We need smart criminal justice that keeps Canadians safe. What does “jail, not bail” really mean? Cut programs that help people & stop crime. Waste taxpayer money clogging prisons.  Rip up the Charter. Ben Perrin has the right idea. bit.ly/46K0npq

thetyee.ca/News/2024/08/1… This is disturbing. Tom Engel is principled, dogged &fair. He is specific& factual in criticisms of the police, an absolute expert on the law in this area,&unhesitating to credit or acknowledge good work by officers. Good faith criticism is not a threat.

Me: How was your first day of school? 12YO: I got in trouble. Me: On the first day? 12YO: No one was supposed to throw their ball. My friend threw his and I went to get it. Me: So? 12YO: Principal thought I threw it and I wouldn't tell her it was my friend. *No notes*

“Never talk to the authorities.” The kid has been paying attention.

If you know, you know.

This is abhorrent. Lawyers who defend clients are not endorsing their actions or alleged actions. They’re just doing their job.

“… Tyndale said the system is going to grind further to a halt because members of the Calgary bench have now decided they won’t be putting in free time to fill in gaps.“

Anyone that spends any time at the Calgary Courts Centre saw this one coming. Between clerk and judicial shortages, our Court of Justice has been in survival mode for years. /1

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I was horrified by this story, and the suggestion that this swing at the role defence counsel may have been a *considered choice* by leadership. It fails to show such basic maturity and respect by leaders for the essential and foundational institutions of our democracy.

It was a good day, talking with Alberta Crowns about restorative justice. Alberta is a national leader, with the most comprehensive RJ policy in the country, for even the most serious offences. Learn more here: rjalbertacourts.ca

“One might expect that a political party, whose leader is no stranger to the criminal justice system, might appreciate the importance of legal representation for all accused,” a Wednesday statement from BC’s Criminal Defence Advocacy Society reads. winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2…

New article co-authored with Peter Sankoff & Nicole Pecharsky. The gist: prior inconsistent statements are not truly hearsay and should be presumptively admissible. cbr.cba.org/index.php/cbr/…

“He was not placed on a wait list to see a psychologist. No one met with Mr. Anderson to get more information about his depressive symptoms. He was never seen by a psychologist or mental health team member in relation specifically to this request.”

R. v. R.A., 2024 ONCA 696 at para. 40: J must be weary of bootstrapping when considering the spontaneous utterance hearsay exception where the only evidence that a statement was made in an emotional state comes from the W whose credibility is challenged coadecisions.ontariocourts.ca/coa/coa/en/ite…

The CDLA has issued the following statement in light of the information ASIRT released yesterday about the death of Jonathan Wells. A PDF version can be accessed here: shorturl.at/FZjXe

Be sure to watch CDLA YYC exec member Chad Haggerty discuss our press release on CTV News Calgary at 5pm and 6pm. Accountability is necessary