Friday 27 February 2009 OTTAWA: GOVT. PRESENTS ANTI-GANG BILL
Canada's justice minister Rob Nicholson has announced the government's new anti-crime bill aimed at reducing gang violence. The bill will require automatic first-degree murder charges for gang-related killings. It includes mandatory minimum sentences for drive-by shootings. Gang violence has been on the increase in the major Canadian cities of Toronto and Vancouver.
Friday 13 June 2008 OTTAWA: COPYRIGHT LAW WOULD BE AMENDED
Canadian Industry Minister Jim Prentice will introduce amendments to copyright law that will make it easier to prosecute people who download copyrighted material from the Internet. Mr. Prentice said recently that his challenge will be to strike a balance between the interests of consumers and industry. There has been speculation that the amendments would impose a $500 fine on anyone illegally downloading. The video game industry wants the existing Copyright Law toughened to empower providers to monitor high-speed downloads and to shut down transfers containing unauthorized copies of games and other files. The music industry complains that Canadians continue to make unauthorized music downloads because the law doesn't make the practice explicitly illegal.
Confused About Copyright
“Intellectual property is complicated,” a government official explained at a press briefing yesterday on the Conservative government’s proposed update to Canada’s copyright laws. Based on today’s coverage of the bill, it seems the lesson was learned. Unfortunately, though, Big Seven respect for the prolixity of copyright law manifests itself not in a careful consideration of the issues at stake, but in an obfuscating timidity, a tendency to oversimplify to the point of misleading. The problem first made itself evident during last night’s news broadcasts: The National portrays the new policy as a “crackdown,” meant to quell a downloading culture grown out of control, while CTV News frames it as a modernization, a correction of the anachronistically stiff penalties for now-commonplace uses of technology—the result of an outdated Copyright Act not updated since 1997. The inconsistencies in coverage do not end there: The Star sees the legislation as an adjustment to the times; the Globe depicts it as almost draconian; the Post reports it as good news for illegal downloaders, bad news for traffickers of the illegally downloaded; and CTV News online suggests that the proposed $500 maximum fine for downloaders is either soft or a “smoke-screen [that] sets the stage for fines that could reach the millions.” MediaScout was left not knowing what to think, though certainly in a better position than consumers of just one or two sources, who might emerge from a perusal of today’s news believing that they do know what to think.
Certain details are presented consistently throughout today’s cycle. The $500 fine facing downloaders of copyrighted files is a diminution of the punishment under the current act, which is reported as between $20,000 and $100,000. Canadians will now be able to copy unencrypted copyrighted files, but will not be able to share them. Those who do share files or who attempt to hack encrypted files will face fines of up to $20,000. It will be up to Internet service providers to warn transgressors that they are in violation of the law—an attempt to avoid the problems encountered by the US government in enforcing their relatively new copyright laws without violating citizens’ privacy, though the Conservative proposal brings with it its own privacy concerns. Ultimately, though, most sources agree that the minority Conservatives are unlikely to be able to pass the bill, which is expected to face harsh criticism from opposition parties (though the reasons for that are not clear). An update of Canada’s copyright laws has broad implications not only for consumers and producers, but for the whole of the Canadian arts and entertainment industries, which are now trying to determine how to make money in a culture where, increasingly, everything is obtainable for free. An editorial in the Star applauds the government for finally addressing this long-overdue, rather complicated problem; MediaScout wishes the Big Seven would have done a little more addressing of their own.
Thursday 12 June 2008 Ottawa to unveil controversial copyright bil
Federal government says it will table amendments to the Copyright Law Thursday; Prentice to comment on proposal to make it easier to prosecute individuals who download copyrighted material from the Internet.
