In Canada, the criminal law has a statute of limitations only for pure summary offences. The charges for indictable-only and hybrid offences, for example, murder, fraud, or sexual assault, are generally not limited in time, which means that the Crown can start the proceedings years later.
In Canada, the difference between first- and second-degree murder as well as manslaughter comes down to intent, planning, and circumstances of the killing.
Manslaughter is a culpable homicide that is not murder or infanticide, in plain terms, causing another person’s death without the intent to kill that murder requires. That definition applies the same way in Ontario as everywhere else in Canada.
A peace bond is a legal option for the accused to avoid trial, a criminal conviction, or a guilty plea. In Ontario, peace bonds are most common in criminal cases involving domestic assault, uttering threats, criminal harassment, and similar charges.
In recent years, Canada has faced a rise in incidents of sextortion, when offenders blackmail their victims, threatening to share their victims’ sexual images or videos. Among victims, youth and young men in particular are the most frequent targets, with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection reporting six sextortion complaints per day.
Canada follows a one-party consent rule under s. 184(2) of the Criminal Code: you can legally record a private conversation only if you are a participant or one party consents. Secretly recording a conversation you are not part of is a criminal offence under s. 184(1), punishable by up to 5 years in prison.
There is no absolute prohibition on using a weapon in self-defence, but the bar is very high. Canadian law does not allow weapons to be carried for self-defence purposes, and using a firearm or other weapon in an incident will face intense scrutiny.
As of December 2024, over 2,000 firearm models have been prohibited. Even minor compliance failures, such as improper storage or an expired licence, could result in criminal charges. If you are facing firearm charges in Ontario, contacting a criminal defence lawyer as early as possible is important.
If you breach bail conditions in Ontario, the police can arrest you without a warrant and keep you in custody until the next hearing. In addition to damaging your credibility and hurting your chances of defence, breaching bail can lead to a separate criminal charge for failure to comply with the conditions of your release order.
When you face criminal charges, leaving Canada may be restricted or require court approval. Even if you are not explicitly prohibited from leaving the country, your bail conditions may include other limitations which make leaving Canada unfeasible.
The short answer is this: assault does not require injury, while aggravated assault involves serious harm such as wounding, disfigurement, or endangering life. But in practice, the difference is not always obvious.
Assault causing bodily harm is a violent offence that can lead to significant legal consequences. In Canada, the judges impose sentences for assault causing bodily harm based on the presence of aggravating and mitigating factors, such as the first or second conviction, the degree of bodily harm, and other circumstances.
