Céline Dostaler, Author at LegalMattersCanada

Truckers’ protest and cybercrimes highlighted the year in criminal law

Céline Dostaler / 2022 Year in Review, Criminal Law / January 5, 2023

Ottawa criminal lawyer Céline Dostaler, principal at Céline Dostler Criminal Defence Lawyer, opened the year by discussing what traits people should look for when choosing legal counsel. What qualities should you look for when choosing a lawyer Dostaler followed that up by noting that lawyers and their clients must develop trust in each other. The […]

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Third-party records ruling by the SCC is disappointing

Céline Dostaler / Criminal Law / November 18, 2022

The decision by the nation’s highest court to uphold rape shield provisions that were ruled unconstitutional by two lower courts is disconcerting to many defence counsel as it limits our ability to defend clients. In June, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) ruled that the accused in a sexual assault trial does not have the

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Canada may soon prosecute crimes on the moon

Céline Dostaler / Criminal Law / November 4, 2022

Canadian criminal law stretches well beyond our borders, thanks to extradition agreements with other countries. But people may not know that the long arm of our law will soon extend all the way to the Moon. On June 23, MPs adopted legislation to implement a memorandum of understanding between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

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SCC ruling provides clarity about sexual assault and condoms

Céline Dostaler / Criminal Law / October 28, 2022

I am not surprised the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in June that people who don’t wear condoms during sex after their sexual partners told them to can be convicted of sexual assault. In Ontario, to the best of my knowledge, that was the way this situation was handled even before this judgment. To read

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Parole: A carefully built bridge between prison and the community

Céline Dostaler / Criminal Law / October 19, 2022

We need to acknowledge that everyone given a fixed-term sentence in Canada – even those who have committed horrific crimes – has the right to apply for parole after they have served two-thirds of their time. This is known as statutory release, but it is not the get-out-of-jail-free card that some believe it to be.

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COVID-19 pandemic led to a spike in child porn charges

Céline Dostaler / COVID-19, Criminal Law / September 16, 2022

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of Canadians charged with offences related to child pornography shot up. Almost three times as many people were arrested in 2020 than in 2014. More than two-thirds of child pornography charges were for making or distributing child pornography and about one-third were for possessing or accessing child pornography. To

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Cyberbullying can cross the line into criminal behaviour

Céline Dostaler / Criminal Law / August 8, 2022

Cyberbullying takes place on digital devices such as cellphones, computers and tablets. It can be carried out through emails, texts and posts in forums on such social media sites as Facebook. It includes posting or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone that can cause embarrassment or humiliation. To read more, click here.

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Even financial managers can be fooled by phishing emails

Céline Dostaler / Criminal Law / July 15, 2022

Phishing is a common tactic used to obtain personal and financial information from victims through texts, emails or phone messages. They can seem like the real thing so it is not surprising that some people respond to them. In Ottawa, a former city treasurer was convinced to send $128,000 to a fictitious U.S. firm. To

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Ransomware: one of the most popular types of cybercrime

Céline Dostaler / Criminal Law / July 4, 2022

Cyber extortion occurs when someone uses social media, email or other online platforms to pressure victims into handing over money or other goods. If the victim refuses, the extortionist threatens to release compromising information about the victim. With larger firms, cyber extortionists may cripple the victim’s data systems with what is called ransomware. To read

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There are many ways someone can steal your identity

Céline Dostaler / Criminal Law / June 15, 2022

During the lockdown brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, identity theft and fraud surged. According to information from Statistics Canada, in 2016 there were 260 cases identified as identity theft. That number almost tripled to 725 by 2020. The related crime of identity fraud climbed even more, from 828 in 2016 to 4.508 in 2020.

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