PENALTIES UP TO $20,000 for trying to get material free 'Made in Canada' plan to stamp out online piracy, government says
Mixed reaction to new copyright act
David George-Cosh, National Post Published: Thursday, June 12, 2008
Canadians caught downloading illegal material, such as an MP3 song or video, will be subjected to statutory damages of $500 per incident. However, if a defendant testifies they were unaware they infringed on copyright, the fine could be reduced to $200.
Wednesday 11 June 2008 OTTAWA: CONSERVATIVES DEFEND FETUS BILL
Conservative Member of Parliament Ken Epp has again defended his private-member's bill concerning the victims of criminal acts who are still unborn. The bill, which was adopted by the House of Commons in second reading in March, aims at harsher punishments for perpetrators of attacks against pregnant women. particularly when the attack causes the death of a fetus. Mr. Epp reiterated that his bill has nothing to do with abortion and only recognizes the grief of women who lose their unborn babies. The MP from Edmonton, AB, says he is the victims of a disinformation campaign, especially in Quebec, where the National Assembly has denounced the bill on the grounds that opens the door to a recriminalization of abortion. The head of the federal Liberal Party, Stéphane Dion, has pledged not to allow the minority Conservative government to see the bill adopted by the House.
Wednesday Jun 11, 2008 When is 'time of death?'
The case of a man whose heart stopped beating for 11/2 hours only to revive just as doctors were preparing..
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.
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.
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...
TIME Top 10 Crime Stories
Thursday Jan 3, 2008
Petition calls for 2nd Pickton trial
CanWest News Service
Published: 8 hours agoA 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
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
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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.
_______________________________
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BOUTIQUE
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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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Rudy's dear divorce
Ex- New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's estranged wife is demanding $1m a year to settle their divorce
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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
Don't miss our Notes on:
Benard Landry the king! BOUCHARD & Québec & Jean Charest, the Federal Gov.
or Langue & Separatistism, then City Mergers or Medical, Media , Markets Money , Oil, SCI-TECH, CHART NT Nortel, T-BBD_B
see Me Simon Potter the Court
the Robert Latimer case
Fathers Are Capable Too needs your financial support.
Index of www.fact.on.ca/newpaper/ list dir
30/Oct/2001 1 MANKATO, Minnesota (AP) - Stripper Stacey Zent says she's worth at least five bucks an hour. The exotic dancer is suing the Mankato, Minnesota, strip club where she works.
Zent charges the club is violating labour laws by not paying its dancers the minimum wage which is now five-15 an hour. The strippers are paid only through tips.
The club considers the women independent contractors, not employees. But Zent doesn't buy the argument. She says the managers control when the strippers can dance and treat them like employees. So, she wants the minimum wage and tips to take off her clothes.
10/Oct/2001 Concordia students allowed back on campus Montreal - Two members of Concordia's
Mr. Justice Israel Mass of the Quebec Superior Court says Keefer and Marouf have a right to conduct their student union business.
28/Aug/2001 Grey to take up dogs' and cats' rights
By: SIDHARTHA BANERJEE
Every dog has its day and the more than 100 dogs of the Lost and Found Pet Network will get one in Saint-Jerome court Thursday.
The city of Sainte-Sophie has filed a petition against the organization, calling for the removal of the 150 dogs and cats currently housed in a barn in the town, 70 kilometres north of Montreal
August 11, 2001 nyt
Lawyers Are Asking, How Secret Is a Secret?
If you're going to confide in someone, who should it be: a doctor, a psychotherapist or a lawyer? This is not the beginning of a joke.
This week the American Bar Association approved a proposal to loosen the rules of confidentiality that keep lawyers from sharing their clients' secrets. Currently, the A.B.A. says lawyers can disclose confidences only to prevent "a criminal act that the lawyer believes is likely to result in imminent death or substantial bodily harm." According to the new proposal, lawyers can reveal their clients' confidences to prevent "reasonably certain death or substantial bodily harm."
Fri 7/13/01 No-fault insurance is under scrutiny
By: IRWIN BLOCK
Critics of Quebec's no-fault auto insurance policy say victims of convicted drunk or reckless drivers should be able to sue them for compensation.
