Dennis Reeve | The ReeveLaw Blog

NOT MY FAULT SAYS DOUG FORD ABOUT HIS SELF-INFLICTED KC POLITICAL BLUNDER – Although they claim the King’s Counsel designations went through a rigorous application process they did not. According to Robert Benzie of The Star: “It may have been Ford’s eagerness to please that led to his government’s ongoing King’s Counsel patronage fiasco. As first revealed by Jacques Gallant, Attorney General Doug Downey revived the controversial honour for lawyers late on the Friday of the Canada Day long weekend, four decades after former Liberal premier David Peterson scrapped it. “I didn’t approve any list, I didn’t see a list,” a defensive Ford said of the 91 lawyers awarded — which included dozens of Tory MPPs, cabinet ministers, staffers, donors, and loyalists. “I have confidence in my attorney general. But I think we have to have a rigorous application process, which we will be doing moving forward,” he said. “To be very frank, I have so many other more important issues than putting KC behind a bunch of lawyers’ names.” Adding salt to the Tories’ self-inflicted wound, Gallant found that no Liberal or NDP attorneys general were offered KCs.”

KING’S COUNSEL DESIGNATION – It neglects appointment by merit of the many lawyers who sacrifice their personal interest for that of their clients. In that sense it is offensive. To those that have accepted the designation, you should be embarrassed because we know what it really means.

https://www.law360.ca/articles/48510/return-of-king-s-counsel-designation-not-recognition-bar-needs-right-now-anita-szigeti-

POLITICIANS SHOULD STAY IN THEIR LANE – “Enter Ontario Premier Doug Ford with his stunningly unhinged response. In his infinite wisdom, Ford labels Bernardo as a “scumbag” and suggests that this “SOB” should spend 23 hours a day in maximum security and that his one precious hour of freedom be spent in the general population. Ah, the sweet scent of an officially sanctioned jail murder. … We might all crave vengeance, but that’s not how our justice or correctional systems operate.”

https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/news/opinion/political-posturing-about-paul-bernardos-case-is-undermining-the-rule-of-law/377665?utm_source=GA&e=ZGpyZWV2ZUBiZWxsbmV0LmNh&utm_medium=20230711&utm_campaign=LTW-Newsletter-20230711&utm_content=60340243-7A36-40AE-831C-5923AFD1310D&tu=60340243-7A36-40AE-831C-5923AFD1310D

THIS IS CANADA AND THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE IN OUR FIRST WORLD COUNTRY – “(The) worst delays are in Ontario, where it takes up to 5 years to bring a civil action to trial. … Since (the COVID-19 pandemic), the delays have worsened, with courts stymied, including by a lack of staff and judges. There were 79 federally appointed vacancies in Superior Courts and Courts of Appeal across Canada as of June 1.”

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/justice-delays-canada-courts-ontario-1.6900147

So in the gay cake decorating case, the U.S. Supreme Court decided the issue on a fabricated factual situation. “The lawyers and team of heavily funded donors did what any competent attorney would do… they just made some shit up that put their client in the best light possible.”

https://abovethelaw.com/2023/07/303-creative-may-have-been-a-bit-too-artistic-with-the-facts-of-the-case-like-sanctions-level-artsy/

KING’S COUNSEL IS BACK!! – Rank political patronage without any merit whatsoever for all the wrong reasons. ” It was abolished by Premier David Peterson who listed as reasons: 1) the designation was originally meant to recognise excellence in the courtroom, but the practice in Ontario was that it could be given to any lawyer, regardless of courtroom experience; 2) the use of the designation misled the public, because it was more based on who one knows than what one knows; 3) it was unfair to lawyers who for whatever reason have not been designated, leading to questions about their standing in the profession; 4) no other profession received government awards of this type; and 5) the designation had been used in Ontario mainly as a form of political patronage.

R. v. Basque – “The Supreme Court rules that an offender who was prohibited from driving for 21 months while waiting to be sentenced had already served the mandatory minimum punishment.

https://www.scc-csc.ca/case-dossier/cb/2023/39997-eng.aspx

LEGAL AID IS NOT A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODEL FOR LAWYERS

“While a prosecuting lawyer hired by the Crown starts at a salary well north of $100,000 and gets raises that eventually take them over $200,000, a private practice defence lawyer taking on Legal Aid cases may struggle to make $60,000. Out of that, they have to pay annual Law Society memberships and legal insurance, along …

Continue reading “LEGAL AID IS NOT A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODEL FOR LAWYERS”

SHOULD PAUL BERNARDO “ROT IN A MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON”? – Here is some information on the issue and the fundamental question: “Rather than focusing on whether one man is being punished harshly enough, there must be necessary conversations about the purpose of prisons, whether they’re meant to be solely punitive or serve any rehabilitative functions, and what justice means to Canadians. Focusing on one infamous serial killer does not make Canadians safer, nor does using an exceptional case to change correctional policy.”

https://theconversation.com/politicians-shouldnt-determine-where-paul-bernardo-is-imprisoned-regardless-of-his-crimes-208058

HAVE YOU NOTICED that these look like 2 different people, neither of whom matches the description? “The 33-year-old is described as being 5-6 and around 150 pounds with a medium build. He has light brown, shoulder-length hair that may be tied back in a ponytail and green eyes with a scar on his right cheek and tattoos on his chest and right forearm.”

https://www.baytoday.ca/local-news/triple-murder-suspect-escapes-sudbury-jail-7161251