Thursday 06 December 2007 CTV NEWS: “Parole Denied: No parole for Robert Latimer, 14 years after killing his disabled daughter”

Death Penalty Debate | the Latimer case Search for lawyers by name, firm, location, or law school attended. American Bar Ass. Locator Bankruptcy Directory Your one-stop destination for anything you can think about bankruptcy. This Bankruptcy Directory is designed to help its users find the bankruptcy information, articles, source, companies, products and services. Search for lawyers Law Case & Codes by Zip / state find Law on WN | IDENTITY THEFT/credit cards | Law | Law Help | NOLO | Law Page Pickton Trial NP full 2008 Tuesday 06 May 2008 TORONTO: FRAUD TRIAL FOR ENTERTAINMENT MOGULS BEGINS The Crown began its arguments in the case of two formerly powerful entertainment executives. Prosecutors told the court they will prove that Garth Drabinsky and Myron Gottlieb deliberately misstated the finances of Livent Inc. to raise $500 million in financing and to boost its share prices. The fraud is said to have lasted five years. Mr. Drabinsky, a member of the Order of Canada, and Mr. Gottlieb pleaded not guilty to two counts of fraud and one count of uttering forged documents. At one time, Livent was a major player in North America's entertainment industry. The Crown alleges that it went bankrupt in 1998 after years of covering up the true state of its finances. Friday 02 May 2008 The Old Bailey goes online Dickensian London comes alive Sunday 27 April 2008 Another law school? At first glance, a proposal for another law school in Ontario seems a stretch. Surely, with six law schools already operating in the province, we have enough lawyers (about 30 times more than Japan, on a per-capita basis). Scouring the online archives of the Old Bailey, London's most famous criminal court, shows that some of today's crimes are not as new as they may seem. Take villains such as Pierre Dubois and Armand Dibon, a pair of child-sex traffickers who lured a 15-year-old French girl to London in 1902. And there is plenty of anti-social behaviour: as soon as steam trains arrived in the 19th century, the Old Bailey filled up with youths charged with throwing bricks at them. These glimpses of the past are possible thanks to Sheffield, Hertfordshire and Open universities, which have uploaded the records of 197,745 trials stretching back to 1674. Saturday 26 April 2008 OTTAWA: HIGH COURT RULES OUT RANDOM DOG SEARCHES The Supreme Court of Canada has invalidated the use by police of random searches with dogs for the purpose of discovering drugs. The high court ruled in a 6-3 decision that police must be able to justify prior suspicion to carry out such searches and that the random use of canine teams amounts to unreasonable search and a breach of privacy rights. In its ruling, the court invalidated the conviction of a man charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and upheld the acquittal of a student who was 17 when charged with possession of marijuana for purposes of trafficking. [bad deal!] Wednesday Apr 23, 2008 Review of contentious law stalls Reporting requirements too vague to know whether powers are being abused: critics Sunday 23 March 2008 Call for clarity on code patents A legal row between the UK government and Symbian has revived the issue of whether computer programs can be patented. Tuesday 18 March 2008 OTTAWA: MERCY KILLER WANTS CONVICTION REVERSED A man convicted of murdering his severely-handicapped daughter in 1993 is trying to overturn his conviction. Robert Latimer was convicted of second-degree murder in 1997 and has been serving time in jail since then. However, while on a four-day compassionate leave, the Saskatchewan farmer travelled to Canada's capital, Ottawa, to begin legal proceedings to overturn what he feels is a wrongful conviction. Latimer admitted killing his daughter to prevent her from suffering an uncurable condition. His daughter's death triggered a national debate in Canada over euthanasia. Latimer says he is simply looking for honest answers. Latimer has been told by legal counsel that his attempt to overturn his conviction is highly unlikely to succeed. Tuesday Mar 18, 2008 Latimer campaigns for new trial Robert Latimer landed in Ottawa yesterday with a message that may surprise some of his supporters: he... Sunday 16 March 2008 WILKIE: ROBERT LATIMER FREED ON UNESCORTED VISIT After seven years in prison for the murder of his severely disabled daughter, Robert Latimer was allowed on Saturday to visit a sick family member. He drove to his farm in Wilkie, Saskatchewan. On Monday, he's expected to begin day parole in Ottawa. Throughout his trial, Mr. Latimer insisted that he killed his daughter to put her out of the misery of her illness. The case made national headlines. Many people sympathized with him. Friday Feb 29, 2008 Latimer reversal was proper ruling For many Canadians, Robert Latimer represents a deeply emotional moral dilemma that is still unresolved 14 years after he killed his severely disabled daughter Tracy, 12. The Saskatchewan farmer said he acted to spare her further terrible suffering; he has expressed no remorse. Thursday Feb 28, 2008 Ontario Woman charged with killing daughter who was handicapped A St. Catharines woman is in custody facing charges of killing her handicapped daughter. Astrid Hueller, 46, is expected to appear in a St. Catharines courtroom this morning for a bail hearing. She faces charges of manslaughter, criminal negligence causing death and failing to provide the necessities of life in the sudden death of Courtney Wise, 17. Wise, who was confined to a wheelchair, was found dead in a townhouse on Feb. 18. Wise suffered from cerebral palsy. Initially, the disabled teen's killing was classified as a "sudden death" and was investigated by the coroner. But once the autopsy was completed, the police launched a criminal investigation. Hueller was arrested yesterday morning. Neighbours told a television reporter that Wise was severely disabled and was rarely seen except when she was picked up by a school bus. Thursday Feb 28, 2008 Latimer obtains day parole Robert Latimer, the Saskatchewan farmer jailed for the 1993 mercy killing of his severely disabled daughter... Sunday 17 February 2008 OTTAWA: AIR INDIA INQUIRY ENDS The independent inquiry into the Air India disaster of 1985 has concluded after 17 months. All 329 people on board the flight died when a terrorist bomb destroyed the airliner in mid-air near Ireland. Most of the passengers were Canadians of East Indian extraction. On the inquiry's final day, lawyers representing families of the victims called for a public apology from the federal government for the way it responded to the tragedy. The lawyers argued that an apology was justified given all the intelligence, policing and regulatory failures of which testimony was heard in the course of the inquiry, which was conducted by former Supreme Court of Canada Justice John Major. In addition to finding out what happened, his mandate is to ensure that proper security measures are in place to prevent a recurrence of the terrorist bombing. Only one person has ever been convicted of the crime. Saturday Feb 2, 2008 Divorcé wants Supreme Court to rehear case A Montreal man who took years to grant his wife a Jewish divorce has taken the exceptional step of asking... Thursday Jan 24, 2008 Child killer Latimer appeals parole denial Robert Latimer, the Saskatchewan farmer who killed his severely disabled daughter, filed an appeal yesterday... TIME Top 10 Crime Stories Thursday Jan 3, 2008 Petition calls for 2nd Pickton trial CanWest News Service Published: 8 hours ago A new online petition is demanding B.C.'s Crown prosecutors proceed with a second trial against Robert (Willie) Pickton, to determine whether the convicted serial killer murdered another 20 women. Relatives of some of those 20 women signed the petition, which was posted Tuesday, and had about 200 signatures yesterday. Pickton was charged with killing 26 women who disappeared from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. A judge split his charges into two trials. Pickton was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years after being convicted last month on six counts of second-degree murder at his first trial. [why?] 2007 Monday 24 December 2007 Juror who helped convict Latimer urges that he be freed REGINA–A juror who sent Robert Latimer to prison for the murder of his disabled daughter thinks the Saskatchewan farmer should be freed from prison and the government should look at changing the law that requires minimum sentences for such crimes. Saturday 22 December 2007 TORONTO: DECISION TO REFUSE PAROLE TO MERCY KILLER LAUDED A group that defends the rights of the handicapped has praised the recent decision by the Canadian National Parole Board to refuse parole to Robert Latimer, who killed his severely handicapped daughter in October 1993. Community Living Ontario, which represents 12,000 people [.09%] across the province, has written a letter to federal Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day and Justice Minister Robert Nicholson in defence of the decision. The letter says that Latimer's act was clearly premeditated and deliberate and that the 10-year sentence which he received for second-degree murder was already indulgent. The parole board refused Latimer's request for parole in a decision on Dec. 5 on the grounds that he had not showed remorse for his crime. Wednesday 19 December 2007 UNDATED: RIGHTS ADVOCATES WANT MERCY-KILLER FREED The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is again calling for the