John PiszczekOct 22, 20201 min readOttawa Officer not guilty on all charges in death of Abdirahman Abdi, judge findsThis post will focus on the burden of proof: beyond a reasonable doubt. Although, there are cases published in the media that might shock...
John PiszczekJul 11, 20201 min readPhase 1 Criminal Courts Resuming during COVID-19: What does that entail?The Ministry of the Attorney General, which is in charge of court operations has initiated phase 1 of reopening the courts. This is very...
John PiszczekApr 21, 20201 min readLululawyerIt’s been about a month since the courthouse have been “shut down” due to COVID-19. I have to give credit to the Judges, Justices,...
John PiszczekApr 9, 20201 min readCOVID-19 Pandemic - Criminal Case Automatic Adjournment DatesIf you have a court date between now and May 29, your matter will automatically go over to another date. Please see the photo chart....
John PiszczekMar 17, 20201 min readCourt & Corona virus Covid-19You do not need to attend your court date for the next few weeks. The Ontario Court of Justice has issued automatic remand dates. See the...
John PiszczekFeb 14, 20202 min readImpaired operation, over 80, refusal to provide breath sample VS HTA careless driving Criminal code offences related to drinking and driving include impaired operation, over 80 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of blood and refusing...
John PiszczekMay 17, 20192 min readNephrologist Dr. Ian MacDonald, 48, is charged with seven counts of accessing child pornography, etcThese are extremely serious charges. Depending if the charges are possession or distribution of child there is a 6-12 month mandatory...
John PiszczekApr 12, 20192 min readLegal aid in the province will see a 30% cutThe majority Ford government announced huge cuts to funding for Legal Aid Ontario. I haven’t been a lawyer long enough to wear silk robes...
John PiszczekMar 13, 20191 min readQuebec judge hands down 4 year sentence for texting driverA Quebec man convicted of killing another driver and injuring two teenagers while texting at the wheel has been sentenced to four years...
John PiszczekMar 12, 20191 min readProvince banning cell phones in the classroom next year?Sometimes in criminal court, people are prohibited from possessing cellphones. This is usually the case when there is a direct...
John PiszczekFeb 26, 20191 min readMurder charge stayed: understanding section 24 of the CharterAdam Capay recently had his murder charges stayed by a Thunder Bay Superior Court for several breaches of his Charter of Rights and...
John PiszczekFeb 19, 20192 min readRobert Steven Wright: bail 101Robert Wright is charged with first degree murder. The Criminal Code requires his bail to be determined by the Superior Court of Justice....
John PiszczekFeb 17, 20191 min readChild porn charges: possession, making available, distributionA CTV reporter, Callam Rodya, was recently charged with child porn related charges. These are very serious offences and carry mandatory...
John PiszczekFeb 14, 20191 min readVoyeriusm: the scope of common law just got a lot bigger The Supreme Court of Canada found a teacher guilty of voyeriusm for recording students during school hours at school. Basically, the...
John PiszczekFeb 12, 20192 min readYour First Court Apperance: what to expectFirst off, although your appearance notice, undertaking to an officer, undertaking to a court, or recognizance of bail might say 9:30am,...
John PiszczekFeb 11, 20191 min readTrial preparation: the battle is won in the office before courtMany television shows portray litigating lawyers in court as smooth, silver tongued and dressed sharp. Of course those are nice qualities...
John PiszczekFeb 10, 20191 min readOsgoode Hall: Ontario Court of Appeal and Law Society of Upper Canada (Law Society of Ontario)If you haven’t visited the Ontario Court of Appeal, it’s an absolute must for any history buff, aspiring lawyer, or just for the...
John PiszczekFeb 10, 20191 min readWelcome to the Northern Ontario criminal law perspective Practicing criminal law in Toronto was very different than practicing in Northern Ontario. Some key differences are the numerous amounts...
