, saying they violate the patient’s Charter rights. Before the federal government brought in the new scheme, which mandated that medical marijuana only be grown by large government-regulated marijuana […]
The Rise and Fall of the “Ghomeshi Effect” BY DENISE RYAN AND MATTHEW ROBINSON, VANCOUVER SUN FEBRUARY 13, 2016 For just a moment it looked like change was in the air. In 2014, when former broadcaster Jian Ghomeshi first fell so spectacularly from grace — a sudden and very public dismissal from CBC, and a stunning […]
Often, the first contact we have with a new client is a call from that client, or his or her relative or friend, stating that the person is in police custody, having been arrested and charged with an offence. Two issues are certain to arise. First, advising the client that they have the right to […]
The Christmas/New Years Season should be a time of celebration. Unfortunately, pressures and expectations from family and friends can lead to stress which, if not handled effectively, can lead to poor decision making. The addition of alcohol and other intoxicating substances can sometimes lead to risk taking and sometimes violent acts. Certainly, during the holiday […]
Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government won a majority in the recent federal election. Part of their platform that many Canadians paid particular attention to was their promise to legalize, regulate and tax recreational marijuana. I walked by a bong, pipe and marijuana accessory store yesterday. They had a placard out on the sidewalk with large chalk […]
As many people are aware, British Columbia court records are available for free public viewing on the Court Services Online (CSO) website: https://justice.gov.bc.ca/cso/esearch/criminal/partySearch.do Surprising to some, the CSO website contains data entries for all matters before the courts: not just criminal convictions, but also outstanding charges for which accused persons, who are presumed innocent, have not […]
Today, the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights came into force. The Bill itself can be viewed at: http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-23.7/page-1.html The Act enacting the Bill, which also outlines the associated changes to the Criminal Code, can be viewed at: http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&DocId=7935412&File=4&Col=1 In this blog post I’ll be taking a look at some of the provisions of this new […]
