9 total
Dangerous offender application dismissed for mentally ill offender who left delusional, threatening voicemails from jail.
The offender, who suffers from schizophrenia, pleaded guilty to criminal harassment after leaving numerous threatening and delusional voicemails on a general line at the Ombudsman's Office while incarcerated.
The Crown sought a dangerous offender designation, arguing the offence was part of a persistent pattern of violence against women.
The court dismissed the application, finding no prior relationship with the recipient and that the conduct did not meet the criteria for a 'serious personal injury offence'.
Emphasizing the offender's treatability with medication and community supervision via a Community Treatment Order, the court imposed a sentence of time served (44.5 months) and a three-year probation order.
Repeated child sexual abuse by a parent warranted an 11-year penitentiary sentence.
Sentencing following jury convictions for sexual interference, incest, invitation to sexual touching, and exposure arising from repeated intrafamilial sexual abuse of a child over several years.
The court rejected the defence submission that counts 1, 3 and 4 should be stayed under the Kienapple principle, finding the convictions could be grounded in different incidents and that incest contained an additional distinguishing legal element.
Applying the modern sentencing approach for sexual offences against children, the court gave primary weight to denunciation and deterrence, emphasizing the offender’s abuse of trust, the victim’s young age, the frequency and duration of the abuse, and its devastating impact.
Despite the offender’s lack of criminal record, work history, and community support, the court imposed an 11-year global sentence with concurrent terms and ancillary orders including lifetime SOIRA.
Youthful first offender sentenced to 16 months in custody for possessing a loaded restricted firearm.
The accused, a youthful first offender, was convicted of possessing a loaded restricted firearm and carrying a concealed weapon.
The court considered social context evidence regarding his background as a Muslim Canadian of Afghani descent but declined to apply the Morris framework for systemic racism.
After granting credit for pre-sentence custody and restrictive bail conditions, the court sentenced the accused to 16 months and 1 week in a provincial reformatory, rejecting a conditional sentence.
Warrantless entry justified by exigent circumstances combining a 911 call and confidential firearm tip.
The accused was charged with possession of a loaded restricted firearm after police entered a residence without a warrant and arrested him.
Officers responded to a 911 call for a possible domestic dispute with screaming, and simultaneously received information from a major crime unit conducting surveillance that a male inside had a gun in a satchel based on confidential sources.
The accused applied to exclude the firearm under section 8 of the Charter.
The court dismissed the application, finding the warrantless entry was justified by exigent circumstances given the combination of the 911 call and the reliable confidential source information indicating a firearm was present in a potentially volatile domestic situation.
Absent a Charter breach, the accused conceded the case and was found guilty.
Substantial indemnity costs of $65,000 awarded to successful landlord based on commercial lease terms.
Following a trial in a commercial lease dispute where the plaintiffs' claims were dismissed and the defendant landlord's counterclaim was allowed, the court determined the issue of costs.
The defendant sought substantial indemnity costs based on the terms of the commercial lease.
The court found that the lease established a contractual entitlement to recovery of legal costs on a solicitor-client scale.
The court rejected the plaintiffs' arguments to limit costs to the Small Claims Court scale, noting the plaintiffs chose to commence a Superior Court action.
Costs were fixed at $65,000.00 on a substantial indemnity scale.
Commercial tenants' action for wrongful distress dismissed; landlord's counterclaim for unpaid rent allowed as employee lacked authority to forgive debt.
The plaintiff tenants brought an action against their former landlord for breach of contract and wrongful distress after the landlord issued a Notice of Distress for unpaid rent.
The tenants claimed that a maintenance employee of the landlord had signed a 'letter of forgiveness' and a short-form lease that eliminated their past debts.
The court found that the employee had no actual or apparent authority to bind the landlord, and the landlord's subsequent administrative actions did not constitute acceptance of the unsigned lease.
The court held that the landlord was entitled to distrain the tenants' goods due to significant rent arrears, and the distress was not excessive.
The tenants' action was dismissed, and the landlord's counterclaim for unpaid rent and other charges was allowed.
Oppression application stayed in favour of arbitration pursuant to broad shareholder agreement clause.
The respondents brought a motion to stay the applicant's oppression application and to release funds held in trust from the sale of a corporate property.
The parties were bound by a shareholder agreement containing a broad arbitration clause.
The applicant argued the dispute involved fraud and third-party creditor claims that fell outside the arbitration clause.
The court found the arbitration clause was broad enough to encompass the disputes, including allegations of oppressive conduct and fraud, and stayed the application.
The court also ordered the release of $150,000 from the trust funds to the respondents for living expenses and arbitration funding, plus an amount to cover capital gains tax.
Motions to remove opposing counsel dismissed as tactical; joint retainer documents not privileged between joint clients.
The defendants (Smith Defendants) brought a motion to remove the plaintiffs' counsel (McLean) due to an alleged conflict of interest and to prevent the use of allegedly privileged documents.
The plaintiffs (Milicevic/Mazzone) brought cross-motions to remove the defendants' counsel (Rapley), to amend their pleadings, and for orders regarding document production and privilege.
The court dismissed both motions to remove counsel, finding no compelling reason to interfere with the parties' choice of counsel and noting the tactical nature of the motions.
The court also ruled on the privilege of various documents, finding that joint retainer documents were not privileged as between the joint clients, and permitted the plaintiffs to amend their cross-claim in the Toronto action while denying the withdrawal of their indemnity claim in the Brampton action.
Court fixes partial indemnity costs after leave to appeal motion dismissal.
Following the dismissal of a motion for leave to appeal, the successful defendant sought costs on a partial indemnity basis.
The responding party conceded entitlement to costs but argued the amount claimed was excessive, particularly with respect to legal research disbursements.
Applying the fairness and reasonableness principles under Rule 57.01 of the Rules of Civil Procedure, the court assessed the competing submissions and fixed costs at an amount lower than requested but higher than the amount proposed by the responding party.
Costs were awarded on a partial indemnity basis.