Lafrance-Cardinal

The offender pled guilty to aggravated assault against his intimate partner and assault against her young son and a doctor.

The unprovoked, drug-induced attack left the partner with severe, permanent brain damage, requiring full-time care for the rest of her life.

The court considered the profound impact on the victims, the children who witnessed the attack, and the Akwesasne community.

Finding numerous aggravating factors and acknowledging the extreme gravity of the offence, the court imposed the maximum sentence of 14 years for the aggravated assault, plus a consecutive one-year sentence for the assault on the child.

The offender pleaded guilty to manslaughter, production of shatter, arson, and drug offences after an explosion in his apartment caused the death of a friend.

The explosion occurred due to the ignition of butane fumes used in the production of shatter.

The court assessed the offender's moral blameworthiness as mid to high range, noting the foreseeable danger of cooking shatter in a residential building.

The offender was sentenced to a total of 6 years in custody, less pre-trial custody credit.

The offender pleaded guilty to mischief, assault, assault causing bodily harm, and sexual assault against his common-law spouse.

The court reviewed a pre-sentence report and a court-ordered psychiatric assessment, noting the offender's severe substance abuse issues and history of violence.

Emphasizing denunciation and deterrence for extreme domestic violence, the court sentenced the offender to two years less a day, credited 589 days for pre-trial custody, followed by three years of probation with strict conditions including no contact with the victim or their children.

The accused pleaded guilty to fraud, using a forged document, and obtaining credit under false pretences, defrauding four vulnerable individuals and Ontario Works of over $66,000 to fuel a prescription drug addiction.

The Crown sought 18 months of true incarceration, while the defence sought a 24-month conditional sentence.

The court weighed the aggravating factors, including the devastating impact on the victims, against mitigating factors such as the guilty plea, lack of prior record, and successful rehabilitation efforts.

The court imposed a 24-month conditional sentence, followed by three years of probation, and issued a standalone restitution order for the full amount.

The accused applied for judicial interim release pending an extradition hearing to the United States on charges of conspiracy to traffic marijuana.

The Crown opposed release, citing the reverse onus under section 515(6)(d) of the Criminal Code and the accused's history of failing to comply with court orders.

The court found that the accused's proposed release plan, which relied heavily on electronic monitoring, was insufficient to mitigate the significant flight risk and the risk of continuing criminal activity.

The application for judicial interim release was dismissed and the accused was ordered detained.

The maternal grandmother appealed a decision confirming the jurisdiction of the Ontario Superior Court and the legality of the apprehension of two children in Quebec by the Ottawa Children's Aid Society (CAS) in collaboration with Quebec child protection authorities.

The Divisional Court dismissed the appeal, finding that the children were habitually resident in Ontario, the cross-border apprehension was a practical and legal solution in the children's best interests, and the Ontario court had jurisdiction to hear the protection application.