CIVIL FORFEITURE AND THE WAR ON DRUGS IS STILL GOING STRONG IN THE STATES.
OUR IMPARTIAL AND INDEPENDENT JUDICIAL SELECTION PROCESS IS ABOUT TO BE POLITICALLY CORRUPTED
“We are moving now much further down the spectrum toward political appointments and away from merit-based appointments.” “Democracy Watch’s point is that the Ford cabinet is proposing dangerously unethical changes to Ontario’s appointment system for judges that will make the system open to patronage and cronyism and make it unconstitutional because of that political influence and interference that will be allowed,” Conacher told Law Times.
WHEN POLICE DON’T KNOCK – The problem is that with bad information, it could happen to you and your family too.
10 OF 18 YOUTH JUSTICE CENTRES CLOSING IN NORTHERN ONTARIO SOUNDS BAD, RIGHT?
Well, it’s because of an 80 percent reduction in admissions over the past seven years. Admission rates have dropped due to more emphasis on prevention and education under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. These actions will allow the government to reinvest more than $39.9 million annually into programs that support Ontario families and communities. It is not, however, good for those young people who are incarcerated there.
A WARM AND UPLIFTING LOOK AT BEING A CRIMINAL DEFENCE LAWYER
THE UNUSED PROCEDURE FOR BAIL VIOLATIONS
Our government has introduced new measures to “streamline certain administration of justice offences out of the traditional court system where no harm has been caused to victims.” In other words, where there has been such a bail violation, instead of arresting the person, holding them overnight in a jail cell and conducting another bail hearing, the matter CAN be referred to a Judge to decide what if any changes to the bail should be made. In Ontario, this system is not being adopted. I’m not sure why not.
YES. IMPAIRED OPERATION OF A LAWN MOWER – It’s an offence. Stay on your property. Do not go on the road.
NO-KNOCK DYNAMIC ENTRY
Make no mistake, they are violent and dangerous. They should be the exception but they’re not. When you militarize the police expect them to act like they’re at war … with us.
PARTIAL AND INCREMENTAL CHANGE IS INSUFFICIENT
They didn’t even remove from the Criminal Code the mandatory minimum sentences that have been declared unconstitutional. They try to minimize the effects of drug criminalization but they won’t decriminalize it. Decades of additions, deletions, amendments and changes stacked upon changes, sections of the Criminal Code that have 30 or more subsections have made criminal law so complicated and convoluted that it is almost unworkable. We need an overhaul of our way of thinking about the philosophy and purpose of criminal law. We need a new Canada Law Reform Commission, which was disbanded in 1972 to guide us.