Robert Latimer's release from prison. He's a farmer from the province of Saskatchewan who was sentenced to prison seven years ago for the mercy killing of his 12-year old severely handicapped daughter. Latimer was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 10 years. He was denied day parole last week. The Civil Liberties Association wants the federal government to grant clemency to Latimer. Wednesday Dec 19, 2007 Rights group pleads for Latimer The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is asking for a judicial review of the recent National Parole... Saturday Dec 15, 2007 Divorce trumps religious rights, court rules In a landmark ruling that could have wide ranging consequences, the Supreme Court of Canada yesterday... court found that the civil divorce agreement Jason Marcovitz signed, agreeing to grant Stephanie Bruker a get, was a valid contract and takes precedence over his claims of freedom of religion. While the ruling advocates a case-by-case approach when dealing with questions that pit church against state, the court rejected the argument that it had no jurisdiction in the matter because it involved a religious obligation. Thursday 13 December 2007 VANCOUVER: MASS MURDERER GETS LIFE A Canadian judge has sentenced 58-year-old pig farmer Robert Picton to life in prison for the murders of six women in the west coast city of Vancouver. Testimony during the year-long trial included details that shocked Canadians across the country. Pickton still faces another trial for the murders of other women next month, unless there is an appeal of the sentence. BRAMPTON: ONTARIO MURDER SUSPECT DENIED BAIL A 57-year-old man accused of killing his 16-year-old daughter has been denied bail and will remain in jail until his next court date on Jan. 29. Muhammad Parvez, a cab driver, was charged after a man called 911 to report that he had killed his daughter. Police haven't commented on a possible motive. But friends of Aqsa Parvez said she was in conflict with her family over her dislike of the hijab, the traditional Muslim head scarf for women. Wednesday 12 December 2007 ADVERTISEMENT SUBSCRIBE TO MAISONNEUVE MAGAZINE! SUBSCRIPTIONS, BACK ISSUES, BOX SETS AND MORE, AVAILABLE AT THE MAISONNEUVE BOUTIQUE TAKE ME TO THE BOUTIQUE! _______________________________ A MEASURE OF JUSTICE The Post and the Star front, while The National, CTV News, the Globe, the Citizen, and La Presse (not available online) go inside with the sentencing of convicted serial killer Robert William Pickton. Justice James Williams handed down the mandatory minimum of life in prison, but exercised his own discretion in giving Pickton the maximum possible sentence of twenty-five years before becoming eligible for parole. The victims’ families, wary and disappointed after the trial jury convicted Pickton of second-degree murder and not the first-degree charge they had hoped for, were shown on the broadcasts leaping and cheering at the news. In issuing his sentence, Williams admitted that “there is nothing I can say to adequately express the revulsion the community has with regards to these killings.” Before the sentence was read, the families and friends of victims had the opportunity to submit impact statements to the court, which the Post has online, and many of them are heartbreakingly inarticulate expressions of consuming grief for their lost relatives. Chief prosecutor Michael Petrie read some of the statements aloud in court for those that couldn’t handle the sad task, and frequently was in tears while doing so. Pickton himself had the opportunity to make a statement to the court before being sentenced, and visibly moved to stand and speak before being interrupted by his lawyer. Pickton faces an additional trial on twenty first-degree murder charges, slated to start in January, and accepted his lawyer’s advice not to speak so as not to jeopardize his chances before the next jury. Friday 21 September 2007 FROM PODIUM TO PRISON The National, CTV News, the Post, the Citizen, La Presse and the Star all go inside with the conviction of two-time Olympic gold-medallist Myriam Bedard on charges of breaching a custody order. Bedard, her daughter and her common-law husband, Nima Mazhari, travelled to the United States last October to protest what the former biathlete called “Canadian bureaucratic terrorism.” Bedard believed that she was being persecuted by the Canadian government due to damning—though still unconfirmed—testimony she had given to the Gomery commission into the sponsorship scandal. Bedard’s ex-husband, who is the father of Bedard’s daughter, contacted authorities when he came to believe that his ex-wife would never return from the US and that he would not see his daughter again. During the trial, the Citizen reports, Bedard’s lawyer argued that the protest was to last only a few weeks and that Bedard’s ex was rarely available to see his daughter, anyway. The woman who was once among the world’s best at the combination of skiing and shooting will be sentenced in October and faces up to ten years in prison, though jail times of between six months and two years are most common in cases such as hers. _______________________________ ADVERTISEMENT SUBSCRIBE TO MAISONNEUVE MAGAZINE! SUBSCRIPTIONS, BACK ISSUES, BOX SETS AND MORE AVAILABLE AT THE MAISONNEUVE BOUTIQUE TAKE ME TO THE BOUTIQUE! Tuesday 12 June 2007 nyt Day of Split Outcomes in Teenage Sex Case A judge has ordered the release of a man who is serving a 10-year prison sentence for having consensual oral sex with a 15-year-old girl when he was 17. Sunday May 27, 2007 Pirate Treasure What are the rules when you discover pirate loot? Saturday 19 May 2007 SCOC ponders drunkenness as defence for murder The Supreme Court of Canada reserved judgment Friday after hearing arguments over whether a father of two young boys is entitled to a new trial for killing his wife because the jury was not properly instructed about the rare defence of extreme intoxication. ...The Criminal Code permits a drunkenness defence for murder if the killer is too drunk to form intent and may not have foreseen that his actions would cause the victim's death. The defence is rarely successful. Thursday 17 May 2007 Morgentaler suing N.B. The government of New Brunswick was in court Wednesday to try to stop a lawsuit by renowned abortion doctor Henry Morgentaler. The Times Tuesday 01 May 2007 Price of justice was the longest and costliest criminal case ever With 100 more suspects awaiting trial, Operation Crevice may have set an unwanted precedent Nicola Woolcock, Frances Gibb and Sean O’Neill The Operation Crevice trial was the longest and most expensive criminal case in Britain – costing £50 million, lasting more than a year and illustrating graphically the growing problems in the courts system. I wonder how much the Air India trial cost and how much the Picton trial will cost in the end. Perhaps it would be wiser simply to lock up such people using the Royal Perogative! Thank you awjrfam The legal costs: £50m cost of trial; 18 people arrested; 50 cars, homes and business premises searched; 80 computers seized; 105 prosecution witnesses; 173 interviews taken; 960 officers involved in arrests. officers involved in arrests Friday 23 March 2007 nyt Court Rejects Law Limiting Online Pornography The ruling is the second major setback in federal efforts to control Internet pornography. Monday 05 March 2007 Monday 05 March 2007 nyt A Record of Failure at Center for Sex Offenders A treatment center for sex offenders is failing to meet its central purpose: preparing them to return to society nyt Doubts Rise as States Hold Sex Offenders After Prison Terms Confining sex offenders past their terms has almost never met a stated purpose of treating the worst criminals until they no longer pose a threat. Saturday 03 March 2007 The dark side of justice With the cost of a three-day civil trial estimated at $60,738 – more than a year's income for most households – Canadians are being driven to financial and emotional ruin by a justice system that's priced itself solidly out of reach. Saturday 10 February 2007 Bedard and daughter reunited following abduction charges Former Olympian Myriam Bedard and her 12-year-old daughter Maude are living together again, a month after she was arrested for abducting the child. Tuesday 23 January 2007 Pickton defence cautions jurors Robert William Pickton is an innocent man, and the jurors should not be "overwhelmed" by the graphic and disturbing evidence of six murdered women the Crown alleges police found on his pig farm, his lead defence lawyer said Monday. Sunday 14 January 2007 They Say We Have Too Many Lawsuits? Tell It to Jack Cline Everyone knows the story of the woman who sued McDonald’s because she was burned by hot coffee. But few people know of the Jack Clines, who have been denied their day in court. Thursday 04 January 2007 Bedard claims persecution Former Olympian Myriam Bedard on Wednesday alleged Canadian authorities have deliberately allowed her to languish in an American jail as punishment for her testimony into the Quebec sponsorship scandal. Tuesday 02 January 2007 MONTREAL: NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE TO BRING BEDARD HOME Lawyers for Myriam Bedard decided at the last minute Monday to halt an emergency motion in US court seeking the jailed Olympian's return to Canada. Kevin McCants, Ms. Bedard's US lawyer, said her legal team in Maryland will continue negotiating with authorities in the hopes the former biathlete will be sent back to Quebec before her next scheduled court appearance Wednesday. Mr. McCants said given the New Year's