Supporters say the so-called Jordan ruling has sped up proceedings and strengthened Charter rights for prompt justice. But the legacy of Jordan is mixed, and some victims say the time limits work in criminals' favour.
Cait Alexander, Founder of End Violence Everywhere, poses for a portrait in Ottawa on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean KilpatrickWhen police turned up at Melanie Hatton's home in Kelowna, B.C., in November 2021, she says they found her in the bathroom covered in blood, her then-husband Jeffrey Maclean was standing over her "in an aggressive manner."
Among the defendants were some accused of sexual assault, child exploitation, fraud and drug trafficking; murder cases have also been thrown out in previous years.Hatton said she was thrown into "an absolute pit of despair and shame" after the case was thrown out. "Looking back, it's certainly difficult to say that we, any of us, really expected this to come out the way that it did and how revolutionary it was going to be," he said in an interview.
"And to have various judicial participants, that being the judge, the Crown, the defence, the accused, everyone start paying attention to the timeliness of trials," he said. The debate over Jordan was reignited in B.C. this summer, after a case was dismissed against a man accused of molesting a six-year-old.
In Maclean's case, the B.C. Supreme Court found in August 2023 that his trial had been set "well beyond the Jordan limits," through no fault of the defence, nor any delay caused by COVID-19 interruptions of court operations. "The problem is that now every time you go to court, no matter what the purpose of the appearance is, there is always a discussion about Jordan," she said. "It comes up at every single appearance and it's gotten to the point where the ceilings in Jordan are effectively being weaponized against accused individuals."
She said the only consequence against her ex-boyfriend -- who was originally charged with assault causing bodily harm, uttering threats, obstruction and other offences -- was a peace bond, and she left the country in fear of her safety.Alexander testified before the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women this past July, recounting stories of survivors including Hatton, whose experience she called "harrowingly similar" to her own.
Alexander testified to the committee again last week, telling members that Jordan timelines shouldn't apply in cases of sexual assault or intimate partner violence. For Hatton, the collapse of the case against her ex-husband was devastating, and continues to influence her life. She now has multiple security systems in her new home after fleeing her old life in B.C.
Vancouver fell short of meeting the province's housing targets for the last year, mostly due to a failure to meet the goal for affordable rentals, according to a report coming to city council.Two city councillors in Port Coquitlam, B.C., are facing calls to resign following comments they made referring to homeless people as 'people who don't want to work' and describing a local shelter as a 'government-funded crack house.
An elementary school in the Halifax area has backed away from a request that service members not wear uniforms to the school's Remembrance Day ceremony.The Macdonald Bridge has reopened after it was closed overnight due to a nearby damaged crane at a construction site on Wyse Road in Dartmouth, N.S.Halifax Regional Police has charged a third adult for allegedly providing false information in connection with the killing of a 16-year-old boy in April.
Canada added lower-than-expected 14,500 jobs in October and wages of permanent employees rose, data showed on Friday, as the economy grappled to absorb the slack built up due to a rapidly rising population amid an overheated market.A number of small business owners along Tecumseh Road East in Windsor are frustrated after a recent string of copper wire thefts.
Teachers in Newfoundland and Labrador say violence is on the rise, averaging 22 incidents per school day 'You look like me': 7-year-old who went viral for his Auston Matthews Halloween costume meets Leafs star
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