Former juror Mark Farrant has observed that jury service is the last mandatory form of service since the abolition of military subscription. Each year thousands of Canadians are called to perform this last mandatory form of civic duty.Jurors play an integral role in the administration of … [Read more...]
Juries as the Great Democratic Hope of the Criminal Trial
The greatest lawyer of the ancient world, Cicero, proclaimed that where there is life, there is hope. It seems to me that one can adapt that saying to the inspiration for retaining the right to a jury trial in the modern world, despite all the potential hazards that individual juries might present … [Read more...]
Why do We Have Jury Trials?
Juries. To some, it may seem bizarre that 12 laypersons, untrained in the law, would be asked – required – to come into a courtroom and listen to the recounting of events about which they know nothing, involving people with whom they have no familiarity, and then make a decision about whether … [Read more...]
Taxing Weed
On October 17, 2018, the federal government of Canada legalized the sale and recreational use of cannabis. Here is a brief summary of how sales and excise taxes are being applied to the various cannabis products sold in Canada.The federal government along with the provincial and territorial … [Read more...]
How Pot Smoking Became Illegal in Canada
In 1923, when it became illegal to possess cannabis in Canada, very few Canadians would have heard of the drug, let alone tried it.So why did legislators target weed?Cannabis advocates have long blamed women’s rights activist Emily Murphy. Her 1922 book on the drug trade in Canada, The Black … [Read more...]
Alberta’s Recreational Cannabis Landscape: An overview of restrictions in housing and public spaces
Introduction On October 17, 2018, recreational use of cannabis became legal in Canada. Canadians are now able to purchase recreational cannabis, publicly possess up to 30 grams of dried cannabis and grow up to 4 plants for personal use. Does this mean that Canadians can obtain and use cannabis … [Read more...]
43-2: Legal Weed
Full PDF of this issue Volume 43-2 Nov/Dec 2018Table of ContentsFeatured Articles: Legal WeedSpecial Report: Millennials and the Sharing EconomyDepartmentsColumns This is a day many Canadians thought would never come. The use of cannabis is legal … [Read more...]
Going to Pot: An update on employers and marijuana issues in the workplace
October 17th was the date chosen by the federal government to make a profound change for Canadian society. Possession of cannabis became legal. In this article, we offer some answers to questions that many employers are probably thinking about.Are all cannabis products a concern for … [Read more...]
The Legalization and Regulation of Cannabis in Canada
First, the challenge: Cannabis use is widespread in our society. Canadians, and particularly young Canadians, are using cannabis at some of the highest rates in the world. According to the 2015 Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, the prevalence of past-year cannabis use was 21 per cent … [Read more...]
Putting Trials on Trial: Sexual Assault and the Failure of the Legal Profession – Book Review
“That the process is likely to always be difficult for complainants does not make it any less important both to recognize the ways in which lawyers and judges contribute to the trauma of the trial, and to take whatever steps are reasonably possible to make the process more humane.” -- Elaine … [Read more...]