holiday, negotiations could move the process along faster than resorting to the courts. Ms. Bedard has been in jail 10 days following her arrest on an international warrant for parental child abduction. Mr. McCants says Ms. Bedard should be returned to Canada as soon as possible because her 12-year-old daughter, Maude, is refusing to shower and eat. He added that the lead prosecutor is co-operating with the efforts to return the former Olympic champion to Quebec. Ms. Bedard won two gold medals at the Lillehamer Olympics in Norway in 1994 and a bronze at the 1992 Olympics in Albertville, France. Saturday 30 December 2006 Bedard says she'll come back to Canada Former Olympian Myriam Bedard waived her right yesterday to an extradition hearing, agreeing to voluntarily return to Canada after learning that Canadian authorities planned to take the full 60 days to file a formal extradition request. Former Olympic biathlete Myriam Bedard has agreed to waive extradition from the U.S. in order to expedite her return to Canada. Her lawyer Kevin McCants anticipates that Canadian authorities will return her to Quebec City in the next week to 10 days. In the meantime, she will remain behind bars. Judge James Bredar ruled Bedard was not entitled to bail since she is the subject of an international warrant. Bedard faces charges in Quebec of violating a custody agreement with her ex-husband by taking their 12-year-old daughter to the United States in October. Myriam Bedard won two gold medals for Canada in the 1964 winter Olympics. 2006 Fri 01/12/2006 Convicted wife-killer Thatcher granted full parole Convicted killer Colin Thatcher won full parole Thursday, 22 years after his conviction for murdering his ex-wife. Saturday 02 December 2006 Thatcher seeking full parole Riding horses and frequenting Saskatchewan Roughrider games, convicted killer Colin Thatcher has made the most of his limited freedom and will be looking for more in a bid for full parole today. class=m1>more Saturday 11 November 2006 OTTAWA: JUSTICE MINISTER PROPOSES CHANGES TO BENCH NOMINATIONS Canadian Justice Minister Vic Toews has proposed changes to the method of nominating judges. The principal change would be the addition of a police representative to the committees in each province and territory that study potential judges and offer the legal authorities assessments of their abilities and suitability. Mr. Toews noted that the voices of police are critical to the legal system but that the police have never been represented in the process. The Canadian Bar Association denounced the minister's proposal, claiming it would politicize the process of naming judges and offer opportunities for patronage. OTTAWA: SUPREME COURT POSTPONES DECISION ON LAWSUITS AGAINST POLICE Canada's Supreme Court on Friday decided to reserve its decision in a case that might open the country's police to civil lawsuits. The case involved George Hill, a man in Hamilton who spent nearly two years in jail for a crime that he did not commit. His lawyers argued that police can be sued for negligence in conducting investigations. Only lower courts have so far recognized a citizen's right to sue the police. The Supreme Court is expected to release its decision within six months Saturday 04 November 2006 OTTAWA: GOVT. WON'T APPEAL SECURITY LAW RULING The Canadian government says it won't appeal a court decision that struck down several sections of the federal secrecy law. Justice Minister Vic Toews says it wouldn't be in the public interest to appeal the ruling of Ontario Superior Court on Oct. 19 and that the government will consider "legislative solutions" to solve the concerns raised by the ruling. The decision invalidated three sections of the Security of Information Act, a law passed in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. Federal police used one of them to raid the home of a journalist who had published information about Canadian Maher Arar, who was deported by the U.S. to Syria, where he was tortured. Saturday 28 October 2006 OAKVILLE: PM FLAYS OPPOSITION FOR STALLING LEGISLATION Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has attacked the three opposition parties represented in the House of Commons for stalling passage of two pieces of legislation presented by his minority Conservative Party government. The prime minister criticized Liberal, New Democratic Party and Bloc Québécois MPs sitting on the House from softening the langauge of a bill aimed at limiting the power of judges to hand down sentences of house arrest for certain crimes. Under the latest wording, the bill would maintain jail terms for serious violent crimes but allow judges to decree house arrest for such crimes as break-and-enter and car theft. Mr. Harper also accused the opposition of dragging its heels for the government "accountability" bill aimed at preventing a recurrence of such abuses as the scandal over federal public relations contracts under the previous Liberal government. The prime minister noted in a speech to the Oakville Chamber of Commerce that if the three opposition parties dislike what the government is doing, they could force a national election anytime. Wednesday 18 October 2006 OTTAWA: GOVT. PRESENTS 'DANGEROUS OFFENDER' BILL The Conservative Party has presented its legislation to toughen the use of the "dangerous offender" designation in the House of Commons. Under the legislation, a criminal convicted of three violent or sexual crimes would have to prove that he's not a "dangerous offender," failing which he would be automatically imprisoned indefinitely. Under the present law, it's up to a prosecutor to prove that designation is justified. The justice department reports 360 such criminals at present in jail. Thursday 24 August 2006 Law would make criminals out of whistle-blowers: lawyer The provisions of the Security of Information Act would make criminals of those who uncovered the Watergate and sponsorship scandals, a lawyer for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association argued in court Wednesday. Sunday 13 August 2006 Judge laments cost of going to court With the cost of going to court moving beyond the reach of the average Canadian, access to the justice system is an "ideal" for most people but not a reality, Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin says. Thu 15/06/2006 After 22 years, Thatcher walks free Colin Thatcher used to walk up the steps to the stately Saskatchewan legislature building towards the office he occupied as a provincial cabinet minister. Monday May 22, 2006 Thatcher returning to Regina Convicted killer Colin Thatcher's time in a Manitoba prison is nearly over after he was granted day parole by the National Parole Board during a hearing Friday. STONY MOUNTAIN, Man. -- Convicted killer Colin Thatcher's time in a Manitoba prison is nearly over after he was granted day parole by the National Parole Board during a hearing Friday. The former Saskatchewan politician's new address will be a halfway house in Regina, where he will be free to come and go during the day, but must report in for the night. He'll likely remain at minimum-security Rockwood Institution, just minutes north of Winnipeg, over the long weekend and be transferred to Regina -- near his son's Moose Jaw cattle ranch -- next week. Thatcher, now 67, is serving a life sentence on a first-degree murder charge for killing his ex-wife, JoAnn Wilson, in the garage of her Regina home on Jan. 21, 1983. Sunday May 7, 2006 rci OTTAWA: PARTY HOSTS NOT BROTHER'S KEEPERS Canada's top court has ruled that the hosts of private house parties are not responsible for the actions of their drunken guests once they leave the premises. The Supreme Court of Canada ruling eliminates the claim for a large liability award by a woman who became a paraplegic as a result of a car accident caused by a drunk driver early on the morning of Jan.1, 1999. Zoe Childs, who was 18 years old at the time, sued for $6 million in damages from the drunk driver and from the hosts of the New Year's Eve party he had just left. The key legal issue at stake was whether private citizens who serve alcohol at their home parties are bound by the same rules as commercial establishments. Sunday Mar 19, 2006 nyt Why Do So Few Women Reach the Top of Big Law Firms? By TIMOTHY L. O'BRIEN Law schools now graduate as many women as men, but the number of women who are partners at major law firms nationwide has remained stagnant. Saturday Mar 11, 2006 ts Judge says legal system too costly A judge says lawyers' fees and those charged by governments every time a court document is filed are driving ordinary Canadians away from the justice system. Tracey Tyler reports. Friday Mar 3, 2006 cc Latimer hopes new government will give clarity Robert Latimer hopes a new federal government and a new judge on the Supreme Court will give him the clarity he is seeking regarding his conviction for killing his severely disabled daughter. Tuesday Jan 31, 2006 nyt Exit, Pursued by a Lawyer By JESSE GREEN Should a director be able to copyright his ideas about how to stage a play? Tuesday Jan 24, 2006 nyt Whistle-Blower Suit Says Device Maker Generously Rewards Doctors A prominent surgeon in Wisconsin was paid $400,000 a year by Medtronic for a consulting contract requiring him to work just eight days. Another doctor in Virginia received nearly $700,000 in consulting fees from Medtronic for the first nine months of 2005. 