Daniel C. Santoro

The appellant appealed a judgment dismissing his application for certiorari to set aside a committal order following a preliminary inquiry.

The appellant argued there was insufficient evidence of identification and the type of plant.

The Court of Appeal held that the preliminary inquiry judge did not commit a jurisdictional error, as there was some evidence connecting the appellant to the property and the 9,000 marijuana plants, including his admitted ownership and the testimony of a police officer.

The appeal was dismissed.

The applicants brought a Garofoli application challenging the validity of wiretap authorizations and related investigative orders obtained during an organized crime investigation into drug importation through Toronto Pearson International Airport.

They alleged that a police officer deliberately misled judicial officers through fraudulent or misleading statements and omissions in affidavits supporting production orders, dialled number recorder warrants, and the wiretap authorization.

The court reviewed allegations of misstatements, non‑disclosure, and conflation of information and applied the Garofoli framework, including excision and amplification of affidavit material where appropriate.

The court concluded that the inaccuracies were innocent errors rather than deliberate fraud and that, after correcting the affidavit, sufficient grounds remained to justify the authorization.

As a result, no Charter breach under s. 8 was established and the wiretap evidence remained admissible.

The appellant appealed her conviction for disobeying a court order under s. 127 of the Criminal Code, stemming from her breach of a 1994 injunction prohibiting protests outside abortion clinics.

She argued that s. 127 was ultra vires Parliament, overbroad under s. 7 of the Charter, and that her prosecution was an abuse of process.

The Superior Court of Justice dismissed the appeal, finding s. 127 to be valid criminal law and appropriately tailored.

The court also held that the appellant's attempt to challenge the enforcement of the injunction constituted an impermissible collateral attack on the original order.

The appellant appealed his sentence of six years' imprisonment for possession of crack cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, producing crack cocaine, and possession of marijuana.

He argued the trial judge failed to properly consider his youthfulness, his decision to limit the trial to a Charter application, and that the sentence was outside the appropriate range.

The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal, finding the trial judge properly considered the principles of denunciation, deterrence, and rehabilitation, and that the sentence was fit given the appellant's age, extensive criminal record, and the large quantity of crack cocaine involved.

The applicant, sought by the United States for his alleged role in a massive tax fraud scheme, applied for bail pending his extradition hearing.

The Crown opposed release on the primary ground, arguing the applicant posed a significant flight risk.

The court found that the applicant had access to unrecovered funds, ties outside of Canada, and a history of using false addresses to conceal his whereabouts.

Furthermore, the proposed sureties were deemed inadequate to supervise the applicant or ensure his attendance in court.

The application for bail was denied.

The appellant appealed convictions for sexual assault and sexual interference involving a minor complainant.

The appeal argued that the trial judge provided inadequate reasons, improperly scrutinized the accused’s evidence more strictly than the complainant’s, failed to address a major inconsistency arising from statements allegedly made to a friend, and failed to consider possible collusion between the complainant and the witness.

The Superior Court held that the trial judge correctly applied the credibility framework from R. v. W.D. and that appellate courts must defer to credibility findings where the judge has addressed the substance of the issues.

The court found the trial judge had recognized and analyzed the alleged inconsistencies and witness interactions and that the reasons sufficiently explained the credibility conclusions.

The convictions were therefore upheld.

The accused applied for certiorari to quash a preliminary inquiry committal to stand trial for offences relating to a large marijuana grow operation.

He argued there was insufficient evidence linking him to the property and insufficient evidence that the seized plants were marijuana because no certificate of analysis had been filed.

Applying the standard articulated in R. v. Arcuri, the court held that the reviewing judge’s role is limited to determining whether there was any evidence upon which the preliminary inquiry judge could conclude the evidence was sufficient to commit the accused to trial.

The court found there was some circumstantial evidence connecting the accused to the property and vehicles observed at the grow operation, and some evidence identifying the seized plants as marijuana based on the officer’s observations and experience.

As a result, the application to quash the committal was dismissed.

The young person appealed convictions for possession of a dangerous weapon, assault with a weapon, and pointing a firearm.

The Court of Appeal upheld the trial judge's reliance on a witness's testimony to support identification evidence.

However, the Crown conceded that the trial judge erred in law by finding that an imitation firearm could support a conviction for pointing a firearm.

The Court declined to apply the curative proviso, set aside the conviction for pointing a firearm, and ordered a new trial on that count.

The remaining convictions were upheld.

