The Defence Toolkit

The Defence Toolkit serves up summaries and commentary on the editor’s choice of the three best Canadian criminal defence cases every week. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn to get notified of new posts.

The Defence Toolkit – April 11, 2026: No Fixed Order for Decisions

by Pawel Milczarek | 11 April 2026 | Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, Charter s.7, Right to Silence, Sexual History s 276 | 0 Comments

This week's top three summaries: R v Hawco, 2026 BCCA 69: #reasoning process, R v Weatherston, 2026 YKCA 5: 276 #judge responsible, R v AB, 2026 ONCA 116: s.7 silence R v Hawco, 2026 BCCA 69 [February 24, 2026] Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: Explicit Reasoning Process Error [Reasons by Riley J.A. with Harris and Edelmann JJ.A. concurring] AUTHOR'S NOTE: It is trite that not every individual fact in a criminal trial must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. That standard applies only to the...

The Defence Toolkit – April 4, 2026: The Condo Garage and Surveillance

by Pawel Milczarek | 4 April 2026 | Charter s.8, Garofoli application, Self-Defence, Standing - Jones, Uncategorized, Warrants | 0 Comments

This week's top three summaries: R v Lye, 2026 ONCA 188: s.8 condo #garage, R v Griggs, 2026 ONCA 135: s.8 Jones standing, R v Martinez, 2026 ABCA 44: #self-defence R v Lye, 2026 ONCA 188 [March 16, 2026] Charter s.8: Police Surveillance in Condo Garage and Garofoli Applications [Reasons by Pomerance J.A. with M. Tulloch and J. Dawe JJ.A. concurring] AUTHOR'S NOTE: Justice Pomerance’s decision examines the implications of prior warrantless police entry into condominium premises—including...

The Defence Toolkit: February 28, 2026 – Video Analysis by Judges

by Pawel Milczarek | 28 February 2026 | Accused Out of Court Statements - NCR, Disclosure, In-Court Identification, Trust Relationships | 0 Comments

This week's top three summaries: R v Benn, 2026 ABCA 14: #video ID and DNA, R v Kipusi, 2026 ONCA 86: s.7 #disclosure NCR, R v JB, 2026 ONCA 44: #trust relationships R v Benn, 2026 ABCA 14 [January 19, 2026] Identification: Dangers of Video Review by Judges and Limits of DNA Evidence [Jolaine Antonio, William T. de Wit, Tamara Friesen JJ.A.] AUTHOR'S NOTE: The frailties of eyewitness identification are neither novel nor controversial. Decades of jurisprudence have entrenched the analytical...

The Defence Toolkit – December 6, 2025: Courtroom Confrontation

Dec 6, 2025

This week's top three summaries: R v McDonald, 2025 ONCA 807: Browne v Dunn, R v Brennan, 2025 ONSC 6116: s.8 #marijuana smell, R v MR, 2025 ONCA 789: #appeal bail R v McDonald, 2025 ONCA 807 [November 25, 2025] The Rule in Browne v Dunn [Reasons by Fairburn A.C.J.O.,...

The Defence Toolkit – November 29, 2025: Cutthroat Fallout

Nov 29, 2025

This week's top three summaries: R v Demetroff, 2025 ABCA 373: #after the fact, R v BR, 2025 ABKB 659: s.8 school #principal, R v Robinson, 2025 ABCJ 196: #witnesses R v Demetroff, 2025 ABCA 373 [November 14, 2025] W(D): Statements led by the Crown, After the Fact...

Next Entries »

The Defence Toolkit – November 15, 2025: Remand Retribution

Nov 15, 2025

This week's top three summaries: R v Whitlock, 2025 ONSC 6006: #remand s.12, R v EJ, 2025 ONSC 6016: #self-defence, R v CB, 2025 ONSC 6004: cross-count #similar fact R. v. Whitlock, 2025 ONSC 6006 [October 24, 2025] Charter s.12: Remand Retribution by Staff [Conlan...

The Defence Toolkit- November 8, 2025: Mandatory Minimums

Nov 8, 2025

This week's top three summaries: Quebec (AG) v Senneville, 2025 SCC 33: min #sentence, R v Hutton, 2025 ABCA 356: 271 mens rea, R v Backfat, 2025 ABCJ 183: #delayed counsel and release Quebec (Attorney General) v. Senneville, 2025 SCC 33 [October 31, 2025] Charter...

Browse Popular Categories

Browse All Categories

Evidence

Sentencing

Charter s.8

Appeals

Credibility

Sexual Assault

The Defence Toolkit – October 18, 2025: Criminal Defence Crisis

Oct 18, 2025

This week's top three summaries: R v BN, 2025 ABKB 535: #ineffective lawyer, R v Shah, 2025 ABKB 535: s.8 #informant, R v Mohamed Mussa, 2025 ABKB 543: #circumstantial ID R. v. BN, 2025 ABKB 535 [September 18, 2025] Ineffective Assistance of Counsel [Justice C.D....

The Defence Toolkit – October 11, 2025: The Right to Full Cross-Examination

Oct 11, 2025

This week's top three summaries: R v IMB, 2025 ONCA 678: #cross & #demeanour, R v Daignault, 2025 ABCA 328: #cross & Vetrovec, R v Penner, 2025 YKCA 14: 271 #relating to evidence R. v. I.M.B., 2025 ONCA 678 [October 1, 2025] Reliance on Evidence when Curtailed...

The Defence Toolkit – October 4, 2025: Police Agents

Oct 4, 2025

This week's top three summaries: R v Pham, 2025 BCCA 324: police #agent, R v KWP, 2025 ABCA 312: judge #propensity, R v IJM, 2025 ABCA 311: 271 #delayed report R. v. Pham, 2025 BCCA 324 [September 17, 2025] Charter s.8: Corporate Police Agency [Reasons by Dewitt-Van...

The Defence Toolkit – September 20, 2025: Common Unlawful Purpose

Sep 20, 2025

This week's top three summaries: R v Mohamed, 2025 ONCA 611: #parties 21(2), R v Hambleton, 2025 ONSC 5061: #bias appeals, R v JC, 2025 ABCJ 120: #possession hot potato R. v. Mohamed, 2025 ONCA 611 [September 5, 2025] s.21(2) Common Unlawful Purpose and Murder...

The lawyers at Sitar & Milczarek love written advocacy and ghostwriting services

Our lawyers have been litigating criminal trials and appeals for over 16 years in courtrooms throughout Canada. We can be of assistance to your practice. Whether you are looking for an appeal referral or some help with a complex written argument, our firm may be able to help. Our firm provides the following services available to other lawyers for referrals or contract work:

Please review the rest of the website to see if our services are right for you.

Sitar & Milczarek