8 Wed-Nights on whistleblowers 2005 Fri 12/30/2005 A Superior Court judge in the central province of Ontario says Canada's federal government can appeal a 65-year-old internment lawsuit. The Justice Department is trying to stop 84-year-old Ossie Giacomelli's lawsuit by arguing there is no valid legal basis for it to be heard. Mr Giacomelli was arrested in June, 1940, along with up to 75 other Italian Canadians from the Hamilton, Ontario area. He was interned for five years and forced to work as a labourer. Unlike some of the other men detained, Mr Giacomelli was born in Hamilton and was a Canadian citizen by birth. Mr Giacomelli argues that as a Canadian citizen, he was unlawfully and wrongly detained. Last fall, a lower court ruled the lawsuit could proceed. Monday Sep 12, 2005 abc Creditors May Suffer, but Lawyers Will Profit From Delta, Northwest Bankruptcies Sep 19, 2005 — Delta and Northwest have hired law firms to lead their bankruptcy cases. They've tapped legal consultants to handle corporate tax and immigration issues. And they've put on the payroll financial and aviation experts to advise them on government procurement matters. It's the business of bankruptcy, and these days, with four major airlines in Chapter 11, it's big business Monday Sep 12, 2005 ts McGuinty faced rebellion in his caucus The Liberal government at Queen's Park inherited the political problem of sharia and has been wrestling with a solution for the better part of a year. Monday Sep 12, 2005 rci TORONTO: ONTARIO TO DISALLOW SHARIA LAW Ontario's premier, Dalton McGuinty, said on Sunday that Ontario would not be the first jurisdiction in the West to allow Muslim Sharia law to settle family disputes. He said that his government would also move quickly to disallow the use of existing religious tribunals allowed under Ontario's arbitration act. The act permits civil disputes to be resolved through an independent arbiter if both parties agree. Religious groups including Catholics and Jews have used the act to settle questions of family law without resorting to law courts. A former Ontario attorney general, Marion Boyd, had moved to change the act. Miss Boyd said that new safeguards could be added to the act that would allow Sharia law to be used in Muslim family disputes. But some Muslim women's groups argue that Sharia law is unfair to women and could be used to discriminate against them. Novelist Margaret Atwood and well-known social activists Maude Barlow, June Callwood and Shirley Douglas have joined a group called the No Religious Arbitration Coalition that opposes any move to allow Sharia law to be used in Ontario. In an open letter to Premier McGuinty, the group said that religion should be kept separate from the business of state. "Religion should simply remain an important part of the lives of citizens but not of public law," said the letter. Among other well-known Canadians who belong to the Coalition are former prime minister Joe Clark and a former member of parliament, Flora MacDonald. Monday Aug 15, 2005 rci The chief justice of Canada's Supreme Court, Beverley McLachlin, has warned that more and more Canadians are going to court with the aid of a lawyer. She says that the lack of legal representation is growing at an "alarming" pace. Canadians who cannot afford or cannot get access to lawyers are creating a difficult problem for the courts, she said. Miss McLachlin said that it was especially troubling to see a rise in litigants without representation in family law cases. She blamed the high cost of legal advice, inadequate legal aid and a limited number of lawyers offering pro-bono work. Courts are forced to take more time to handle cases. The Canadian Judicial Council is planning a study to see exactly how many Canadians go to court without a lawyer. Sunday Aug 7, 2005 rci TORONTO: AIR FRANCE FACES LAWSUIT OVER CRASH IN TORONTO A passenger aboard the Air France flight that crashed last Tuesday in Toronto has filed a lawsuit, demanding CDN$75 million in damages. The class action lawsuit named one person as the plaintiff, but the list of claimants is expected to grow. All 297 passengers and 12 members of the crew escaped the Airbus jumbo jet when it skidded off an airport runway in bad weather. The lawsuit claims that Air France, the Greater Toronto Airport Authority and Nav Canada were negligent in the landing of the plane. Nav Canada is a non-profit corporation that provides navigation services like air traffic control and weather information within Canadian airspace. The lead investigator for the Transportation Safety Board, Real Levasseur, revealed that two of the airplane's emergency slides failed to work properly. Transport Canada has announced that it will implement new measures aimed at saving lives in the event of a plane crash. The agency will force airports to build so-called "safe areas" at the ends of runways. These runways would allow aircraft to have more room to maneouvre in case they overshoot the primary runway. Transport Canada has not indicated when the new regulations will come into effect or how large the safe areas need to be. Monday Jul 18, 2005 rci Courts in two western Canadian provinces are preparing to hear arguments this week against provincial smoking laws. Bar owners in Manitoba and Saskatchewan contend that recent new laws banning smoking in their bars are a violation of Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms. One Manitoba bar owner will stand trial in Treherne on Monday on charges of permitting smoking. His lawyer will argue that the law does not apply to native Canadian reserves. Some native reserves have opened gambling halls that allow smoking. In Saskatchewan, the province's Hotels Association will launch its court challenge to the smoking laws on Thursday. Last October, Manitoba and New Brunswick became the first Canadian provinces to ban smoking virtually in all enclosed public places. Canada's most populous province, Ontario, is preparing similar legal bans. Tuesday May 24, 2005 rci OTTAWA: JUSTICE MINISTER WANTS TO GIVE JUDGES A RAISE Canada's justice minister, Irwin Cotler, wants the about 1,000 judges sitting on Superior Court to receive salary increases. Irwin Cotler has asked the House of Commons to approve raises of 19 per cent over four years. If the raises are approved, the judges would earn $240,000 a year. The increases were recommended to the minister by an independent committee. Pierre-Marc Johnson, former Ontario associate chief justice John Morden and former CRTC chairman André Bureau -- does want to be a bigger player in the lucrative areas of corporate, commercial and securities law. "We're breaking into securities slowly," says Toronto-based co-managing partner Norman Bacal. ....In Montreal, the firm also scored a recent coup by luring Douglas Robertson away from Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg, where he once headed the firm as managing partner, along with the business he brought from client Power Corp. of Canada. ...Mr. Tremblay says that he believes Heenans is unfairly compared to other, more transactional-based firms, such as Ogilvy Renault -- which boasts former prime minister Brian Mulroney and ex-UN ambassador Yves Fortier on its team -- that have attracted notice on Bay Street advising on a string of high-profile deals. Tuesday Jan 25, 2005 cbc U.S. COURT ORDERS 400 SENTENCES REVIEWED More than 400 convicted criminals must have their sentences reviewed because the system that determined how much jail time they deserved was flawed, the U.S. Supreme Court said Monday. FULL STORY: Wednesday Jan 12, 2005 ts Woman who drove through crowd gets seven years OWEN SOUND — A Sarnia, Ont., woman has been sentenced to seven years in prison for a hit-and-run crash that left a 20-year-old man a quadriplegic. `She deliberately aimed her car at a group of people and tried to mow them down,` Judge Robert Thompson said. Tuesday Jan 11, 2005 wn As of Monday, January 17th, ME Douglas Robertson [*.doc] will be joining the firm of Heenan Blaikie here in Montreal as a partner in its corporate-commercial practice section and chairman of the firm’s newly established International Business Law group. In the latter role I will be working closely with the Rt. Hon. Jean Chrétien and colleagues across the country to expand the firm’s global reach. more *.doc Tuesday Jan 11, 2005 ts Black facing lengthy grand jury process It may take until the spring of 2006 or longer for a U.S. federal grand jury in Chicago to decide whether to return an indictment against beleaguered media mogul Conrad Black, Rick Westhead reports. Tuesday Jan 11, 2005 ts Livent preliminary hearing begins Prosecutors have opened their case against Garth Drabinsky and Myron Gottlieb, the Livent Inc. co-founders who are accused of bilking investors and creditors of the theatre-production company out of more than $500 million. Six years after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police opened a probe into alleged skullduggery at Livent, whose popular productions included Phantom of the Opera and Showboat, Drabinsky, Gottlieb and two other former company executives appeared yesterday in a Toronto court for the first day of a preliminary hearing that's expected to last until April. Friday Dec 10, 2004 nn MAN GETS BAIL IN HIV SEX-ASSAULT CASE An HIV-positive Windsor man accused of having unprotected sex with women has been granted bail. Friday Dec 10, 2004 nn Colin Thatcher denied unescorted temporary absence from prison Convicted murderer Colin Thatcher was denied a 72-hour, unescorted temporary absence from prison Wednesday while remaining adamant that he did not kill his wife. [bad news] Friday Dec 3, 2004 OTTAWA: FEDERAL JUDGES GET A RAISE Federal judges in Canada will be receiving salaries increases. The judges will receiving increases of 10.8 per cent and