Criminal
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April 25, 2025
SCC rules CRTC has no jurisdiction to decide 5G access disputes between telecoms and municipalities
In a decision that addresses the role of so-called “dynamic” statutory interpretation in cases where technology has evolved or other circumstances have changed significantly since a law was enacted, the Supreme Court of Canada has affirmed 7-2 that the CRTC does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate disputes between telecom carriers and public authorities that have refused to allow the telcos to deploy 5G small cell antennas on public property.
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April 25, 2025
B.C. Court of Appeal upholds $15,000 damages for privacy breach, without proof of further harm
The B.C. Court of Appeal has upheld $15,000 in non-pecuniary damages for each person whose privacy was breached when a rogue ICBC employee accessed the private data of 78 policyholders and sold some of it to criminals, leading to arson and shooting attacks against 13 people.
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April 25, 2025
Saskatchewan passes new trespass laws to tackle fentanyl, meth use
If you are in Saskatchewan and caught drunk or doing drugs in a public space, you can now be charged with trespassing. According to an April 24 news release, Saskatchewan’s government has passed new regulations that allow police to enforce trespass laws in public spaces — such as parks and libraries — if someone is found to be intoxicated or using illicit drugs.
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April 25, 2025
Assault with a loaded slipper
Is your turtle loaded? En garde! Choose your weapon. Actually, do you know what constitutes a weapon? You may be surprised what this ignorance can cost you. This gets me to turtles, turkey and Toblerone.
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April 25, 2025
‘Economic growth’ a key focus of Conservative and Liberal platforms on immigration, tax and regulation
Both parties currently leading in the polls for the federal election next week have proposed law-related measures in the areas of immigration, regulation and taxation that they contend will boost Canadian businesses and help the economy grow.
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April 25, 2025
‘Uphill battle’ likely for Alberta to justify addictions legislation under Charter: law prof
Alberta has unveiled the next steps in its approach to treating substance use and addiction in the province, which will for the first time in Canada include involuntary treatment for people who have been deemed to be a danger to themselves or others. But civil rights groups and legal observers are raising alarm bells about the law, calling it overbroad and a violation of individuals’ constitutional rights.
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April 24, 2025
Drug conviction appeal results in modified sentence
A joint operation between the Ontario Provincial Police and the North Bay police resulted in multiple arrests and the seizure of drugs, cash, cars and electronics. When published reports of this takedown appeared in 2020, 30-year-old Justin Glynn was named as one of the people arrested.
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April 24, 2025
British Columbia Supreme Court case exposes new civil liability risks for regulators
Unfair regulatory investigations and decisions now present more than just judicial review risks — the regulator may be exposing themselves, their staff and even legal counsel to civil liability. In Thmbran v. British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives, [2024] B.C.J. No. 479, the British Columbia Supreme Court permitted tort claims against both the College of Nurses and Midwives and individual staff members to proceed, establishing that statutory immunity offers limited protection where there is bad-faith handling of regulatory complaints.
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April 24, 2025
Why video evidence failed to win Alberta sex assault appeal
When an accused Alberta man was charged with three counts of sexual assault by a former partner, he thought he might have a good defence if he could get around Canada’s “rape shield law,” s. 276 of the Criminal Code. His defence at trial was that he had an honest but mistaken belief that the partner had consented to the sexual advances.
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April 24, 2025
Wait! Hear me out
I am listening to a Filipino song called Bulag Pipi at Bingi by Freddie Aguilar. The lyrics express the idea that the real world is not far from the life of deaf, blind and mute — it suggests that what one is going through is not unusual or isolated. However, the other side of me is worrying that I am starting to realize how loud the volume is. Am I starting to have noise-induced hearing loss?