What Does The Term “Case Withdrawn” Mean?

For most people that never have any serious brush with the law, attending court for a trial usually means one of two things, a verdict of “guilty” or “innocent,” although in actuality, the specific verdict is “not guilty” and means that a person has been acquitted through the determination of a jury or judge. But…

Does A Pardon Clear Your Criminal Record?

Committing a criminal act is a serious offence, and in some cases, that act may have negative repercussions for some members of the public, such as injury, or even death. Because of that, a criminal conviction entails a serious penalty that must be paid. In some instances, probationary time is also required to carefully monitor…

When Can You Apply For A Pardon In Canada?

Being sentenced with a criminal conviction in Canada has inevitable, serious repercussions on the rest of a person’s life. There is often a jail sentence involved, sometimes even significant fines to pay, and even after a sentence is served, there may be probationary requirements to meet. Even after all that, once your legal commitments have…

Will A DUI Affect My Employment?

It’s a situation that many adults have found themselves in. You attend a party, you have a good time, and you enjoy a little bit of alcohol while you are there. However, you may not have been paying as much attention as you should have to the amount you were consuming. When the time comes…

What Is The Typical Record Suspension Waiting Period?

It’s pretty much a given that every one of us is going to make a mistake at some point in our lives. It’s just the severity of that mistake that will differ from one person to the next. Harmless mistakes may have an impact on no one but ourselves. More serious mistakes may cost a…

The Court Has Decided – Record Suspension Changes Violate Charter Rights

In 2012, the Canadian government, then under the authority of the Harper Conservative government, made some changes to the way that record suspensions (formerly known as “pardons”) operated in Canada. Specifically, they decided to lengthen the amount of wait time required before people could apply for a record suspension. Now, after some deliberation by the…

Pardons Canada Review – How it feels to remove an assault conviction

www.pardons.org Assault is the most common criminal offence in Canada.  An assault conviction can come in many different forms including domestic assault, assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm.  Many assault charges are settled prior to a conviction being handed down in the form of a peace bond, stay of proceedings (stayed), withdrawn, dismissed,…