they'll be indexed to the cost of living for the next 10 years. The chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada will be paid $308,000 a year, and her eight colleagues on the court will receive $286,000. Other federal judges will receive $263,000. The government accepted the recommendations of the Judicial Compensation and Benefits Commission. A recommendation to made Supreme Court judges eligible for retirement after 10 years of service also was accepted. [and they are not unionised?] Monday Nov 29, 2004 cbc ONTARIO COURT UPHOLDS CPP BENEFITS FOR SAME-SEX SURVIVORS Gays and lesbians in Ontario are entitled to survivor's benefits under the Canada Pension Plan dating back to 1985, Ontario's Court of Appeal ruled on Friday. [great!] Monday Aug 16, 2004 cbc NO 'NO SEX PLEASE, WE'RE LAWYERS ' FOR CANADIAN BAR ASSOCIATION Members of the Canadian Bar Association on Sunday voted against forbidding lawyers to have sex with clients. Monday Aug 16, 2004 LAWYERS RETAIN RIGHT TO HAVE SEX WITH CLIENTS Members of the Canadian Bar Association on Sunday voted against forbidding lawyers to have sex with clients. [we too sex is good] Friday Aug 6, 2004 cbc TOO LATE TO PROSECUTE MONTREAL 'GODFATHER': DEFENCE Prosecutors are almost two decades too late in filing charges against the man police call the "godfather" of the Montreal mafia, famed U.S. lawyer Alan Dershowitz testified Wednesday. Friday Aug 6, 2004 cbc HUNTINGDON PARENTS TO CHALLENGE CURFEW Parents in a small Quebec town say they will challenge a controversial curfew bylaw that holds them responsible for their children's activities overnight. Friday Aug 6, 2004 ts Judge tackled race before A little over a decade ago, Mr. Justice David Doherty made headlines when he ruled potential jurors could be questioned for racial bias. It was a decision that had defence lawyers cheering and legal experts scratching their heads and wondering about the long-term implications. Thursday Jul 1, 2004 it ONTARIO JUDGE RULES PROVINCE'S SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL An Ontario provincial court judge has found the law governing the province's sex offender registry is too broad and therefore unconstitutional. Thursday Jul 1, 2004 it TOP COURT RULES ISPS NOT LIABLE FOR ROYALTIES Internet service providers are not responsible for paying royalties on music downloaded by users, Canada's Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. Thursday Jul 1, 2004 it Supreme Court shields ISPs from downloading tariffs A unanimous decision in favour of CAIP helps redefine the status of the Internet industry in Canada. Two providers reflect on the business impact, while SOCAN identifies its next target Thursday Jul 1, 2004 cnn High court bars Internet porn law enforcement Ruling sends law down to lower court for trial WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked enforcement of a law intended to protect children from pornography on the Internet, saying the law probably violates free-speech guarantees. By a 5-4 vote, the high court said 1998 legislation "likely violates the First Amendment." The court ordered parties from both sides to reconsider the issue in a lower-court trial. The ruling gives the Bush administration a chance to prove the law does not violate free-speech rights. The case tested the free-speech rights of adults against the power of Congress to control Internet commerce. The 1998 law, known as the Child Online Protection Act (COPA), never took effect. It would have authorized fines up to $50,000 for the crime of placing material that is "harmful to minors" within the easy reach of children on the Internet, according to The Associated Press. The law also would have required adults to use access codes and or other ways of registering before they could see objectionable material online, according to the AP. Writing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy said, "the government has not shown that the less-restrictive alternatives proposed ... should be disregarded. Those alternatives, indeed, may be more effective" than the law passed by Congress. Kennedy said rapid changes in technology would make filtering software a more effective tool to block access than the more restrictive means laid out in COPA, such as age verification and use of a credit card. He said a new trial would allow fresh discussion of the kinds of technology that could satisfy constitutional concerns. Justices John Paul Stevens, David H. Souter, Clarence Thomas and Ruth Bader Ginsburg agreed with Kennedy . more Sunday 25 Apr 2004 cbc COURT REJECTS TEENS' APPEAL TO LOWER VOTING AGE Two Edmonton teenagers have lost another battle to lower the legal voting age. Sunday 25 Apr 2004 cbc TOP COURT TO HEAR FIRST WHISTLEBLOWER LEGISLATION CASE The Supreme Court of Canada will hear its first case based on whistleblower legislation. It involves a Saskatchewan woman fired after going to the police with concerns about fraud Sunday 25 Apr 2004 ts Better way urged on naming judges Canada needs a more democratic and visible method of appointing judges to the Supreme Court, arguably the most powerful institution in the country, a conference was told yesterday. Thursday Apr 1, 2004 cbc WORLD COURT ORDERS U.S. TO REVIEW CASES OF MEXICANS ON DEATH ROW The World Court in The Hague has ordered the United States to review the cases of 51 Mexicans who are on death row in the U.S. h Thursday Apr 1, 2004 cbc COLIN THATCHER DENIED EARLY PAROLE A National Parole Board panel, in a unanimous decision, has denied Colin Thatcher his request for early release from prison. Sunday 28 Mar 2004 OTTAWA: HIGH COURT DEMANDS RESPECT OF MARRIAGE CONTRACTS The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that marriage contracts must be respected to the letter and cannot be modified unless they are patently unjust or were imposed through force. The ruling advises couples considering entering into such contracts that they should reflect cautiously before doing so. The high court's ruling confirms a lower court judgment in a case in which a couple agreed by contract that the husband's share of a family inheritance should be greater than that of his wife. Saturday 6 Mar 2004 cbc PHOTOCOPYING OK FOR LAWYERS, CANADA'S TOP COURT RULES The Law Society of Upper Canada is not breaking copyright law by photocopying legal decisions for lawyers and researchers, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled Thursday. Tuesday 24 Feb 2004 OTTAWA: JAILED CANADIAN SUES FOUR SAUDIS Canadian William Sampson has announced he has sued four Saudis in connection with his two years of incarceration in Saudi Arabia. After being freed last August, Mr. Sampson said he had confessed guilt in a bombing under the duress of torture and had been tortured continually during his entire period of imprisonment. Mr. Sampson says two of those he's suing were the prison guards who tortured him to extract the confession, as well as the prison's director and a member of the Saudi government. 2003 Tuesday Dec 23, 2003 cbc PHILLION ENJOYS FIRST CHRISTMAS OUTSIDE PRISON IN 31 YEARS Romeo Phillion is spending Christmas outside of prison for the first time in 31 years, as the federal justice minister continues to investigate whether he was wrongly convicted of murder. Tuesday Dec 23, 2003 cbc NOVA SCOTIA GOVERNMENT, TRUST SETTLE BLUENOSE DISPUTE A new organization will be created to oversee the famous Bluenose II schooner and its profitable image. Sunday Sep 28, 2003 cbc FRENCH LAWYER DEFENDING AZIZ SAYS HE'S WILLING TO DEFEND SADDAM A French lawyer who's made a name for himself by defending controversial suspects including "Carlos the Jackal" and Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie, will help defend Iraq's former deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz. Saturday Nov 29, 2003 WINNIPEG: DRISKELL RELEASED IN WAKE OF DOUBTS HE'S A MURDERER A Canadian inmate who says he was wrongfully convicted of murder has been released on bail after 12 years in prison. James Driskell was convicted in the shooting death of his friend, Perry Harder. Mr. Driskell was released just days after the western province of Manitoba launched a review into the case. Judge John Scurfield says key evidence the jury relied on was wrong. DNA evidence shows three hairs in Mr. Driskell's van did not come from the victim as the Crown contended. An internal police report released this week shows police had doubts about the credibility of a key Crown witness, who was given money for his testimony. Monday Oct 27, 2003 bbc DRISKELL DUMBSTRUCK BY NEWFOUND FREEDOM Hours after a judge granted bail to convicted murderer James Driskell, the Winnipeg man couldn't believe his good fortune. Monday Oct 27, 2003 bbc MANITOBA ORDERS DRISKELL REVIEW Manitoba's NDP government Wednesday launched a review into the prosecution of James Driskell amid allegations he was wrongfully convicted. Monday Oct 27, 2003 bbc Britney stalker sues for distress A man ordered to stay away from pop singer Britney Spears is suing the star for causing "emotional distress". Japanese businessman Masahiko Shizawa claimed the chart-topper's security guards brandished a gun at him in a street and told him to leave the area. Sunday Oct 5, 2003 cbc STUDENT WRONGLY ACCUSED OF SEX ABUSE WINS CASE Newfoundland's Supreme Court has ordered Memorial University to pay more than $800,000 to a former student who was falsely accused of sexually abusing children nine years ago. Oct 8, 2003 cbc THATCHER CAN APPLY FOR EARLY PAROLE A jury has decided convicted murderer Colin Thatcher can apply for early parole. The decision was made at his faint hope hearing in Moose