Access to Justice
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October 03, 2024
Saskatchewan appeal court finds little merit in accusation of ineffective assistance claim
Shawn James Hartnell’s troubles began on the morning of Feb. 5, 2021, when a caller reported a suspected impaired driver in a car travelling eastward on Saskatchewan’s Highway 14.
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October 03, 2024
Takeaways from Tracking (In)Justice | Alexander McClelland, Valerie Danieli and Lindsay Jennings
The Tracking (In)Justice project, is a collaborative and community-based data justice and public criminology initiative dedicated to documenting and analyzing deaths in custody across Canada since 2000.
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October 02, 2024
N.S. top judge has high praise for appeal court trip to Cape Breton
Nova Scotia’s Chief Justice is calling his appeal court’s historic sitting outside the province’s capital a “great success” — and a learning opportunity for those involved.
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October 02, 2024
Alberta murder appeal unsuccessful despite Crown overstepping bounds of proper conduct
The Oct. 18, 2022, issue of the Calgary Herald reported that homicide suspect Deidre Lafferty showed no outward emotion as a prosecutor in northern Alberta dropped a first-degree murder charge against her on the eve of her preliminary inquiry. Calgary-based defence counsel Telmo dos Santos represented Deidre. He was hired when former MLA and Behchokǫ̀ Chief Leon Lafferty asked him to assist in Deidre’s defence.
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October 01, 2024
Technological advancements in law | Ayo Adesomoju
As 2025 draws near, the advancement of technology is transforming the legal profession, which has historically been recognized for adhering to conventional methods and relying on precedents. These developments will have a significant impact on justice administration, legal practice and the availability of legal services. They also present possibilities and difficulties.
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October 01, 2024
If Trump wins | Tega Adjara
The outcomes of U.S. elections have historically shaped the policies of other nations, particularly Canada, with whom the United States shares not only the longest unguarded border but also deep economic, social and geopolitical ties. Any shift in U.S. governance, especially following a presidential election, reverberates across Canada. As we approach the 2024 U.S. election, it is evident that regardless of the victory, there will be inevitable policy changes that will affect Canada. However, a victory by Donald Trump could potentially trigger significant transformations within Canadian law and policy, given the stark ideological contrast and historical precedents set during his previous administration.
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September 30, 2024
Fall family law conference to bring in non-legal perspectives
An upcoming conference in Manitoba will draw on expertise from outside the legal sector in exploring ways to improve the public’s interactions with the family law system, says an organizer. The Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice’s (CIAJ) 48th annual conference, Families and the Law, will be held this year in downtown Winnipeg from Oct. 9 to 11.
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September 30, 2024
A message to lawyers about Wrongful Conviction Day
Oct. 2, 2024, marks the 11th annual Wrongful Conviction Day. This year’s theme is “The Pursuit of Truth.” Setting aside a special day raises awareness of the causes of and remedies for wrongful convictions and recognizes the tremendous personal, social and emotional costs that innocent people’s wrongful convictions impose on them and their families.
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September 27, 2024
Federal Court offers bar, litigants expedited ‘no-hearing’ judicial review for study permit refusals
In an effort to speed up the judicial review of hundreds of study permit refusals as the Federal Court also contends with thousands of other immigration cases, the national trial court is offering parties who opt into a new pilot project a “simplified” no-hearing, in-writing-only procedure where judges will simultaneously decide a JR leave application and the JR’s merits, and do so within five months rather than the 14 to 18 months usually required for a final decision under the general procedure.
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September 27, 2024
Lax O’Sullivan welcomes new lawyer
A recent news release from Lax O'Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb LLP announced the addition of Anne Posno.