Five defendants were tried on over 100 fraud-related counts involving a sophisticated "bust out" credit card fraud scheme spanning approximately a decade.

The Crown alleged that Kuhen Neshan and Ramanan Kenegarajah were the leaders of a criminal organization that defrauded financial institutions of hundreds of thousands of dollars through fraudulent credit card applications, identity theft, and money laundering.

The scheme involved creating false identities, using post office boxes to evade detection, and purchasing real estate to launder proceeds.

The trial lasted 28 days over 18 months, with the Crown calling 47 witnesses and tendering 134 exhibits.

The defendants elected not to call evidence and raised various Charter challenges and legal arguments regarding jurisdiction, conspiracy, and the single transaction rule.

The appellant challenged a criminal charge under s. 127(1) for allegedly disobeying an injunction, arguing Ontario civil contempt rules provided an express alternative mode of proceeding.

The majority held the statutory exception applies only where legislation provides the legal foundation for contempt, defines contempt circumstances, and provides punishment or procedure.

The Court found Rules 60.11 and 60.12 are procedurally detailed but remain dependent on common law substratum for legal foundation and contempt definition.

Accordingly, the exception was not triggered and prosecution under s. 127(1) could proceed.

The appeal was dismissed, with a dissent concluding the rules themselves constituted an express legislative mode of proceeding.

The appellant appealed her conviction and five-year sentence for possession of a substantial amount of methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking.

She argued the conviction was unreasonable and that the trial judge reversed the burden of proof.

The Court of Appeal dismissed the conviction appeal, finding the trial judge's factual and credibility findings supported a reasonable verdict.

The sentence appeal was also dismissed, as five years for drugs with a street value of approximately $200,000 was not unreasonable.

The Crown appealed the sentences imposed on the respondent for possession of a loaded restricted firearm and breach of a lifetime firearms prohibition order.

The sentencing judge had imposed a global sentence of six years, less pre-sentence custody.

The Court of Appeal found the sentences demonstrably unfit given the respondent's incorrigibility, his prior firearms convictions, and his illegal presence in Canada following a deportation order.

The Court allowed the appeal and increased the sentences to 7.5 years for the firearm offence and 1 year consecutive for the breach, less pre-sentence custody.

The appellant, a government employee, was convicted of fraud on the government and breach of trust after directing government funding applicants to a consulting firm that subcontracted work to his wife's company.

He appealed his convictions, arguing the trial judge misinterpreted s. 121(1)(c) of the Criminal Code and erred in admitting offshore banking documents obtained contrary to foreign law.

He also appealed his six-month custodial sentence.

The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal, holding that s. 121(1)(c) does not require the accused to personally benefit when a family member receives the benefit, the admission of the banking documents did not render the trial unfair, and the sentence was fit given the need for general deterrence.

The appellant was charged with disobeying a court order under s. 127(1) of the Criminal Code after allegedly violating an interlocutory injunction prohibiting anti-abortion protest activity.

The trial judge quashed the information, finding that the Rules of Civil Procedure provided another mode of proceeding for contempt, thereby triggering the exception in s. 127(1).

The summary conviction appeal court reversed this decision.

The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal, holding that the authority to punish for civil contempt originates in the common law, not statute, and therefore is not 'expressly provided by law' as required to exclude the application of s. 127(1).

The appellant was convicted of first degree murder in the shooting death of his wife, who had recently left him.

On appeal, he argued the trial judge erred in admitting the deceased's ante mortem statements about her fear of him, in instructing the jury on eyewitness identification and gunshot residue evidence, in restricting cross-examination about third-party suspects, in allowing re-examination of an investigator, and in dismissing a mistrial application for late disclosure.

The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal, finding no errors in the trial judge's evidentiary rulings or jury instructions, and concluding that the late disclosure did not impair the right to make full answer and defence.

The appellant appealed her sentence, which was imposed following a joint submission.

She sought to introduce fresh evidence regarding her medical condition.

The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal, finding no basis to interfere with the sentence as the trial judge was aware of her condition and the fresh evidence did not suggest the correctional institute was unable to manage her chronic conditions.

The appellant was convicted of attempted murder after shooting at an individual who had forcibly entered his home.

On appeal, the appellant argued that the trial judge's jury instructions regarding self-defence on the attempted murder charge were inadequate.

The Court of Appeal agreed, finding that the instructions conflated the distinct issues of intent to kill and self-defence, leaving the jury with the incorrect impression that self-defence was irrelevant if intent to kill was proven.

The appeal was allowed, the conviction quashed, and a new trial ordered.