Jaw. Thursday Oct 2, 2003 cbc THATCHER DENIES GUILT IN WIFE'S KILLING Crown lawyers finally asked Colin Thatcher Wednesday if he still denies he is guilty of killing his estranged wife in 1983. Thatcher replied, "Yes." Wednesday Oct 1, 2003 cbc THATCHER TESTIFIES AT FAINT HOPE HEARING Colin Thatcher testified Tuesday at the hearing into his request to apply for early parole. Wednesday Oct 1, 2003 cbc INQUIRY CALLED INTO MILGAARD CONVICTION The Saskatchewan government has called an inquiry into the wrongful conviction of David Milgaard, who spent 23 years in prison for a murder another man committed. Monday Sep 8, 2003 ts JUDGE DENIES LEGAL AID TO AIR INDIA SUSPECT A B.C. Supreme Court judge has turned down a demand for legal aid from one of the Air India bombing suspects, a millionaire entrepreneur. Ripudaman Singh Malik applied for government help to fund his 11-lawyer defence team. [Fees in the $millions!] Monday Sep 8, 2003 ts UNEXPECTED END TO HELLS ANGELS MEGA-TRIAL One of Quebec's largest biker gang mega-trials came to a sudden and unexpected end on Thursday. [all benefits to the law people Sunday Aug 17, 2003 MONTREAL: McLACHLIN SPEAKS UP FOR JUDICIAL SYSTEM Canada's highest ranking judge says politicians and the courts both have a role to play in contentious issues like same-sex marriage and marijuana laws. Beverley McLachlin was responding to questions about a recent poll where 71 per cent of respondents said they felt those kind of issues should be left to Parliament and provincial legislatures. The chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada spoke in Montreal Saturday. Chief Justice McLachlin says in a democracy Parliament and the legislatures have a pre-eminent role to decide questions of social importance. But she says the courts also have a role to determine where the boundaries of the constitutional action are and to interpret the laws. Chief Justice McLachlin made the comments at a news conference after she spoke to the Canadian Bar Association. Tuesday Jul 22, 2003 After 31 years, he's free Get up. Drive to Toronto with two burly prison guards. Taste freedom for the first time since 1972, the year Canada defeated Russia in the hockey summit series and former U.S. president Richard Nixon visited China. ...convicted of the 1967 murder ... At the centre of their request is fresh evidence showing Ottawa police investigated and confirmed Phillion's alibi in 1968, then buried their report for 30 years. It surfaced five years ago, when a prison official called Phillion into the warden's office at Bath penitentiary and handed him a brown envelope. ...McCombie confirmed it was true after speaking with the service station operator. The detective wrote up his findings in a report dated April 12, 1968, concluding it would have been impossible for Phillion to have driven 237 kilometres back to Ottawa by mid-afternoon and killed Roy. Tuesday Jul 22, 2003 TORONTO: CONVICTED MURDERER OUT ON BAIL AFTER THREE DECADES [That is 30 years with nothing no sex no life .. an all we can do is make him wait another 2 & a half years? on $25,000 bail.] A man who spent 31 years in jail after a murder conviction was freed on bail in Toronto on Monday. Roméo Phillion was released to the custody of his sister pending an investigation by the federal justice department into whether he was wrongfully convicted. Phillion described the feeling of freedom as "marvellous." His lawyer says he may be free on bail for as long as 18 months while the depart conducts its inquiry. Fillion was convicted of the murder in 1967 of a firefighter in Ottawa. He says he confessed to the murder while in jail on a robbery charge as an ill-advised practical joke. Monday Jun 30, 2003 Monday Jun 30, 2003 Supreme row US gears up for fight as key abortion ruling hangs in the balance W-N on Abortion Wednesday Jun 25, 2003 cbc LAWYERS, SCIENTISTS WEIGH VALUE OF MITOCHONDRIAL DNA The use of mitochondrial DNA evidence is an emerging weapon in the forensic arsenal, but it hasn't yet had its day in a Canadian court. Wednesday Jun 18, 2003 Rosenbergs' trial Looking back at one of most infamous US spy trials of last century Powerless in Gaza Women stuck between Israeli occupation and Islamic oppression Sunday Jun 8, 2003 Victims' families debate UK sentencing laws The parents of Sarah Payne, James Bulger and Damilola Taylor join a conference to discuss tougher sentences for killers. Sunday Jun 8, 2003 nyt Let Cameras in the Courtroom Television cameras make it possible for the public to observe the justice system. New York's law making it a crime to televise court proceedings should be struck down. Sunday Jun 8, 2003 cc Physics genius cannot be forcibly medicated for mental illness: SCOC A physics savant who says he'd rather stay locked up than be drugged for mental illness cannot be forcibly medicated, says Canada's highest court. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled 6-3 Friday that a medical board was unreasonable and wrongly applied legal tests when it found Scott Starson incapable of deciding whether to accept treatment. Fri, 06 Jun 2003 cbc MENTALLY ILL MAN MAY REFUSE TREATMENT, COURT RULES In a case reminiscent of the Hollywood movie A Beautiful Mind, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that a mentally ill physics genius has the right to refuse treatment for his condition. Tuesday Apr 22, 2003 War crime scourge The sharp public face of the International Criminal Court Sunday Mar 23, 2003 Is the war legal? Is an attack on Iraq legal? Lawyers on both sides are not short of ammunition Tuesday Mar 11, 2003 nyt Delinking Abortion and Breast Cancer A crude effort by anti-abortion groups to associate abortion with an increased risk of breast cancer can now be stopped. Tuesday Mar 11, 2003 nyt Senate Revisits Ban of Abortion Procedure By ROBIN TONER A ban on partial-birth abortion, which is used to terminate second- and third-trimester pregnancies, is expected to pass later this week. Saturday Mar 1, 2003 nyt The Pentagon Releases a Proposed List of War Crimes to Be Judged by Tribunals By THE NEW YORK TIMES Categories in the document include attacks on civilians, the taking of hostages, the use of poisons, the deployment of human shields, terrorism and rape. Friday Feb 21, 2003 cbc LAW PROFESSOR SAYS FEDERAL POLITICIANS BROKE LAW OVER AFGHAN CAPTIVES A former Bloc Québécois MP is trying to hold the prime minister and three cabinet members legally accountable for the actions of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. Friday Feb 21, 2003 cbc OSC SAYS BRIAN COSTELLO GUILTY OF VIOLATION OF SECURITIES LAWS Regulators in Ontario have found that well-known financial author and broadcaster Brian Costello violated the province's securities rules. [nit picking DTN] Friday Feb 14, 2003 ts Montreal lawyer sentenced for his role in stock scheme Prominent Montreal lawyer Harry Bloomfield (58) has been sentenced in a New York courtroom to five years of probation for his part in a criminal pump-and-dump stock scheme that cost investors millions. .. gets five years probation plus fine and 500 hours community service and to pay a fine of $6,000 U.S ...If his conviction is upheld on appeal, he will encounter difficulties in returning to the United States. In an interview yesterday, Bloomfield's lawyer Charles Stillman said that during Tuesday's sentencing hearing the judge had noted that Bloomfield and Creggy had not been convicted of participating in any securities fraud. Stillman reiterated his position that his client had no idea the offshore companies were being used for illegal purposes. Tuesday Jan 7, 2003 ST. JOHN'S: PROVINCES JOIN REBELLION AGAINST GUN REGISTRATION The Canadian government is refusing demands to suspend its national firearms registration program. Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have become the latest provinces to call on Ottawa to close the program until it can come to terms with its massive cost overruns. That follows similar appeals by Ontario. Alberta and Saskatchewan want the program killed outright. Originally, the program was to cost taxpayers only $2 million a year, but that estimate has since soared to $1 billion by 2005. The deadline for registering all firearms in Canada was Jan. 1, but it appears thousands of people have ignored it. An unlicensed gun owner with an unregistered gun faces Criminal Code charges that could lead to a $2,000 fine, six months in jail or both. 2002 Friday Dec 6, 2002 cbc TRIALS GETTING TOO LONG, SAYS ONTARIO CHIEF JUSTICE Criminal trials in Canada are growing too long, Ontario's chief justice said on Monday, and he wants a study to find out why. Friday Dec 6, 2002 cbc WRONGFULLY CONVICTED MAN GETS POLICE APOLOGY An Ontario man has received an apology and a cash settlement as redress for being wrongfully convicted of murder. Friday Dec 6, 2002 cbc SUPREME COURT REJECTS PATENT ON GENETICALLY-MODIFIED MOUSE A controversial mouse, genetically modified to make it better suited for cancer research, may not be patented under current Canadian law, the country's top court ruled Thursday. Tuesday Nov 26, 2002 NEW LEGISLATION WILL ALLOW CONTINGENCY CASES IN ONTARIO TORONTO - Lawyers in Ontario will be able to accept civil cases on a contingency fee basis under legislation introduced by the provincial government. Under such agreements, lawyers only get paid if their clients win a settlement. Ontario is the only province that bars contingency fees, except in class action suits. Under the bill, the government will be able to set caps on the percentage of the award that lawyers could earn if a suit is successful. Sunday Oct 13, 2002 cbc NORTHERN