If you have a case in which York Regional Police Detective Constable Michael Rapson is involved you should read this.
DRAWING FROM THE DECK – 1. Campitelli – senior Crown counsel 2. Puddington – senior counsel at Public Prosecution Service 3. Jones – assistant Crown attorney 4. Waby – Attorney General’s criminal law division 5. Waby – Crown Attorney 6. Callaghan – deputy Crown Attorney.
THE COVID EFFECT – Almost 2 years into the pandemic and we’re now starting to see a crumbling of our infrastructure. One small example is the shortage of “drug recognition experts” in York Region.
SHOULD POLICE BE HELD TO A HIGHER STANDARD? – “”Police officer offenders have historically received lenient sentences which no longer reflect societal values about the inherent harm when they exploit the authority bestowed on them. “They evidence a two-tiered justice system which treats offenders of means and good community standing differently,” the Crown attorneys said.”
WHAT DOES A CRIMINAL DEFENCE LAWYER DO? “Like a heart surgeon or a plumber, you don’t know the value of a criminal defence lawyer until you need one.” This is an excellent article by Neha Chugh.
UNVACCINATED JURORS – This is only one decision out of Nova Scotia but it does raise an important consideration. “It was agreed by both Crown and defence counsel that allowing unvaccinated jurors could potentially impact the accused’s right to be tried within a reasonable time by increasing the possibility of Covid-related delays or disruptions resulting from an outbreak among the jurors and other court participants.”
MERRY CHRISTMAS. NO COAL THIS YEAR – The cost of an application for a record suspension (pardon) is dropping from the Harperite deterrent fee of $657.77 to a more reasonable $50.00 plus $22.2M to provide support services for those who need assistance. This is a good move for all of our society.