The Defence Toolkit

The Defence Toolkit serves up summaries and commentary on the editor’s choice of the three best Canadian criminal defence cases every week. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn to get notified of new posts.

The Defence Toolkit – June 14, 2025: Expert Evidence

by Pawel Milczarek | 14 June 2025 | Charter 10(b), Charter s.7, Disclosure, Experts | 0 Comments

This week's top three summaries: R v Whitby, 2025 SKCA 55: #expert evidence, R v Herman-Ward, 2025 ABCJ 101:s.10(b) #perfunctory, R v McQuarrie, 2025 ONSC 2955: #prisoner disclosure R v Whitby, 2025 SKCA 55 [June 6, 2025] Expert Evidence Admissibility: Testing of Expertise [Reasons by Neal W. Caldwell with Jerome A. Tholl and Jillyne M. Drennan JJ. concurring] AUTHOR'S NOTE: This case reinforces a critical and often misunderstood point in expert evidence law: threshold admissibility is a...

The Defence Toolkit – May 31, 2025: Pre-Trial Detention

by Pawel Milczarek | 31 May 2025 | Charter 10(b), Pre-Trial Custody | 0 Comments

This week's top three summaries: R v JW, 2025 SCC 16: pre-trial #custody, R v Folk, 2025 ONSC 3052:s.10(b) #choice, R v SC, 2025 ONSC 1887: s.8 YO strip #search R v JW, 2025 SCC 16 [May 23, 2025] Pre-Trial Custody Credit: Wrongful Actions Causing no Enhanced Credit, Adjustment of Sentence for Rehabilitative Treatment [Reasons by Rowe J. with Wagner C.J., Karakatsanis, Côté, Martin, Kaiser, Jamal, O'Bonsawin, and Moreau JJ. concurring] AUTHOR'S NOTE: This case offers two important...

The Defence Tooling – May 24, 2025: Excessive Interventions

by Pawel Milczarek | 24 May 2025 | Charter s.7, Charter s.9, Excessive Intervention, NCRMD | 0 Comments

This week's top three summaries: R v Walton, 2025 ONCA 368: #excessive intervention, R v Hardestine, 2025 BCSC 889: #ruse stop, R v Serieaux, 2025 ONSC 2356: #NCRMD R v Walton, 2025 ONCA 368 [May 14, 2025] Excessive Judicial Intervention [Reasons by P. Lauwers J.A. with J. George and J. Copeland JJ.A. concurring] AUTHOR'S NOTE: This case is a textbook illustration of judicial overreach and reinforces the critical principle that judges must not only be impartial—they must be seen to be...

The Defence Toolkit – May 10, 2025: Unsavoury Mr Big Identification

May 10, 2025

This week's top three summaries: R v KF, 2025 ABCA 149: #principled exception ID, R v JC, 2025 ONCA 331: DO #intractability, R v Willier, 2025 ABKB 260: s8 in #medical info R v KF, 2025 ABCA 149 [April 29, 2025] Principled Exception to Hearsay: Identification by of a...

The Defence Toolkit – May 3, 2025: Panicked Provocation

May 4, 2025

This week's top three summaries: R v Picken, 2025 SKCA 43: #provocation, R v Lako, 2025 ONCA 284: #principled exception, R v Davis, 2025 ONSC 2404: #trauma and #flight R v Picken, 2025 SKCA 43 [April 22, 2025] Panicking can be Consistent with a Provocation Defence...

The Defence Toolkit – April 19, 2025: s.10(b) – Just Dial the Number

Apr 19, 2025

This week's top three summaries: R v Tierney, 2025 ABKB 223: 10(b) SW #delay & overhold, R v Cardinal, 2025 ABCA 128: #principled exception, R v Davis, 2025 BCCA 113: #gladue & s268, R v Tierney, 2025 ABKB 223 [April 9, 2025] Charter s.10(b): Search Warrant...

The Defence Toolkit – April 12, 2025: Common Sense

Apr 12, 2025

This week's top three summaries: R v PP, 2025 ONCA 243: #arranged marriage, R v Vaughan, 2025 ONSC 1751, s.11(b) under 30, R v Admussen, 2025 ABCJ 49: #counterfeit R v PP, 2025 ONCA 243 [March 28, 2025] Commons Sense Assumptions by Judges: Arranged Marriage, Freudian...

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The Defence Toolkit – April 5, 2025: Arrest outside Courtroom

Apr 5, 2025

This week's top three summaries: R v Jackson, 2025 ONSC 1677: s11(b) new #arrest, R v Stewart, 2025 ONSC 1277, #possession in glovebox, R v Zborowsky, 2025 ABCJ 44: #credibility factors R v Jackson, 2025 ONSC 1677 [March 14, 2025] Charter s.11(b): Arrest Interfering...

The Defence Toolkit – March 29, 2025: Breaches and Discoverability

Mar 29, 2025

This week's top three summaries: R v James, 2025 ONCA 213: s24(2) #discoverability, R v Gordon, 2025 ONCA 201, judge #promise and GP, R v JC, 2025 ONCA 230: expanded #amicus R v James, 2025 ONCA 213 [March 20, 2025] Charter s.24(2): Discoverability and Cumulative...

The Defence Toolkit – March 22, 2025: Trauma Psychology

Mar 22, 2025

This week's top three summaries: R v PJC, 2025 ONCA 196: #trauma psychology, R v DeSutter, 2025 NSCA 18, #sexual images relevance, R v SK, 2025 ONCA 149: #sexual assault motives R v PJC, 2025 ONCA 196 [March 12, 2025] Expert Evidence: Psychology About Presentation...

The Defence Toolkit – March 15, 2025: The Right to Interpretation

Mar 15, 2025

This week's top three summaries: R v Chen, 2025 ONCA 135: s.14 #interpreter, R v Nettleton, 2025 ONCA 155, GP and #arraignment, #penitentiary, R v Roshuk-Finch, 2025 ABCA 85: #step principle R v Chen, 2025 ONCA 168 [March 6, 2025] Charter s.14 - The Right to...

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