"We have to adapt the law to the values of the 21st century," said Montreal lawyer Jannick Perreault, a member of a Quebec Bar task force on the issue.
Thu 7/5/01 7:00 PM SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS JURY SECRECY
The Supreme Court of Canada says the secrecy of jury deliberations must
take precedence over a defendant's wish to know what the discussions are
about.
Sat 5/26/01 8:29 AM Lawyer gets fall court date in N.Y.
By: JAN RAVENSBERGEN The Gazette
Harry Bloomfield, a socially prominent Montreal attorney, has put up "very high cash bail" on 22 criminal charges stemming from an alleged $17-million (U.S.) stock fraud using dummy offshore corporations.
He faces his next court date Sept. 7, an official of the District Attorney's office in Manhattan said yesterday.
Tue 5/1/01 7:00 AM A culture of secrecy
By: The Gazette
The principle that the public has a right to know what is being done in its name by the government it has elected is what stands behind most freedom-of-information legislation. Canada's Access to Information Act is no exception, or should not be. Yet every year for the past three years, information commissioner John Reid has reported a steady increase in the number of complaints about the refusal of government agencies to release information.
Last week, Mr. Reid said the preliminary numbers for the year just ended show a doubling in the number of appeals filed with his office. Last year, there were 1,359 complaints filed with the commissioner about government secrecy (out of 14,300 requests for information). With an increase over-all in the number of requests of barely 25 per cent, double the number of complaints is a significant hike.
TORONTO, April 9 /CNW/ - The Honourable Lloyd Axworthy, Canada's former
Minister of Foreign Affairs, has joined national law firm of Fraser Milner
Casgrain LLP as a consultant on matters of trade and international affairs.
March 2001
Sun 3/11/01 8:01 AM
Our society's moral confusion runs deep By: GEORGE JONAS
About a month ago, Ontario Superior Court Judge Clair Marchand found the employer of a Barrie, Ont., receptionist named Linda Hunt partially liable for the tragic result of her decision to drive a car with about twice the legal limit of alcohol in her bloodstream. The result was an accident that left Hunt disabled.
Marchand found the employer liable to the tune of $300,000 and legal costs because the accident followed an office Christmas party in 1994. Reportedly, the employer offered to call Hunt's husband to drive her home, or to call a taxi for her. But even though Hunt left the party on foot and continued drinking at a pub with some co-workers (who also offered to call her a cab), the mere fact that her initial inebriation occurred at the office party created a liability for her employer, at least in the mind of a contemporary Canadian court.
News: cbc.ca/search/
February 2001
February 18, 2001 Deaths Spur Laws Against Drivers on Cell Phones
By FRANCIS X. CLINES Lawmakers across the nation are submitting proposals for controls or
outright bans on the use of cell phones while driving. At least 11
such laws have been enacted by local governments, but none
statewide as lobbyists from the booming cell-phone industry lead
the opposition. ...legislatures of 35 states, more than doubling in two years, for phone restrictions and penalties for derelict drivers. ..point to the 22 nations that have already enacted cell-phone restrictions on drivers. These range from a mandate against hand-held phones in Britain to an outright ban on the use of all types of cell phones by drivers in Japan,
...The number of cell-phone users grows by three million each month. And 85 percent of the nation's 110 million cell-phone owners use them in some form while driving, ...using phones while driving increases the risk of an accident by more than 30 percent
Mon 2/19/01 7:03 AM Let's get real about gangs
Although Quebec prosecutors used the federal anti-gang law last week to convict outlaw bikers for the first time in the statute's four-year existence, the Quebec government is still not satisfied with it.
