Building Mansions in Hell
- May 16, 2020
- Heather Ferg
A criminal conviction for a serious crime can rip a citizen from society for a long time. The fallout can be devastating. Families are torn apart. Children are often traumatized. The impact of incarceration may be generational. The damage to…
The Limits of Starting Point Sentencing in Alberta
- April 16, 2020
- Heather Ferg
What is the nature of starting point sentences and to what extent may appellate courts intervene to enforce them? This issue recently split the Alberta Court of Appeal in R v Godfrey and was clarified earlier this month by the…
Accessing Seized Funds for Legal Fees
- March 14, 2020
- Heather Ferg
When the police identify property believed to be proceeds of crime, the Criminal Code allows them to seize or restrain it. They can take anything from the change in someone’s pocket to all of their assets. While the aim of…
Tricks, Trash and Privacy
- February 14, 2020
- Heather Ferg
Canadian constitutional law is replete with tricks and schemes conjured by the police to elicit incriminating statements, gain access to private information and seize physical evidence from unwitting targets. The police may passively surveil our daily activities or stage chance…
Bugs and Betrayers
- December 16, 2019
- Heather Ferg
Betrayal. An unsavoury, but persistent feature of human relations. Friends turn, confidants disclose, trusted allies deceive and forsake. When recruited by the police, betrayers may become informants. Their reports may be akin to schoolyard tattles or engage matters of life…