How criminals are conning people out of millions posing as the CRA
“They were so convincing that in minutes I had gone to the corner store, bought $500 worth of prepaid credit cards and read the numbers to a voice at the other end of the phone.” A client shared this story with me nearly in tears, which were a combination of anger and embarrassment. Over the…
Our speak softly and carry a limp stick approach has had no effect other than to embolden Communist China
For centuries, Arab states across North Africa made fortunes from piracy. Now in the 21st century, a new pirate state is taking prisoners and holding them for ransom. In the past, raiding the coasts of Spain and Italy, scouring the Mediterranean and ravaging into the Atlantic as far as Iceland, Barbary corsairs captured over a…
Each episode explores basic elements of criminal law in ways children can easily grasp
With a charming sidekick and a fun format, University of Alberta Faculty of Law professor Peter Sankoff has created a new podcast to simplify concepts of criminal law for Canadians aged 10 to 100. Translating Criminal Law: Rated G debuted Jan. 11, co-hosted by Sankoff, a professor of criminal law with a part-time appellate practice, and his daughter Penny, a…
By Thomas York Research Associate Frontier Centre for Public Policy In light of the mainstream media coverage of riots and protests in the U.S. in recent months and the questionable claim by some in the media that the riots were “mostly peaceful protests,” the distinction between violent and peaceful protest is worthy of examination. In…
Things could get far more violent than what we just witnessed if Trump was actually tossed out of office
The United States Capitol was built in 1800 as the political home for members of Congress. It’s a magnificent piece of neoclassical architecture, and a popular destination for historians and tourists. The Capitol has only been attacked on two occasions. The first was during the War of 1812. British forces initiated the burning of Washington…
Ruth Ellis' beauty and glamour couldn't save her from the gallows for the murder of her boyfriend
When I was growing-up in Ireland, the Dublin newspapers were very fond of British murder trials. By their nature, the stories were luridly dramatic, particularly those that ended with the perpetrator going to the gallows. And perhaps the most dramatic was the case of Ruth Ellis, the last woman executed in Britain. Ellis was 28…
As the world’s favoured search engine, dominant email service and most popular video provider, Google has immense power over public opinion
“The Google of today is a monopoly gatekeeper for the internet,” reads the U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit against the tech giant. The document filed on Oct. 20 alleges the company has used exclusionary agreements to block out competitors. Google accounts for 80 per cent of U.S. internet searches and 30 per cent of U.S.…
If he can’t figure out that his family’s involvement with the WE Charity was a conflict of interest, then he really does have an ethical blind spot
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been criticized for his seemingly cavalier attitude with respect to parliamentary procedure and taking ethical stands. The running joke has been that either he doesn’t know, doesn’t care or experiences things differently than others. Here’s yet another example and it’s one of the strangest to date. Trudeau, like many of…
'Defund the police’ movement does nothing to address the root causes of criminality
The year is not yet over, and Calgary has already recorded more than 26 homicides, after 20 in 2019. Edmonton has witnessed a 90 per cent spike in assaults with weapons or causing bodily harm. Unbelievably, rather than tackling this escalating violence head-on, officials have joined a utopian crusade against police. Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson…
There has been a tremendous scrutiny and criticism of policing in recent months. Policing has been the lightning rod for widespread protests. The scrutiny has provided a window into the failings of policing, specifically the systemic processes and structures that have sustained marginalization. It has also highlighted the incompetence and misconduct of a few, which…