If Alberta decides it should have a provincial police force instead of paying for services from the RCMP, now may be the ideal time to make that investment whiles surging oil demand and prices allow us to balance our budget.
Not only is everyone in Canada innocent until proven guilty, courts have to reach that verdict and decide on sentencing in a reasonable amount of time.
More than 100 people face charges related to the truckers’ protest in Ottawa. Those include mischief, obstructing police, disobeying a court order, assault, possessing a weapon and assaulting a police officer.
The truckers' protest in Ottawa and at various border crossings including Coutts, Alta., received plenty of media coverage in recent months.
Any visual or recorded material depicting someone under the age of 18 engaged in sexual activity or displaying their genitals is considered child pornography. The penalties vary depending on the charge and the circumstances, but upon conviction you will likely be facing jail time, not to mention the negative social stigma associated with the crime.
If you believe viewing or storing a small amount of child pornography is not a serious crime, think again.
As COVID-19 continues to disrupt court operations across Alberta, those accused of criminal charges are the most affected. I have clients who have seen their cases presumptively adjourned three or four times. That is simply not fair.
Thefts and frauds are two of the most common offences in Canada. Some people might not realize that the penalties for each crime increase substantially if the amount stolen or defrauded is more than $5,000.
If you've been accused of what is known as a white-collar crime, it is important that you have experienced litigators at your side so you can avoid liability and protect your business reputation.
Susan Hughson's resignation as the head of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has sent ripples across the province's justice system.
If you are convicted of manufacturing “hard drugs” such as heroin, you could be handed a life sentence. In contrast, those running illegal but large-scale marijuana grow operations may face two or three years in jail.
If you have been charged with a drug offence, you are not alone. Information from Calgary police show that in 2020, 365 possession charges were laid, along with 162 charges for possession for the purpose of trafficking.
The health of jurors and other members of the court should always be a priority, but so should the desire to have an impartial jury pool from which to select those who will sit in judgment.
Two years ago, Canadians were given the right to legally buy and grow their own marijuana plants, as long as they follow rules set down by federal, provincial and municipal governments under the Cannabis Act.
Oct. 17, 2018, marijuana became a legal product in Canada. Still, there is a myriad of laws governing the sale, possession, production and distribution of cannabis products, with legislation varying from province to province. Here is what you need to know about cannabis in Alberta.
Police take assault allegations very seriously. If someone reports an assault, especially in a domestic situation, it is likely that someone will be charged with an assault and leaving in handcuffs after officers arrive.
Assault is one of the most common crimes in Alberta. According to information from Statistics Canada, there were 47,797 victims of violent crime and criminal traffic offences causing death or bodily harm reported by police in the province in 2016.
Assault allegations are very serious which is why it is imperative to seek the advice of an experienced defence attorney if you are being investigated for the offence.
A common misconception surrounding sexual assault is that if the complainant asks for charges to be dropped, the accused will have nothing to worry about. Wrong. Once police lay charges for any offence, only a Crown attorney can decide whether to proceed.
The Crown considers sexual assault one of the worst types of offences. Your chances of beating a sexual assault charge as a self-represented litigant are slim. That is because the evidence and procedural rules are complicated. It is not enough to say you didn’t do it – you need a legal expert who has a thorough understanding of the law to present your defence.
If you are intimate with someone and you ignore their pleas to stop, you could be charged with sexual assault. However, when it comes to defending those accused of sexual assault, establishing if sexual consent was given is rarely that simple.
When people think of weapons, guns or knives often come to mind. But anything that can inflict harm can be considered a weapon, including a frying pan, a flower pot or a baseball bat.
Police-reported crime in Canada dipped by eight per cent in the first year of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Alberta topped the country, along with Prince Edward Island, with an 11 per cent decrease in the Crime Severity Index (CSI).
Many people do not have a clear understanding about the charge of sexual assault. The charge of sexual assault has a very broad application in Canadian law.
Those charged with a criminal offence in Alberta need to understand the sentencing principles the court follows to arrive at a punishment upon conviction.
