Covid-19 Response – ReeveLaw

As I am sure you are aware, one of the present consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic is the effective closing of the courts across Ontario.  At present, all scheduled court appearances will be adjourned for exactly 10 weeks automatically without the need for the personal presence of you or me.  This means that your case will be delayed for a further 10 weeks.  Courts, however, continue to operate at a skeleton level dealing only with in-custody matters and those of exigent circumstances.

Our priority at ReeveLaw is the health and well-being of our staff, clients and the community.  In order to do our part to reduce the risk of spreading the virus and to practice social distancing, we have decided to effectively close our physical office, except in the case of emergencies or necessities.  In place, we will attempt to avoid face-to-face meetings by utilizing email, telephone consultations and Skype.  We will continue to remain available to you as we remain available to new clients.  If during this time you have been charged with a criminal offense give us a call and we’ll arrange a consultation method and time when I will be able to answer your questions.

In the interim, we are dedicated to continuing to provide all legal services to you.  Be assured that we continue to communicate and interact with the courts and Crown Attorneys and other persons necessary to advance your case.

At ReeveLaw we remain connected with the courts, our Law Association and the Ontario government to receive updates and to keep informed of new developments as the courts struggle to deal with this exceptional circumstance.

WE ARE ALL SERVING A CONDITIONAL SENTENCE ORDER

A Conditional Sentence Order (CSO) is a sentence a step away from actual jail. A CSO is a jail sentence that is served in the community. In essence, your residence becomes your prison from which you are not allowed out except, usually, for work, necessities, and emergencies. In our case, we don’t even have the work exception. It’s like we are all serving a CSO of undetermined length. CARPE DIEM Stay safe. Stay healthy.

ALL COURTS TO CLOSE BY TUESDAY – Both levels of the Ontario Court of Justice and Superior Court of Justice will cease operation by Tuesday, March 17, 2020. Special consideration will be given to persons in custody.

Ontario's Superior Court is suspending most operations amid concerns for containing the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2020/03/15/iran-reports-113-more-deaths-the-ymca-of-greater-toronto-closes-over-coronavirus-concerns.html?source=newsletter&utm_source=ts_nl&utm_medium=email&utm_email=0B41BB051FF7EA38DB4BDD5E33BA3AB2&utm_campaign=bn_22434

 

PROSTITUTION LAWS

In 2014 Harper made the selling of sexual services legal and the purchasing of and communicating for sexual services illegal. Not surprisingly it is not working out very well. “Things are definitely getting worse for sex workers. We have to make more and more compromises in terms of our safety so the client feels safe (from arrest).”

Sandra Wesley, the head of Stella, a Montreal-based organization run by and for sex workers, is seen at their offices Thursday, February 13, 2020 in Montreal. The recent killing of a 22-year-old woman in Quebec has focused renewed attention on Canada’s prostitution laws, which critics say are applied irregularly across the country and only make sex work more dangerous. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

https://www.660citynews.com/2020/02/16/murder-of-sex-worker-exposes-canadas-hypocrisy-on-prostitution-advocate/

FACIAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY

There is no privacy. “”We give our police officers special powers in our society that we believe they need to keep us safe. But there is a trust relationship that has to be there, it’s the foundation of those powers.” Other local police services also use this technology. Give them power and they will abuse it.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/clearview-ai-toronto-police-ccla-privacy-1.5463823