Law and justice

The Supreme Court of Canada is seen, Wednesday, August 10, 2022 in Ottawa. The top Court will examine the constitutionality of a minimum sentence for the offence of child luring. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Supreme Court to review mandatory minimum penalty for child luring offence

The Supreme Court of Canada will examine the constitutionality of a minimum…

The Supreme Court of Canada is seen, Wednesday, August 10, 2022 in Ottawa. The top Court will examine the constitutionality of a minimum sentence for the offence of child luring. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Police say Rabih (Robby) Alkhalil escaped custody in Port Coquitlam shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday. (Port Coquitlam RCMP)

Man on trial for first-degree murder escapes from Metro Vancouver jail

Police say Rabih Alkhalil escaped from the North Fraser Pre-trial Centre in Port Coquitlam

Police say Rabih (Robby) Alkhalil escaped custody in Port Coquitlam shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday. (Port Coquitlam RCMP)
A pedestrian walks past the Supreme Court of Canada in Ottawa on Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020. Canada’s highest court has unanimously upheld the first-degree murder conviction of a man found guilty of a January 2015 slaying near Prince George, B.C. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Canada’s high court upholds first-degree conviction against B.C. killer

Court rules in case of Prince George ‘drug dealers with a mutual animosity’

A pedestrian walks past the Supreme Court of Canada in Ottawa on Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020. Canada’s highest court has unanimously upheld the first-degree murder conviction of a man found guilty of a January 2015 slaying near Prince George, B.C. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Craig James, former clerk of the B.C. legislative assembly, leaves B.C. Supreme Court after a sentencing hearing in Vancouver, on Monday, July 4, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

The former clerk of the B.C. legislature to serve house arrest

Craig James, who’s 71 years old, was found guilty of fraud and breach of trust

Craig James, former clerk of the B.C. legislative assembly, leaves B.C. Supreme Court after a sentencing hearing in Vancouver, on Monday, July 4, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
FILE - Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin addresses the court as Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presides over Chauvin’s sentencing at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis June 25, 2021. A federal judge will sentence former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on Thursday, July 7, 2022, for federal civil rights violations in the killing of George Floyd. U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson on Tuesday, July 5, set Chauvin’s sentencing hearing for 2 p.m. Thursday in St. Paul. (Court TV via AP, Pool, File)

Former police officer Chauvin faces future in federal prison for Floyd’s death

Chauvin about to swap solitary confinement for an unknown future at a federal prison

FILE - Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin addresses the court as Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presides over Chauvin’s sentencing at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis June 25, 2021. A federal judge will sentence former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on Thursday, July 7, 2022, for federal civil rights violations in the killing of George Floyd. U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson on Tuesday, July 5, set Chauvin’s sentencing hearing for 2 p.m. Thursday in St. Paul. (Court TV via AP, Pool, File)
FILE - R. Kelly appears during a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago, Sept. 17, 2019. R&B legend R. Kelly is entering another phase of his well-publicized downward spiral with a sentencing in a New York City courtroom Wednesday, June 29, 2022, that could put him behind bars for a quarter century or more. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool, File)

R&B star R. Kelly sentenced to 30 years in sex trafficking case

Singer and songwriter was convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking last year

FILE - R. Kelly appears during a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago, Sept. 17, 2019. R&B legend R. Kelly is entering another phase of his well-publicized downward spiral with a sentencing in a New York City courtroom Wednesday, June 29, 2022, that could put him behind bars for a quarter century or more. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool, File)
Former Canadian Football League wide receiver Joshua Boden, right, goes through security screening as he arrives at British Columbia Provincial Court in Vancouver, B.C., on Thursday July 26, 2012. A former Canadian Football League wide receiver convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend is expected to be sentenced in B.C. Supreme Court today. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Ex-CFL wide receiver Boden gets life for B.C. murder, no parole chance for 14 years

Joshua Boden found guilty last fall of second-degree murder in 2009 death of Kimberly Hallgarth

Former Canadian Football League wide receiver Joshua Boden, right, goes through security screening as he arrives at British Columbia Provincial Court in Vancouver, B.C., on Thursday July 26, 2012. A former Canadian Football League wide receiver convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend is expected to be sentenced in B.C. Supreme Court today. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Minister of Justice David Lametti listens during an announcement on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Thursday, June 16, 2022. Members of Parliament have agreed to expedite the Liberal government’s “extreme intoxication” bill in the House of Commons with a unanimous consent motion. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Extreme intoxication bill will become law after Senate, House expedite its passage

