Criminal Defence Law Blog
An enlightened approach. This is what is meant by “defunding the police.” “Merely arresting individuals for simple possession of illicit drugs has proven to be ineffective. Research from other countries who have boldly chosen to take a health rather than an enforcement-based approach to problematic drug use have demonstrated positive results.”
I have yet to understand how there can be ANY social distancing in returning to crowded open to the public courthouses and courtrooms, especially those locations where ventilation (HVAC) risk assessment experts did not actually physically access the buildings because of COVID-19. Hope that you don’t get called for jury duty.
https://www.ccohs.ca/images/products/pandemiccovid19/pdf/courts-jury-selection.pdf
“Ontario’s ombudsman said Tuesday that conditions in some of the province’s correctional facilities have left him “shaken,” and contributed to a record of over 6,000 complaints from inmates last year. “It’s heart-wrenching to see the conditions in which those inmates are living,” Dube said. “I was shaken when I left that visit to the Thunder Bay jail.” “Dangerous overcrowding, excessive use of solitary confinement, and lack of life-saving mental health and addiction supports are just a few of the major issues that inmates and staff face every day,”
Precedence of other members of the bar
(4) The remaining members of the bar, as among themselves, have precedence in the courts in the order of their call to the bar. R.S.O. 1990, c. B.3, s. 3 (4).
I’ve spent most of my career sitting on the bench waiting for my case to be called. I’ve learned a lot sitting on that bench.
https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90b03
