Alberta CTLA

Alberta defence lawyers associations issue a joint statement on the UCP's concerning use of the notwithstanding clause. @Alberta_UCP @ABDanielleSmith @mickeyamery @albertaNDP @nenshi

CTLA members- General Meeting is starting now.

CTLA AGM reminder- today at noon.

Our Voice of the Profession Committee works on issues impacting the legal profession in Alberta, including solicitor-client privilege, regulation of the legal profession & other emerging issues. Volunteer applications for our committees close June 30. ➡️ cba-alberta.org/our-impact/com…

CTLA Members: Reminder of the Annual General Meeting tomorrow, June 27, at noon via Zoom. Check your email for the link.

The Court has dismissed the appeal in R. v. Campbell. It has confirmed that police lawfully used the cellphone of an arrested drug dealer to stop imminent drug trafficking. Read our plain-language summary here: scc-csc.ca/case-dossier/c…. #CdnLaw

Reminder: CTLA General Meeting 10 minutes away.

This is one week away. Nominees for Top Cases of 2024 will be posted today!! Stay tuned!

CTLA members, a reminder the next general meeting is tomorrow, November 29, at Noon. The Zoom link was e-mailed on November 24, please check your e-mails.

CTLA members, a reminder the next general meeting is at Noon, this Friday, November 29. Watch your e-mails for the Zoom link.

Civility and mutual respect are cornerstone values of the Canadian bench and bar.   The Criminal Lawyers’ Association is shocked by the recent events in Red Deer, Alberta, where a member of the local defence bar was jailed for comments made in court, after Justice Gordon Yake of the Alberta Court of Justice ordered the court sheriff to “take him away”. The president of the Edmonton Criminal Trial Lawyers’ Association has described Justice Yake’s conduct as “injudicious”. Having reviewed the transcript of those proceedings, we completely agree.  The extraordinary judicial power to detain a member of the bar in custody for their conduct in the courtroom should only be used in the most egregious of circumstances - which this clearly was not. Indeed, as Justice Yake himself acknowledged, a Judge must seek to diffuse tense moments in a trial, and not do anything to elevate tensions further, and that, on reflection, he should have handled the situation differently and not raised the possibility of jailing counsel in this case.  As defence lawyers, courtrooms are our workplace. A hostile court system is a hostile work environment. At a time when we are acutely concerned about the retention of counsel in the system - particularly of women, racialized lawyers and aboriginal lawyers - inappropriate use of a Judge’s powers over counsel who appear in their court has a profound, nation-wide effect on the relationship between the bench and the defence bar. Lawyers should not be afraid that an exchange with a Judge in court could land them in a jail cell, without any due process.   We urge all members of the bench and bar to use this event as a moment of reflection on the indispensable role of defence counsel in the court system, and to move forward in the spirit of civility and mutual respect that represent the core values and true spirit of the Canadian legal profession.

The Court has dismissed the appeal in R. v. Archambault. It held that new restrictions on the availability of preliminary inquiries do not apply to certain ongoing criminal proceedings: scc-csc.ca/case-dossier/c…. #CdnLaw

The Supreme Court of Canada has allowed the appeal and ordered a new trial in R. v. Charles. It held that the trial judge erred in admitting an out-of-court statement in evidence. Read our plain-language summary here: #CdnLaw" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">scc-csc.ca/case-dossier/c…

New article co-authored with @petersankoff & @NicolePecharsky. The gist: prior inconsistent statements are not truly hearsay and should be presumptively admissible. cbr.cba.org/index.php/cbr/…

Given the prevalence of people with mental illness in the criminal justice system, it is important for criminal law practitioners to understand the interaction between mental health and criminal law. Registration is open: lesaonline.org/program/inters… #Criminal #Law #LESAWebinar #CPD

Have you marked your calendars yet? Join @Steven_Penney and @petersankoff in their upcoming FOURTH ANNUAL END OF YEAR REVIEW on Dec 15th at 11 am. petersankoff.com/monthly-subscr…

The collateral consequences of criminal convictions nationalmagazine.ca/en-ca/articles…

I highly recommend reading this case, which I will likely feature in a Cabinet of Curiosities Case Alert. Ryan's description, while quite good, cannot possibly capture the insanity that took place in this Nova Scotia trial.

The @AlbertaCTLA is hosting the 2024 Alberta Criminal Defence Conference. Keynote speakers: Mona Duckett, KC and Chief Justice Ritu Khullar Early bird prices end tomorrow - Friday, November 17. eventbrite.com/e/2024-alberta…

An Edmonton Criminal law conference! Wow! I’m in! eventbrite.com/e/2024-alberta…