With a Little “Help” From My Friends - Evan Kwong
Balancing the rights and freedoms of individuals with the power given to police to serve and protect is a difficult issue that the courts have made an effort to resolve in cases like R v Mack (“Mack”), R v Barnes, and now R v Ahmad (“Ahmad”). Although the investigation of crime is in the public interest, police cannot be given absolute power to investigate as that would go against the rights of individuals enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom (“the Charter”
Sexual Interference Case has Broad Impact on Justice System - Elize Janzen
I wrote my first blog post on R v Friesen (“Friesen”) after having completed my midterms in December. I had just gotten better from a cold I had come down with and was completely overwhelmed from the experience of writing my first set of law school exams in the middle of a pandemic. The fact that we were 4 weeks deep into a COVID lockdown that would not be lifted until several weeks into 2021 only made things worse. At the time, I had planned to write about white collar crime
Young Actresses in the Pornography Industry - Xiyuan Feng
Trigger warning: this blog mentioned sexual activities and pornography. Imagine this: a young girl turns 18 or 19 years old and finds a job posting on Craigslist one day. With social media’s influence of being famous, the legends about no harm in the pornography industry, and the lure of the salary, one starts the journey as a porn star. She does not know what she is facing nor her rights to protect herself. Along with earning money, she faces fear and cruel sexual activities
Mitigating Indigenous Sentencing Factors Outweighed - Sophie Collier
The fundamental purpose of sentencing is to contribute to respect for the law and the maintenance of a just and peaceful society. This can be done by imposing sanctions that serve to: denounce unlawful conduct; deter the offender and any others from committing offences; separate offenders from society; assist in rehabilitation; and provide reparation for harm and promote a sense of responsibility in offenders. Sentences should also be tailored to the offender and proportiona
Reasonable and Probable Grounds to Arrest - Sierra Bednarz
In order to provide protection and enforce the law in Canada, police officers have the authority to question and arrest individuals, as well as conduct searches to find evidence. However, given the impacts these powers have on individual autonomy and privacy, there must be a rational basis upon which these powers are exercised. It would be unconscionable for police to arrest people or barge into their homes without justification. As such, the legal system must hold police off
