Judge weighs bid to amend publication ban in Lapu-Lapu Day festival case
A media consortium, including CBC, is contesting the ban preventing the publication of almost all evidence heard in Lo's ongoing hearing to determine if he is mentally fit to stand trial on murder charges.
Lo allegedly drove his SUV into a crowd at the Filipino festival in South Vancouver on April 26 in what is the deadliest vehicle ramming attack in Canadian history. Eleven were killed. Dozens more were injured.
At the time of the attack, Lo was under the care of a mental health team from Vancouver Coastal Health and was being supervised under the Mental Health Act.
In July, Lo's fitness trial heard from two expert witnesses who prepared reports on Lo's personal and psychiatric history. Both are forensic psychiatrists who dealt with statements made by Lo and offered opinions and diagnoses.
Dr. Rakesh Lamba testified about a court-ordered assessment and follow-up report he prepared. Dr. Robert Lacroix testified about a separate assessment he conducted on behalf of Lo's defence.
In arguing against the publication ban, counsel for the media consortium said the ban is too broad as to impinge on the open court principle and right to freedom of expression.
"If we're going to abridge freedom of expression, we must do so in a minimally invasive way," said Daniel Coles.
Defence counsel Mark Swartz and Crown prosecutor Michaela Donnelly argued against the media consortium's application, saying that altering the ban would risk Lo's right to a fair trial and taint the jury pool.
Lo attended Tuesday's full-day hearing by video from where he is being held in custody.
Judge Reginald Harris has not set a date to render his decision on the media consortium's application.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
1 dead after double shooting in Brampton: Peel police
Peel Regional Police said one person is dead following a double shooting in a residential area of Brampton on Wednesday. The second victim was taken to a trauma centre with non-life-threatening injuries, police said in a post on X. Homicide detectives have taken over the investigation. The shooting happened on Tuesday evening. The shooting happened on Bayhampton Drive in Brampton, a residential street near the intersection of Castlemore Road and Humberwest Parkway. Images from the scene showed at least four police vehicles parked outside a home.
National Post
2 hours ago
- National Post
Opinion: Modernize the legal system to confront 21st-century organized crime
Article content The Jordan framework is a set of legal principles that determine whether a criminal trial has been delayed unreasonably, resulting in a rights violation. It enforces strict trial timelines of 18-30 months, forcing the dismissal of complex cross-border cases that in the U.S. could proceed under exceptions in the Speedy Trial Act. Article content The Stinchcombe disclosure rule requires the Crown to share virtually all evidence publicly, deterring the use of intelligence from our allies in court for fear of compromising sources. Our allies employ measures like public interest immunity or classified information procedures to protect sensitive data. Article content Our organized crime provisions are similarly out of step. The Criminal Code sections pertaining to organized crime (467.1–467.13) require proof of a rigid organizational structure and a benefit motive, a framework ill-suited to the decentralized, cell-based and digital networks driving today's transnational crime. In contrast, the U.S. RICO Act targets patterns of criminal behaviour, allowing prosecutions of crime leaders and facilitators in loosely co-ordinated syndicates. Article content Financial enforcement is equally weak. Between $45 billion and $113 billion is laundered in Canada each year, with British Columbia's Cullen Commission estimating that upwards of $5.3 billion is laundered through B.C. real estate every year. Article content The absence of a robust beneficial ownership registry leaves shell corporations and trusts as attractive vehicles for ' snow-washing ' illicit funds. FINTRAC's limited proactive authority contrasts sharply with the U.S. FinCEN 's ability to issue geographic targeting orders, freeze assets and compel cross-jurisdictional disclosure. Article content Jurisdictional gaps and enforcement silos further undermine our defences. Ports, airports and rail hubs often fall outside the authority of municipal and provincial police unless complex memoranda of understanding are in place, leaving vulnerabilities that organized crime exploits. Article content Intelligence is likewise siloed, with CSIS unable to readily convert its intelligence into admissible evidence — a problem the U.K. mitigates through closed-material proceedings. Article content Canada also lacks the means to compel internet service providers, payment processors and banks to sever support to foreign criminal enterprises, while the European Union's Digital Services Act — an overly restrictive act we should not strive to emulate overall — contains important elements, such as provisions empowering member states to force takedowns of criminal platforms. Article content To address these gaps, Canada should introduce targeted carve-outs to the Stinchcombe disclosure requirements and the Jordan timelines for organized crime and national security cases and create secure protocols for using allied intelligence in prosecutions. Article content The Criminal Code's organized crime sections should be modernized to include enforcement against decentralized networks alongside stronger wiretap and production order powers for digital and offshore data. Article content Financial transparency must be improved through a more robust and enforceable beneficial ownership registry and expanded FINTRAC powers.
CBC
4 hours ago
- CBC
Quebec court decision reveals RCMP keeps media flagged as child porn — even if it's not
A case involving a Montreal man accused of possessing child pornography is shedding light on wider privacy concerns. The RCMP receives photos and videos of suspected child pornography from tech giants, but the majority of what's flagged by AI detection tools are people's personal, sometimes explicit photos. The man's lawyer argues the RCMP's online data collection techniques, which involve storing those images for up to 100 years, are unconstitutional.
