Stephen White

The accused was convicted of multiple firearms offences and possession of fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking after fleeing police and hiding two loaded handguns and 127.75 grams of fentanyl in a residential backyard.

The court considered the accused's serious criminal record, including prior convictions for armed robbery and murder, and the significant danger posed to the public.

Applying the totality principle, the court imposed a global sentence of 15 years, reduced to 13 years and 2 months after crediting pre-sentence custody and strict bail conditions.

The accused was charged with 10 counts relating to the possession of two loaded handguns and 127.75 grams of fentanyl.

The charges arose after a high-speed police chase ended in a collision, from which a man fled on foot, hiding the firearms and drugs in a nearby backyard before being arrested.

The sole issue at trial was the identity of the fleeing man.

The court found that the totality of the circumstantial evidence, including video surveillance, clothing, and DNA, overwhelmingly established that the accused was the man who fled the vehicle and possessed the contraband.

The accused was charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault following a stabbing at a street festival.

The accused and the victim, who did not know each other, engaged in a verbal altercation regarding the welfare of a puppy.

The victim, who was larger and older, unexpectedly punched the accused in the head.

In response, the accused drew a folding knife and stabbed the victim.

The court applied the framework for self-defence under section 34 of the Criminal Code and found that the Crown failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused's actions were unreasonable in the circumstances.

The accused was acquitted of all charges.

The offender was convicted of trafficking in fentanyl, using forged fentanyl patches, and obtaining merchandise by false pretence.

He participated in a scheme where he returned forged patches to a pharmacy under Ontario's patch-for-patch program to obtain new fentanyl patches, which he then trafficked.

The court rejected the argument that the trafficking was merely sharing among prescription holders, finding it to be a sophisticated commercial operation.

Emphasizing denunciation and deterrence due to the extreme dangers of fentanyl, the court sentenced the offender to 26 months in penitentiary for trafficking, with concurrent 18-month sentences for the forgery and false pretence offences.

The accused were arrested after police conducted a high-risk takedown of a parked vehicle based on an uncorroborated confidential informant tip alleging cocaine was inside.

Officers arrested the occupants at gunpoint and searched the vehicle, discovering cocaine and a loaded prohibited firearm.

The court held the police lacked reasonable and probable grounds to arrest or search, as the tip was vague, the source’s credibility was not established, and there was no meaningful corroboration.

The warrantless arrest and search breached the accused’s rights under ss. 8 and 9 of the Charter.

Applying the s. 24(2) framework from Grant, the court found the police conduct deliberate and serious and excluded the evidence, resulting in acquittals.