The accused was charged with driving with excess blood alcohol on February 12, 2016, with the charge laid on February 24, 2016.
The trial was completed on September 19, 2017, approximately 19 months later.
The accused brought a section 11(b) Charter application seeking a judicial stay of proceedings, alleging a breach of the right to be tried within a reasonable time.
The court applied the framework established in R. v. Jordan and R. v. Williamson, calculating net delay after deducting defence delay and waivers.
The net delay of 419 days (14 months) fell below the 18-month presumptive ceiling for provincial court cases.
The court found that the defence did not engage in a sustained effort to expedite proceedings and that the case did not take markedly longer than it reasonably should have under the pre-Jordan legal framework applicable to transitional cases.
The application was dismissed, and a finding of guilt was registered on the charge.