SEX ASSAULT VICTIMS GET GOV'T PAYOUT Governments in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories will pay more than $21 million to victims of a convicted sex offender. [there must be a more important use for this mone! DTN] Sunday Oct 6, 2002 cbc RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS DEAL IN THE WORKS: GOODALE The federal government says it's working on a deal to settle thousands of lawsuits involving former students who say they were abused at residential schools. Sunday Oct 6, 2002 cbc MONTREAL TELEMARKETER SUED BY STATE OF MISSOURI The state of Missouri is suing a Montreal company for violating its consumer laws. Friday Sep 6, 2002 rci TORONTO: INDIGO'S ONLINE COMPETITOR UNFAZED BY LAWSUIT The Canadian subsidiary of the world's biggest online bookseller says it's not worried about a lawsuit aimed at shutting down its operations in Canada. The general manager of Amazon.ca, Marven Krug, says his company considers the lawsuit without merit. Mr. Krug added that his firm's American parent company, Amazon.com, has refused to make any concessions to the Canadian parties who have brought the lawsuit. Amazon.ca began operations at the end of June, doing so despite complaints by the Canadian Booksellers Association and Indigo Books & Music, Canada's biggest bookselling chain. The complainants appealed to the Canada Heritage Department that Amazon.ca was in violation of the Investment Canada Act, which stipulates that Canada's bookselling industry be predominantly Canadian. But the department agreed with Amazon.ca's argument that it doesn't come under the terms of that law because it has no physical presence in Canada. Amazon.ca's books are delivered by an affiliate of Canada Post. Tuesday Aug 13, 2002 cbc JUSTICE MINISTER FACES TOUGH QUESTIONS ON LEGAL AID Justice Minister Martin Cauchon says it's time for governments across Canada to review the country's legal aid system.   Friday Jul 26, 2002 Court win for donor sperm children Children created with donated sperm have won an important legal ruling in their battle to discover more about their biological fathers. Monday Jul 22, 2002 cbc JUDGE IN QUEBEC HELLS ANGELS TRIAL STEPS DOWN FROM CASE One of the most sensational biker gang trials in Quebec history was thrown into disarray Monday after the judge withdrew from the case. Tuesday Jul 16, 2002 cbc MANITOBA HOPES SOPHONOW WILL ACCEPT $2.6 MILLION Thomas Sophonow, who spent four years in jail for a murder he didn't commit, will finally receive his full $2.6 million in compensation. INDEPTH: Background: Canada's Wrongfully Convicted Friday Jul 12, 2002 cbc COMPROMISE EXEMPTS U.S. PEACEKEEPERS FROM WAR CRIMES CHARGES The United Nations Security Council has agreed to exempt U.S. peacekeepers from prosecution for one year in connection with the International Criminal Court. Thursday Jul 11, 2002 cbc U.S. CONDEMNED FOR STAND AGAINST NEW INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT Countries from around the world have backed Canada's demand that U.S. soldiers should not receive immunity before the new International Criminal Court. The Economist: America modified its position on the International Criminal Court, telling the UN Security Council that it no longer demanded permanent immunity for its soldiers serving as peacekeepers. But it still wants to prevent any prosecution of peacekeepers for a year, subject to renewal. Negotiations continued. Wednesday Jul 3, 2002 cbc MAN WHO HAD SEX WITH JUROR SENTENCED Peter Gill, who had sex with a juror during his murder trial, was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison Tuesday for obstruction of justice. Wednesday Jul 3, 2002 NEW YORK: CANADA DEPLORES U.S. ATTITUDE TOWARD NEW WORLD CRIMINAL COURT Canada has joined more than 100 other nations in hailing the birth of the world's first International Criminal Court. The new court located at The Hague in the Netherlands will prosecute those responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Canada's Foreign Minister Bill Graham calls the court's beginning a great day for international justice. Canada, meanwhile, has expressed dismay after the U.S. threatened to veto the renewal of the United Nations peacekeeping mandate in Bosnia. Washington made the threat after its demand that U.S. personnel be beyond the reach of the new International Criminal Court was rejected by the U.N. Security Council. Philippe Kirsch, a Canadian diplomat who chairs the new court's preparatory committee, says the court will function with or without the U.S. In Washington, President George W. Bush said he'll try to "work out" the impasse but stuck to his refusal to submit U.S. soldiers to the new court's jurisdiction. The U.S. government says it's worried about politically motivated or frivolous prosecution of its peacekeepers by the court. Wednesday Jul 3, 2002 nytCANADA 'CONCERNED' ABOUT U.S. STANCE ON CRIMINAL COURT Canada is "greatly concerned" about the U.S. stance against the newly formed International Criminal Court, Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham said on Tuesday.  Tuesday Jul 2, 2002 International Criminal Court Can it work without America? Monday Jun 17, 2002 cbc ALBERTA MAN AWARDED $765,000 FOR MALICIOUS PROSECUTION A court in Alberta has awarded more than three-quarters of a million dollars to a man who spent nearly two years in jail for a double murder he didn't commit. Monday Jun 17, 2002 cbc STILL OWED MILLIONS, SOPHONOW SUES PROVINCE Thomas Sophonow is taking the province of Manitoba to court in an effort to collect the money he was awarded to compensate him for his wrongful murder conviction. Monday Jun 17, 2002 cbc ALBERTA LOOKS TO EXTEND CARE OVER JEHOVAH'S WITNESS TEEN Lawyers for the Alberta government are in court trying to extend guardianship over a 16-year-old Alberta girl who was made a temporary ward of the province for refusing blood transfusions to treat her leukemia. Wednesday May 29, 2002 nyt Libyan Offer of $2.7 Billion in Pan Am Blast If the U.S. and the U.N. drop their sanctions, Libya has offered to pay $2.7 billion in compensation to the families of the 270 victims of a 1988 plane bombing. Tuesday May 21, 2002 cbc HIGH COURT HEARS DEBATE OVER HARVARD MOUSE Canada's highest court began hearing arguments Tuesday over whether a genetically modified mouse can be patented. Saturday May 11, 2002 GAY TEEN WINS FIGHT OVER CATHOLIC PROM [Church file] Friday May 10, 2002 economist Hells Angels on trial in Canada Maurice "Mom" Boucher, a leader of Quebec's HELL'S ANGELS, was convicted of the murder of two prison officers in the first of dozens of planned trials which prosecutors hope will break the hold of biker gangs over organised crime in eastern Canada. Tuesday May 7, 2002 cbc TEEN WANTS QUICK DECISION FROM SUPREME COURT ON TRANSFUSIONS A 16-year-old Alberta girl wants the country's top court to decide if she can refuse treatment for her leukemia. {why waist the court's time the ans is NO DTN] TEEN WANTS QUICK DECISION FROM SUPREME COURT ON TRANSFUSIONS CALGARY - A 16-year-old Alberta girl wants the country's top court to decide if she can refuse treatment for her leukemia. The girl, who can't be identified under a court order, lost in the Alberta Court of Appeal last month. That court told her she had to continue to accept blood transfusions in spite of her religious beliefs. "Interpretation of the legislation involved is something particular to Alberta," said lawyer David Gnam. "We're hoping now that the Supreme Court of Canada will bring a national perspective to the issue." The issue is the girl's belief as a Jehovah's Witness that consuming blood is forbidden by the Bible – and whether she is mature enough to make critical decisions about her health care. She has leukemia. Doctors say without the transfusions and chemotherapy she will probably die. Struggle divides family "I will fight against the forced blood transfusions until I am either allowed to leave or until perhaps I die, or until I make it out of the hospital here," she said. Three times courts in Alberta have denied her request to stop the transfusions. The issue has caused a split in her own family, and she has been made a ward of the province. Her mother and sister stand with her against the system. Her father wants the treatments to continue. On one occasion, hospital staff members had a physical confrontation with the mother as she tried to stop a transfusion. "They were fighting with the doctors and my wife tried to pull the I.V. line out," said the father. "My daughter has something that was inserted by an operation into her chest and it's hooked to an artery. If that was torn out, she could bleed to death." Though he's been a Jehovah's Witness for 20 years, the father wants the treatments to continue because he doesn't want his daughter to die. "It didn't make any sense to me that we should just sit there and watch my daughter die and do nothing," he said. While the girl waits for the Supreme Court to respond to her lawyer's request, her treatments continue. Tuesday May 7, 2002 nyt A Search for Justice in Our Genes By AKHIL REED AMAR Across the political spectrum there is a race to bring DNA law into line with DNA technology Tuesday May 7, 2002 nyt U.S. Rejects All Support for New Court on Atrocities Bush administration officials said on Monday that the new International Criminal Court should expect no cooperation from the U.S. Tuesday May 7, 2002 rci U.S. FORMALLY REJECTS INTERNATIONAL COURT TREATY WASHINGTON - The United States has officially rejected the treaty creating an International Criminal Court. INDEPTH: In a declaration sent to the United Nations, the