Having in the past criticized the law as futile, Quebec Public Security Minister Serge Menard is not about to change. He insists that, in making it a crime to take part in a criminal organization's activities, this law is too hard to enforce and that Ottawa should give Quebec a new law prohibiting mere membership in such an organization, even though that might be at odds with citizens' rights under the charter to associate with whom they please. Hurray - it's about time. especially when you read the statistics in this article. DTN
January 2001
27/Jan/2001 Good sense on child porn
The Canadian public, not to mention law-enforcement authorities, will feel a real sense of relief at yesterday's balanced Supreme Court ruling on child pornography. The court upheld the ban on possession of child porn. But, on freedom-of-expression grounds, it told Parliament to redraft the Criminal Code to protect material created privately and for private use - such as journals, drawings and photographs (as long as the latter do not depict unlawful sexual activity).
The court found possession of child pornography (as distinct from its manufacture and distribution) does, indeed, pose a risk to children. Possession is wrong because it creates a market for the product. Furthermore, the court said, it fuels fantasies that incite offenders to harm children; it can be used to groom and seduce victims and it indirectly contributes to the abuse of real children depicted in pornography. The apprehension of harm is reason enough to act.
27/Jan/2001 20 Quebec child-porn cases to proceed
By: PAUL CHERRY The Gazette
The Supreme Court ruling that upholds Canada's child-pornography law means 20 suspended cases in Quebec can proceed.
Joanne Marceau, the Quebec City prosecutor who represented the province in its role as an intervenor, said the two exceptions made by Canada's top court yesterday have no effect on current cases in Quebec: "For (the province's prosecutors), it is very positive."
Saturday Jan 24, 2004 Latimer says he is =grateful= for the support he has received from many Canadians. He is serving a life sentence, with no chance of parole for 10 years, for killing his severely disabled daughter Tracy in 1993. =I know the thinking people in this country are on my side,= he said yesterday Latimer 10 years on: No regrets
Says he killed daughter to end her pain Has now spent three years in prison
VICTORIA—A decade after killing his disabled daughter, Tracy, and igniting a national debate on euthanasia, Robert Latimer offers no regrets, no excuses and no apologies.
"It was the right thing to do," Latimer said yesterday in a rare interview, at the minimum-security William Head Institution, 30 kilometres west of here
Thursday Dec 18, 2003 cbc
KILLING DAUGHTER RIGHT THING TO DO: LATIMER
Robert Latimer still believes he did the right thing more than 10 years
after he ran a hose from the exhaust to the cab of his pickup truck and
put his daughter Tracy inside to die.
PETITION TO THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA
RE: ROBERT LATIMER
Fri 3/2/01 NEW CORRECTIONS POLICY BAD NEWS FOR LATIMER
Robert Latimer's wife says she's terrified her husband will have to
spend the first two years of his life sentence in a maximum security
prison.
11/Feb/2001 Latimer allies press on
By: PAUL CHERRY CATHERINE SOLYOM The Gazette
Since Robert Latimer started serving a life sentence three weeks ago, Jamie Bassett's phone has been ringing off the hook.
"We have received thousands of phone calls from people saying they can't sleep at night, people all across Canada in tears," said Bassett, who with his wife has led a campaign to support Robert Latimer ever since he was convicted of killing his severely disabled daughter Tracy in 1993.
25/Jan/2001 RALLY CALLS FOR CLEMENCY FOR LATIMER
Supporters of Robert Latimer held a rally Wednesday to urge the federal
government to shorten his sentence for killing his severely disabled
daughter.
20/Jan/2001 CANADIANS REACT TO LATIMER CASE
Within a half-hour of the Supreme Court decision on Robert Latimer's
fate, e-mails began flowing into cbc.ca with the opinions of Canadians
who wanted to register their point of view. 
Jo Lynn Sheane reports for CBC TV
Thursday 06 December 2007 CTV NEWS: “Parole Denied: No parole for Robert Latimer, 14 years after killing his disabled
daughter”
December 2000
17/Dec/2000 Mom's a bad boy
By: NICOLAS VAN PRAET The Gazette
Maurice (Mom) Boucher, Quebec's imprisoned Hells Angels biker boss who awaits a possible re-trial for murder, has been crowned one of the world's 100 bad boys.
