Publications

A recent decision of the Superior Court of Ontario has thrown some much needed cold water on the Attorney General’s increasing abuse of the Civil Remedies Act, a particularly nasty piece of legislation that has bestowed broad powers upon the government to seize real property and chattels from individuals who are suspected of criminal activity. …Read more

In yet another resounding defeat for the Conservatives, the Federal Court of Appeal in Ishaq v. Canada summarily dismissed an appeal by the government of the lower court decision that had declared unconstitutional the attempt by Citizenship and Immigration Canada to prohibit niqab-wearing women from taking the Oath of Citizenship. …Read more

A recent decision of the Court of Appeal ought to put to rest, once and for all, any notion that cultural factors can serve to mitigate sentences in cases of domestic violence and sexual assault. …Read more

Toronto criminal lawyer Jacob Stilman says the dehumanization of prisoners and people awaiting trial is a major problem and many would say the justice system needs an overhaul. …Read more

When a new client comes to see me, despondent and dismayed to be facing the prospect of a criminal conviction, and seeking guidance as to how to navigate the rocky shoals of our criminal justice system, I often describe the process in these terms: …Read more

Former Toronto mayor Rob Ford’s friend Alexander (Sandro) Lisi has been found not guilty on drug-related charges. Hamilton Spectator Toronto Star. Lisi’s co-accused – Jamshid (Jay) Bahrami – was also found not guilty. …Read more

An Ontario judge is set to give his decision today in the drug trial of Rob Ford’s driver. Defence lawyers have asked Justice Ramez Khawly to acquit Alexandro (Sandro) Lisi and co-accused Jamshid (Jay) Bahrami of all charges. …Read more

An undercover police officer pushed hard for a dry cleaner to arrange a drug deal with then mayor Rob Ford’s driver but there’s no evidence the store owner was ever a trafficker, an Ontario court heard Wednesday. CBC News …Read more

The arrest of then-mayor Rob Ford’s driver and a dry cleaner followed months of intense police surveillance that involved officers, aerial spotting, electronic tracking and even a camera mounted on a street pole, an Ontario court heard Monday. Toronto Star 680 News …Read more

A recent decision by the Ontario Superior Court provides useful, albeit sobering, guidance to the issue of applications by individuals for the return of items seized by the police. …Read more