Pending royal assent means that the Criminal Code will be amended to create criminal liability

Minister of Justice David Lametti listens during an announcement on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Thursday, June 16, 2022. Members of Parliament have agreed to expedite the Liberal government’s “extreme intoxication” bill in the House of Commons with a unanimous consent motion. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Parliament has passed a bill that would amend the Criminal Code to create criminal liability in cases of violent crime where the offender can prove they were “in a state of negligent self-induced extreme intoxication.” (Image courtesy Creative Outlet)

MPs pass ‘extreme intoxication’ bill in expedited process, Senate weighs doing same

Senate can now move at any time to follow a similar process

Parliament has passed a bill that would amend the Criminal Code to create criminal liability in cases of violent crime where the offender can prove they were “in a state of negligent self-induced extreme intoxication.” (Image courtesy Creative Outlet)
Truck driver Jaskirat Singh Sidhu walks into the Kerry Vickar Centre for his sentencing in Melfort, Sask., Friday, March 22, 2019. The lawyer for the former truck driver who caused the deadly Humboldt Broncos bus crash hopes he will get a chance to argue against his client’s possible deportation before the Federal Court of Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kayle Neis

Lawyer for trucker in Broncos crash hopes to argue against deportation

Jaskirat Singh Sidhu was sentenced to 8 years for dangerous driving causing death and bodily harm

Truck driver Jaskirat Singh Sidhu walks into the Kerry Vickar Centre for his sentencing in Melfort, Sask., Friday, March 22, 2019. The lawyer for the former truck driver who caused the deadly Humboldt Broncos bus crash hopes he will get a chance to argue against his client’s possible deportation before the Federal Court of Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kayle Neis
Minister of Justice David Lametti listens during an announcement on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Thursday, June 16, 2022. Members of Parliament have agreed to expedite the Liberal government’s “extreme intoxication” bill in the House of Commons with a unanimous consent motion. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

MPs agree to expedite passage of ‘extreme intoxication’ bill in House of Commons

Justice Minister David Lametti appeared before senators and urged them to share his sense of urgency

Minister of Justice David Lametti listens during an announcement on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Thursday, June 16, 2022. Members of Parliament have agreed to expedite the Liberal government’s “extreme intoxication” bill in the House of Commons with a unanimous consent motion. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Federal Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health Carolyn Bennett, back left, speaks as B.C. Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Sheila Malcolmson listens during a news conference after British Columbia was granted an exemption to decriminalize possession of some illegal drugs for personal use, in Vancouver, on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. As drug users in British Columbia will not be arrested or charged for carrying up to 2.5 grams of illicit drugs starting next year, experts explain why the federal government is being asked to decriminalize drugs in order to stem deaths linked to the drug toxicity crisis in Canada, and what decriminalization means. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Experts explain why Ottawa is being asked to decriminalize small amounts of drugs

‘Criminal penalties for using some substances has spawned a range of unintended negative consequences’

Federal Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health Carolyn Bennett, back left, speaks as B.C. Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Sheila Malcolmson listens during a news conference after British Columbia was granted an exemption to decriminalize possession of some illegal drugs for personal use, in Vancouver, on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. As drug users in British Columbia will not be arrested or charged for carrying up to 2.5 grams of illicit drugs starting next year, experts explain why the federal government is being asked to decriminalize drugs in order to stem deaths linked to the drug toxicity crisis in Canada, and what decriminalization means. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Cheyenne Stonechild, lead representative plaintiff, speaks during a news conference in Vancouver, on Monday, June 20, 2022. The Federal Court of Canada has certified a class-action lawsuit against the federal government on behalf of off-reserve Indigenous children who were taken from their families and placed in non-Indigenous care. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Federal Court approves class-action on behalf of off-reserve Indigenous children

Suit covers a time frame referred to in court arguments as the ‘Millennium Scoop’

Cheyenne Stonechild, lead representative plaintiff, speaks during a news conference in Vancouver, on Monday, June 20, 2022. The Federal Court of Canada has certified a class-action lawsuit against the federal government on behalf of off-reserve Indigenous children who were taken from their families and placed in non-Indigenous care. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
FILE - Bill Cosby arrives for a sentencing hearing following his sexual assault conviction at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown Pa., on Sept. 25, 2018. Eleven months after he was freed from prison, 85-year-old Cosby will again be the defendant in a sexual assault proceeding, this time a civil case in California. Judy Huth, who is now 64, alleges that in 1975 when she was 16, Cosby sexually assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Bill Cosby civil trial jury must start deliberations over

