shockedcanadian
Diamond Member
- Aug 6, 2012
- 43,950
- 42,978
- 3,605
The creepy province of Ontario, "we will just search entire buses at will" and of course, the obedient bus owners allow it.
Canadas Police State is collapsing due to the decimation of civil liberties. They like them young and poor here. From the RCMP on down....
www.thestar.com
For three weeks, police in Thunder Bay effectively had free rein to stop any Ontario Northland bus rolling through the city, kick off the passengers, search through their luggage with sniffer dogs, and access their personal information.
But that was only thanks to a warrant that should have never been issued, a judge has ruled.
In a ruling that highlights the challenges in combatting the illicit drug crisis that has gripped northern Ontario while at the same ensuring that the police’s methods are compliant with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Superior Court Justice John Fregeau excluded 25 kilograms of cocaine found in June 2023 in the luggage of a man who was travelling from Toronto to Winnipeg, while the bus was making a scheduled stop in Thunder Bay.
The OPP had been granted a general warrant that allowed them to search any Northland bus stopping at seven stops in northern Ontario, including four in Thunder Bay, for drugs and guns during a three-week period in 2023.
But in his decision released last week, Fregeau concluded that the warrant was “very broad” and included no limits to ensure that police first had reasonable grounds to search a particular bus, giving police “unfettered discretion” to conduct “random” searches of dozens of buses, impacting hundreds of passengers. He also found that the OPP had provided “misleading information” to Ontario Court Justice Elaine Burton, the judge who authorized the warrant, regarding the prevalence of drugs on Northland buses.
Fregeau ruled that several of the accused man’s Charter rights had been violated; once the cocaine was excluded, the Crown called no other evidence, and the man was acquitted of drug trafficking last week. The Star is not naming him as he is no longer facing criminal charges.
“I am acutely aware of the prevailing drug and opioid epidemic in Thunder Bay and throughout the northwest region,” the judge wrote. “I am also aware of the need for police to utilize all means available, within the limits of the rule of law, to intercept the flood of drugs into the region and to prosecute those responsible.”
The accused man’s lawyer, Nate Jackson, told the Star the ruling is not just important for his client, but for all Canadians.
“Yes, our communities are experiencing a devastating drug epidemic. These are desperate times,” he said. “But the measures we take as a society, desperate as they may be, cannot be unconstitutional. The measures we take must be lawful. Police action cannot breach our Charter-protected rights and freedoms.”
Canadas Police State is collapsing due to the decimation of civil liberties. They like them young and poor here. From the RCMP on down....
‘Random’ OPP drug sweeps on Ontario Northland buses should never have happened, judge rules, tossing cocaine case
Police were given free rein to stop any Ontario Northland bus rolling through Thunder Bay, kick off the passengers and search through their luggage with sniffer dogs. That should never
www.thestar.com
For three weeks, police in Thunder Bay effectively had free rein to stop any Ontario Northland bus rolling through the city, kick off the passengers, search through their luggage with sniffer dogs, and access their personal information.
But that was only thanks to a warrant that should have never been issued, a judge has ruled.
In a ruling that highlights the challenges in combatting the illicit drug crisis that has gripped northern Ontario while at the same ensuring that the police’s methods are compliant with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Superior Court Justice John Fregeau excluded 25 kilograms of cocaine found in June 2023 in the luggage of a man who was travelling from Toronto to Winnipeg, while the bus was making a scheduled stop in Thunder Bay.
The OPP had been granted a general warrant that allowed them to search any Northland bus stopping at seven stops in northern Ontario, including four in Thunder Bay, for drugs and guns during a three-week period in 2023.
But in his decision released last week, Fregeau concluded that the warrant was “very broad” and included no limits to ensure that police first had reasonable grounds to search a particular bus, giving police “unfettered discretion” to conduct “random” searches of dozens of buses, impacting hundreds of passengers. He also found that the OPP had provided “misleading information” to Ontario Court Justice Elaine Burton, the judge who authorized the warrant, regarding the prevalence of drugs on Northland buses.
Fregeau ruled that several of the accused man’s Charter rights had been violated; once the cocaine was excluded, the Crown called no other evidence, and the man was acquitted of drug trafficking last week. The Star is not naming him as he is no longer facing criminal charges.
“I am acutely aware of the prevailing drug and opioid epidemic in Thunder Bay and throughout the northwest region,” the judge wrote. “I am also aware of the need for police to utilize all means available, within the limits of the rule of law, to intercept the flood of drugs into the region and to prosecute those responsible.”
The accused man’s lawyer, Nate Jackson, told the Star the ruling is not just important for his client, but for all Canadians.
“Yes, our communities are experiencing a devastating drug epidemic. These are desperate times,” he said. “But the measures we take as a society, desperate as they may be, cannot be unconstitutional. The measures we take must be lawful. Police action cannot breach our Charter-protected rights and freedoms.”