U.S. said it no longer considers itself bound by the treaty. The court will prosecute people for war crimes, genocide and other major human rights violations. Canada and all of western Europe support the treaty. Last month 10 more countries joined 56 others in announcing their ratification of the treaty, negotiated in Rome in 1998. Former U.S. president Bill Clinton signed the treaty, but it was never ratified by the Senate. The Bush government has opposed it, saying there are not enough safeguards against frivolous or politically-motivated prosecutions. The tribunal is expected to go into operation next year in The Hague. Tuesday Apr 30, 2002 bbc Gaddafi 'set to pay' for Lockerbie The Libyan leader is said to be ready to compensate families of the Lockerbie bomb victims, possibly as part of a deal to get sanctions lifted. ..A report in Time magazine, published on Tuesday, says Colonel Gaddafi could be willing to pay as much as $3.5bn (£2.4bn). Sunday Apr 28, 2002 cbc 'GREY MARKET' SATELLITE PROVIDERS BREAKING THE LAW: SUPREME COURT The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that unlicensed providers who sell decoders to capture foreign satellite signals are breaking a federal broadcasting law. The ruling is a blow to the so-called "grey market satellites" which capture American programming. Rudy's dear divorce Ex- New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's estranged wife is demanding $1m a year to settle their divorce Tuesday Apr 16, 2002 cbc MILGAARD LAWYER SAYS CHANGES NEEDED TO HELP WRONGFULLY CONVICTED The lawyer of a man who spent 23 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit says the justice system needs to speed up the process for reviewing criminal cases in questionable convictions. Tuesday Apr 9, 2002 cbc World criminal court The success in establishing a permanent international criminal court is a triumph for those whOWN to strengthen international law. But the Bush administration hates the idea, and the court has put America and its allies on a collision course. image Evidence of the need ALBERTA PREMIER REVIVES CELLPHONE BAN PROPOSAL Alberta's premier says driving and dialing could still become an offence in his province. Ralph Klein says his government may take another look at cellphone legislation. Tuesday Mar 26, 2002 cbc LAWYER DRESSED DOWN OVER CLOTHING A lawyer says she was "humiliated in a public courtroom" after a judge in this southern Ontario city sent her home to change. Wednesday Mar 13, 2002 bbcFrench court rules against frozen couple A French court has ruled that a couple who were frozen after their death in the hope of future revival must be removed from their refrigerated chamber and buried. The court decided that the continued freezing of Raymond Martinot, who died last month aged 80, and of his wife, who died in 1984, was against French law, which dictates that bodies must either be cremated or buried. Tuesday Mar 12, 2002 cbcANDERSEN GIVEN UNTIL THURSDAY TO ENTER GUILTY PLEA: REPORT Accounting firm Arthur Andersen is said to have until Thursday to agree to plead guilty to charges of obstruction of justice in the document-shredding case involving bankrupt energy trading firm Enron. see W-N Evron file Sunday Mar 10, 2002 cbc Will Fingerprinting Stand Up in Court?In 1993, when the Supreme Court demanded real scientific standards for expert evidence in federal courts, some critics correctly anticipated that several criminal identification techniques would be attacked in the courts with some success: microscopic hair comparison, bite mark analysis, handwriting comparison. Few, if any, predicted what is happening now: The bedrock forensic identifier of the 20th century, fingerprinting, has started to wobble. Mar 8, 2002 cbc CRIMINALS' INSURANCE POLICIES HAVE TO PAY UP: SUPREME COURT Two Canadian widows will be paid settlements from their late husbands' life insurance policies, even though the men died committing crimes. Fri, 08 Mar 2002 cbc CRIME DOESN'T PAY, BUT INSURANCE POLICIES DO: SUPREME COURT Even though their husbands died committing crimes, two widows are entitled to the money from the men's life insurance policies, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled Friday. Sunday Mar 10, 2002 cbc SUPREME COURT SAYS DISCRIMINATION AGAINST NON-CANADIAN OK IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES It is constitutional to discriminate against people who don't have Canadian citizenship when they apply for jobs with the civil service, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on Friday. Sunday Mar 10, 2002 bbc Ex-Playmate widow awarded $88m A former Playboy model who married an elderly Texan billionaire is awarded a slice of his estate after a six-year legal battle. Monday Feb 18, 2002 bbc WRONGLY CONVICTED NOVA SCOTIA MAN FREED NINE YEARS AFTER MURDER TRIAL Nine years and half a million dollars in legal bills later, Nova Scotia carpenter Clayton Johnson was finally cleared Monday of murdering his wife. Friday Feb 15, 2002 nytimes Secrets Confided to the Clergy Are Getting Harder to Keep By EMILY EAKIN Lately, there are signs that the confidence in clergy-penitent privilege may increasingly be misplaced. O. J. Simpson had his famous heart-to- heart chat with the pro-football-player-turned-minister Roosevelt Grier. For weeks afterward, the press was rife with rumors that Mr. Simpson had confessed to the crimes. Saturday Jan 26, 2002 bbc Lockerbie appeal hears key witness A court hears evidence for the first time about a Heathrow baggage store padlock being forced open hours before the Lockerbie bombing. Saturday Jan 26, 2002 nyt Captives and the Law The Bush administration has done well militarily in Afghanistan, but it has badly fumbled the question of justice for its captives. It has failed to understand the power of the human rights ideal in today's world — and America's stake in living up to that ideal. The failure has brought awkward international political consequences for the United States. The imprisonment of Taliban and Qaeda captives at Guantánamo, and their treatment there, have been questioned by some of America's closest allies. Saturday Jan 26, 2002 /Montreal.cbc JUSTICE MINISTER ASKS SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW LEGAL FEES Quebec's Minister of Justice, Paul B&é;gin is asking the Supreme Court of Canada for leave to appeal a judge's decision to raise lawyers legal aid fees for the Hells Angels trial in Montreal. Wed 1/23/02 cbc APPEAL OF LOCKERBIE CONVICTION UNDERWAY A former Libyan secret agent, convicted of the 1988 bombing of Pan-Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland is back in court to challenge the verdict. Wednesday Jan 23, 2002 bbc Lockerbie appeal challenges judges Lawyers for the man convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing say the trial judges presided over a miscarriage of justice. Tuesday Jan 22, 2002 cbc NO CHARGES FOR CINAR Crown prosecutors say they will not lay criminal charges against Cinar Corporation. Wednesday Jan 9, 2002 What Makes a Jury Fair? nyt Jury selection in the United States has grown curiouser and curiouser, as a sensible federal appeals court decision this week makes painfully clear. The court overturned the 1997 convictions of two African-American men on civil rights violations in the killing of a Hasidic Jew during the violence that shook Crown Heights in 1991. Whatever one thinks of the defendants' guilt, they were convicted by a jury whose membership was apparently manipulated by the trial judge to achieve what he considered a proper racial and religious balance. 2001 Thursday, December 20, 2001 cbc COURT RULES MONCTON BYLAWS UNCONSTITUTIONAL ow c New Brunswick's highest court has ruled that all of Moncton's bylaws are invalid because they weren't passed in both English and French. Thursday, December 20, 2001 ONTARIO FARM WORKERS WIN RIGHT TO ORGANIZE ow c Organized farm labour has won a major victory in Ontario. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled Thursday the rights of farm workers have been violated. Thursday, December 20, 2001 Supreme Court rules Ontario law on farm labour unconstitutional Saturday, December 08, 2001 Top court cracks whip on EI cheats The Supreme Court of Canada dealt a blow to privacy yesterday by ruling that customs officials can snitch on employment insurance cheats who vacation outside the country while collecting benefits. November 1, 2001 nationalpost.com/ Lawyer quit bar, allowed to keep clients: lawsuit Lawyer quit bar, allowed to keep clients: lawsuit Montreal socialite: More than $1-million alleged to be missing from estates by Graeme Hamilton, with files from Heather Sokoloff MONTREAL - The Quebec bar society allowed a prominent Montreal lawyer suspected of impropriety ... Friday, October 31, 2001 Estate lawsuit targets socialite lawyer Montreal philanthropist: Gordon McGilton Q.C., was a well-known lawyer, a prominent figure on English Montreal's social scene who could be counted on to pitch in for charity. Former clients allege more than $1M in funds misused by Graeme Hamilton and Heather Sokoloff National Post photo by Christinne Muschi , seen at his Montreal home yesterday, has left positions with Stanstead College and the Montreal Association for the Blind. ...family is seeking nearly $175,000 missing from her father's estate ...with his client's approval, to provide a return "above the rate paid by other financial institutions." [Be careful, this could be a lawyer who are trying to do a good job for their clients and there is not enough infomation here to judge ... DTN] See Westmount lawyer gets 15 months for bilking widows