Publications

A recent decision by Justice Mel Green of the Ontario Court of Justice – R. v. Pal-Deng, 2015 ONCJ 2 (CanLII) – raises fundamental and troubling questions as to the operation of our criminal justice system. …Read more

Recently I commented on the case of Raymond Caissie, who was charged in British Columbia with the murder of a 17-year-old not long afer he had completed a 22-year sentence for a violent rape/abduction. This tragic case had spawned calls by politicians for the permanent incarceration of our worst offenders in order to protect the… …Read more

The horrific case in British Columbia of 17-year-old Serena Vermeesch – Raymond Caissie, who had recently been released from prison afer completing a 22-year sentence for a 1991 rape/abduction, is charged with her murder – has precipitated calls for additional measures for the protection for the public against high-risk offenders. …Read more

Professional detachment: an attribute essential in order to survive the emotional intensity of a life in the courtroom. We criminal lawyers see it all in this business, from the drug-addicted client and the ruination that brings to his or her life, to the impact which a history of sexual and domestic abuse will bring, to… …Read more

It seems that in the past decade or so the number of incidents of lethal force being used by police on individuals experiencing an acute mental health crisis has increased dramatically. Whether this is in fact the case, or whether it is a function of increased public awareness brought on by the proliferation of cell… …Read more

The police need a search warrant to get information from Internet service providers about their subscribers’ identities during investigations, the Supreme Court of Canada says in a landmark ruling affirming Canadians’ right to online privacy. …Read more

Rob Ford’s infamous “crack video” likely won’t come out in court until well after the municipal election, as preliminary inquiry and trial dates for his friend Alexander Lisi have been set for next year. …Read more

The medical marijuana issue has been with us since the seminal decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal in R. v. Parker decided in the year 2000. Since then the courts and the government have struggled to settle on a regime that would enable individuals suffering from a variety of chronic medical conditions to have… …Read more

A man who beheaded and then ate parts of a fellow passenger on a Greyhound bus almost six years ago might soon be granted unescorted day trips outside his mental hospital. …Read more

When the legal aid system in Ontario became stressed two decades ago there was talk of replacing the certificate system with a true “public defender” model – something that’s beginning to happen on a limited scale, says Toronto criminal lawyer Jacob Stilman. …Read more