Judge allowed juror to leave after Friday for a prior commitment

FILE - Bill Cosby arrives for a sentencing hearing following his sexual assault conviction at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown Pa., on Sept. 25, 2018. Eleven months after he was freed from prison, 85-year-old Cosby will again be the defendant in a sexual assault proceeding, this time a civil case in California. Judy Huth, who is now 64, alleges that in 1975 when she was 16, Cosby sexually assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
Image courtesy Creative Outlet

UPDATED: Liberals table bill responding to Supreme Court decision on extreme intoxication

Court struck down Criminal Code section on “self-induced intoxication” on violent offences

Image courtesy Creative Outlet
Former Canadian Football League wide receiver Josh Boden arrives at British Columbia Provincial Court in Vancouver, B.C., on Thursday July 26, 2012. A Crown prosecutor has suggested a parole eligibility period of 12 to 15 years for the former Canadian Football League wide receiver convicted of the “brutal” murder of his ex-girlfriend.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Crown says 12- to 15-year parole eligibility suitable for former B.C. Lions player

Joshua Boden convicted in ‘brutal’ 2009 murder of his ex-girlfriend

Former Canadian Football League wide receiver Josh Boden arrives at British Columbia Provincial Court in Vancouver, B.C., on Thursday July 26, 2012. A Crown prosecutor has suggested a parole eligibility period of 12 to 15 years for the former Canadian Football League wide receiver convicted of the “brutal” murder of his ex-girlfriend.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Wagner speaks during a welcoming ceremony, Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Backlogged justice system can’t return to pre-pandemic ways, chief justice warns

Justice system players reassessing what they do, how, and how effectively they meet people’s needs

Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Wagner speaks during a welcoming ceremony, Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
FILE - In this Oct. 2, 2018 file photo, Bronx Zoo elephant “Happy” strolls inside the zoo’s Asia Habitat in New York. A legal fight to release Happy the elephant from the Bronx Zoo after 45 years will be argued Wednesday, May 18, 2022, before New York’s highest court in a closely watched case over whether a basic right for people can be extended to an animal. AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)

Happy the elephant isn’t a person, top New York court rules

Group was seeking to have Bronx Zoo resident released on grounds of illegal confinement

FILE - In this Oct. 2, 2018 file photo, Bronx Zoo elephant “Happy” strolls inside the zoo’s Asia Habitat in New York. A legal fight to release Happy the elephant from the Bronx Zoo after 45 years will be argued Wednesday, May 18, 2022, before New York’s highest court in a closely watched case over whether a basic right for people can be extended to an animal. AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)
In this courtroom sketch, Aydin Coban is pictured at B.C. Supreme Court, in New Westminster, B.C., on Monday, June 6, 2022. The Dutch man accused of extorting and harassing British Columbia teenager Amanda Todd more than a decade ago has pleaded not guilty to five criminal charges. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jane Wolsak

Dutch digital investigator testifies at B.C.’s Amanda Todd harassment trial

Crown witnesses expected to testify accounts allegedly used to extort Todd were operated by Coban

In this courtroom sketch, Aydin Coban is pictured at B.C. Supreme Court, in New Westminster, B.C., on Monday, June 6, 2022. The Dutch man accused of extorting and harassing British Columbia teenager Amanda Todd more than a decade ago has pleaded not guilty to five criminal charges. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jane Wolsak
The Alberta Coat of Arms is shown at the Edmonton Law Courts building, in Edmonton on June 28, 2019. A woman has told an Edmonton murder trial she sought mental health help for her husband several hours before the fatal stabbing of a seven-year-old girl.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Aliens, 5G, preoccupied thoughts of man accused of killing Edmonton girl, 7: Crown

Wife, sister of David Moss testify of mental health concerns prior to death of Bella Rose Desrosiers

The Alberta Coat of Arms is shown at the Edmonton Law Courts building, in Edmonton on June 28, 2019. A woman has told an Edmonton murder trial she sought mental health help for her husband several hours before the fatal stabbing of a seven-year-old girl.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson