Trauma and Tragedy in Canada’s First Nations
A tragic case judged by the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench [“the MBQB”] draws our attention to the domestic violence in the First Nation community. In R v Wood [“Wood”], on January 27, 2018, Jonathan Wood beat his wife, Kathleen Wood, intermittently over a span of hours after an alcohol party until she passed away.
A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing? The Admissibility of Similar Fact Evidence as Narrative
Similar fact evidence is only intended to be admitted under exceptional circumstances. Yet, Canadian courts have developed a dangerous trend of accepting evidence that would otherwise be inadmissible as part of a narrative loophole. Crown prosecutors have been framing similar fact evidence for the purpose of establishing “context” and claim that it helps explain the narrative surrounding the alleged offence.
“No Basis to Proceed with Charges”: SIU should Compel Officers to be Interviewed
The Ejaz Choudry case highlights an existing issue that has recently been spotlighted in Ontario. This issue is regarding the number of wrongful deaths arising from mental wellness checks. A mental wellness check is where police are called (usually by a family member or friend) to check in on someone with a history of mental illness who may be in crisis. Recently, there have been a number of cases in the news including Ejaz Choudry’s where the individual got killed during a w
100 Problems
In 2003, Shawn Carter, better known professionally as Jay-Z (“Jay-Z”), released The Black Album. Included in that album was one of Mr. Carter’s most popular and well-known songs of all time, “99 Problems”. The song describes Jay-Z’s interactions with numerous antagonists. Specifically, in the second verse of the song, Jay-Z describes an interaction with the police where he is pulled over while driving for seemingly no reason. During this interaction, the police officer attemp
Drug Decriminalization in Canada
In October 2018, Canada became the second country in the world (after Uruguay) to legalize non-edible recreational cannabis. Every other drug in Canada is currently criminalized. Legalization and decriminalization are two different things. Decriminalization is allowing the personal possession of drugs with minimal fines or other sanctions (such as rehab), while still penalizing the production, trafficking, and sale of drugs.
