The Canadian legal code is fairly complex – that’s no surprise, seeing as our criminal code is based on common law, and we have over a century and a half of legal precedents to work through. One of the complexities of our
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Not all crimes are considered equal. In Canada, there are three main types of criminal offences: summary, indictable, and hybrid offences. Based on how one offence is distinguished from another, courts will follow a different set of rules and issue corresponding punishments.
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Violent crimes carry with them some of the most serious punishments in Canada’s Criminal Code. According to Statistics Canada, crimes against the person are acts or threats of violence to another individual. These charges include behaviours like assault, sexual assault, homicide, attempted
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There’s nothing quite like the feeling of immense dread when your call is pulled over. You have to worry about whether you’re about to face a minor or major conviction for your actions. Some offences will count as demerits and increase your
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Have you been approached by the police and asked for a DNA sample? There may be several reasons for this: they may want to determine whether or not you were present at a crime scene, rule you out as a suspect, or
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Even though there are several different types of crimes, criminal acts generally can be divided into these categories: financial crimes, statutory crimes, inchoate crimes, property crimes, and personal crimes. Personal Crimes These are those crimes which result in mental or physical harm
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Damaging someone else’s property is a serious offense that carries legal consequences. Many people want to know the potential penalty for their crime, but they aren’t sure where to turn. After all, what is it actually called when you damage someone’s property?
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A lot of media coverage has been given to the newly released Bill C-75 that was written to help reduce the wait time in Canadian courts. At face value, this new bill promises to deliver a speedier trial that many people could
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Offences under Section 253 and Section 254 of the Criminal Code have stiff sentences. These are the offences of impaired driving, driving over 80, and failure to provide samples. All offences under these sections have the same minimum sentences: First offence: minimum
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Section 249 of the Criminal Code makes it an offence to operate a motor vehicle in a manner that is dangerous to the public. What is a “motor vehicle”? The Criminal Code defines a motor vehicle as “a vehicle that is drawn,
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Understanding the charges for specific items like vandalism can be a little challenging if you aren’t accustomed to the criminal justice system. You should know where each of your charges falls in terms of its type and its severity. After all, these
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When facing the consequences of a potentially serious crime, young people are frequently treated much differently than adults. The criminal justice system does handle adults and juveniles in different ways, primarily based on their age. However, many people struggle to understand why
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Domestic violence is on the rise in Canada with thousands of women and children seeking refuge in shelters across the country. According to the 2010 data, there were close to 99,000 victims of family violence in the country. This staggering statistic accounts
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Definition of stalking in Canada includes repeatedly following, conversing and watching someones home. It is also known as criminal harassment according to the Criminal Code which is definitely against the harassment laws. It is not love but rather an abuse. According to
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Whether you are the perpetrator or the victim, inevitable things such as car accidents may happen, and the last thing that you want to end up with is knowing nothing about the law. As they all say, ignorance of the law excuses
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DUI refers to driving motor transport although your alcohol blood content is beyond the legal limit. Driving beyond 80mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood is already an offense. DUI may be referred as drunk driving and driving while intoxicated (DWI). If
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Nobody wants to become victimized by criminals but sometimes, the inevitable happens, and you may find yourself falling prey to criminal activity. With that said, it is imperative to get the criminal (may it be a man or a woman, armed or
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