Boucher, largely unknown outside Canada until now, placed No. 71 in Stuff magazine's list of the 100 most dangerous men on Earth.
8/Dec/2000 HEADLINE: Grey proposes bilingual schools
By: ELIZABETH THOMPSON The Gazette
The Quebec government should institute a new system of bilingual high
schools open to all Quebecers in a bid to break down the remaining barriers
between Quebec's two solitudes, says prominent civil-rights lawyer Julius
Grey.
In a brief to the estates-general on language, Grey proposes a unique
solution for parents on both sides of the language divide whOWN better
second-language training for their kids.
8/Dec/2000 BILL REAFFIRMS QUEBECERS' RIGHT TO GO IT ALONE
The Quebec legislature passed a bill Thursday outlining Quebec's
response to Ottawa's clarity bill, but it didn't get the unanimous
support Premier Lucien Bouchard wanted.
8/Dec/2000 OOGLISH-SPEAKING DOLL OUTLAWED IN QUEBEC
Quebec's language authority is playing the grinch this holiday season.
It's banned a colourful alien-like doll because the doll speaks English
– but not French.
notes November 2000
Roper-Letter new
23/Nov/2000 Law firm ties knot
By: SARAH DOUGHERTY The Gazette
The jockeying among Canadian law firms for a competitive edge continued yesterday as Montreal's Phillips & Vineberg announced it is merging with Davies Ward & Beck LLP of Toronto.
The new 190-member firm - Davies Ward Phillips and Vineberg - is relatively small, but claims its tight focus on business and tax law will help it keep pace with much-larger Canadian firms, several of which tip the scales at over 400 lawyers.
23/Nov/2000 Netgraphe execs leave
By: SHEILA McGOVERN The Gazette; CP contributed to this report
Quebecor Inc.'s sharp scissors hung over the head of the Videotron cable-television empire yesterday and snipped away at the management of Netgraphe, the popular francophone Internet company.
Andre Gagnon, spokesman for Videotron, said the company is trying to trim its budget by millions of dollars, "and in the end, there will be a certain amount of personnel reduction."
16/Nov/2000 Clear violation of health act
By: CHARLES S. SHAVER Freelance
Health care has become a key issue in the federal election campaign. The Liberal Party maintains that it has been a defender of the principles of the Canada Health Act while Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe says there is no role for Ottawa in health care.
The Canada Health Act was passed in 1984 to ensure comprehensive, universal, portable, accessible health care for all Canadians. Most Canadians can vacation in any part of Canada, send a child to a university or summer camp in another province, or move to another province where job opportunities are greater. They do this with the knowledge that hospital and medical costs from an unforeseen illness will be covered regardless of previous medical conditions.
Nov 2 2000 cbc RESIDENTS FEAR VIEW OF MOUNT ROYAL WILL DISAPPEAR
Montreal's Urban Development Commission got an earful on Wednesday night
from opponents of a condominium project on Mount Royal.
2/Nov/2000 HEALTH CARE DEBATE SIMMERS IN FEDERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN
Health care continues to dominate the election agenda, as NDP Leader
Alexa McDonough sarcastically welcomed other party leaders to the
Medicare debate.
Oct 31 2000 Scientists close to mapping male gene
Three geneticists in the U.S. are on the verge of decoding malehood
– the Y chromosome.
Tue Jan 18 2000
Supreme Court begins
hearing child pornography case
OTTAWA - The Supreme Court of Canada
opened a new session on Tuesday by hearing
one of the most emotionally charged and
divisive criminal cases in years. The court has
begun hearing a two-day appeal of Robin
Sharpe's acquittal for possessing child
pornography. [includs Audio &/or Video]
Death Penalty Debate
