Consider these hypothetical scenarios: Someone accidentally dials 911 and then immediately hangs up when the operator answers. A short time later, four police officers show up at the door and force their way inside. Police show up at a homeowner or renter’s door. The police tell the owner or renter that they are responding to an “unknown trouble call.” They…
Just being accused of a sexual assault can be devastating. But being convicted of a sexual assault is even worse: a conviction can lead to a loss of your livelihood, your reputation, to you being continuously monitored as a sex offender, and for many if not most sexual assaults, going to prison. Indeed, while not the case for sexual assaults,…
According to the Department of Justice, impaired driving is one of the leading causes of criminal death throughout all of Canada. It shouldn’t come as a surprise then that the penalties for impaired driving or DUI charges can be severe. But how do they differ from province to province? (Yes, in addition to penalties under the Criminal Code, there are…
Domestic assault charges can have serious and wide-ranging consequences. Under the Criminal Code, there is no specific offence for “domestic assault.” However, the fact that an assault happened in a domestic context is an aggravating factor on sentencing and domestic assaults are (often) treated differently by police and by prosecutors than regular assaults. So what is a “domestic” assault? Domestic…
For retailers, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure By Tony Paciocco, Lawyer at Edelson Law Barristers (now Edelson Foord Law) April 1, 2020 Premier Doug Ford is coming for you if you are found to be charging “unconscionable prices” for “necessary goods” during this state of emergency. He is determined to put an end to those…
By Michael Edelson, Lawyer at Edelson Law Barristers This piece was originally published in 2012 in the firm’s Ottawa Citizen column on fundamental legal rights and freedoms, entitled “Right to Know”. How can you defend all of those guilty murderers, child pornographers, sex perverts and terrorists? This question, or some variation of it, has been asked of me and every…