Last July, I wrote about the Supreme Court of Canada hearing arguments in the case of R. v. Fearon, in which the issue to be decided was whether police could, without a warrant, search the contents of the cell phones of people they arrest. We now, sadly, have our answer. Continue reading
In Canada, there are specific laws that govern when and under what circumstances police can stop and search your vehicle. The failure of police to follow these guidelines or overstep their authority may constitute a violation of Section 8 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and may mean that any incriminating evidence they find in such a search will not be allowed to be used against you in court. Continue reading
A retired U.S. army sergeant major who was arrested and charged with a number of serious gun crimes after he made a wrong turn and accidentally reached a Canadian border crossing, was recently acquitted of all charges against him. “We were going for acquittal all the way, and we got it,” said Bruce Engel, the Ottawa criminal defence lawyer who obtained the successful result for Kentucky resident Louis DiNatale. Continue reading
In a case that has garnered much attention and has shone a spotlight on the issue of acceptable parental discipline, NFL star running back Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings was indicted by a Texas grand jury on charges of Injury to a child arising out of his use of a switch to spank or, in Peterson’s words, to “whoop” his four-year-old son. Continue reading
Once again, a major retailer has announced that it has been hacked and the credit card and personal information of its customers put at risk. Home Depot has become the latest in a long list of companies who have had their customer’s credit card and other payment information stolen and then sold to others who then use that information to make fraudulent purchases. Increasingly sophisticated hackers pose a growing threat and it is almost a certainty that large-scale cyber-attacks will continue to occur. Continue reading
