During a murder investigation, police used a 'crime boss' undercover scenario to elicit a confession from the accused.
At the voir dire, the trial judge granted a publication ban on the identity of the undercover officers and the investigative techniques used.
The appellant newspaper appealed the ban directly to the Supreme Court of Canada.
The Court allowed the appeal, applying the Dagenais/Mentuck test.
It held that a ban on the investigative techniques was not necessary and its deleterious effects on freedom of expression outweighed its salutary effects.
However, a ban on the officers' identities was necessary to protect ongoing operations, but was limited to a period of one year.
