Criminal law.

Being charged with a criminal offence can be stressful and daunting. At Law Booth, we have significant experience with criminal matters and have appeared at the Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Justice. 

Bail.

When an individual is charged with a criminal offence, the individual will either be released by police or held for a bail hearing. We conduct bail hearings even on short notice.

Dui. Impaired. Over 80.

This is the crime or offense of driving or operating a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol or other drugs (including recreational drugs and those prescribed by physicians), to a level that renders the driver incapable of operating a motor vehicle safely.

  • Driving with a blood-alcohol level above .08%

  • Refusing to provide a breath sample

  • Driving under the influence of drugs

  • Impaired driving causing death or bodily harm

  • Careless or dangerous driving

  • Leaving the scene of an accident

  • Driving with a suspended license

Youth.

Parliament has devised a separate criminal justice system for youths. The purpose of that youth justice system, as set out in the Preamble to the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), is to prevent crime by addressing its underlying causes and reducing over-reliance on incarceration for non-violent young persons.

  • Vandalism

  • Theft

  • Assault

  • Disorderly Conduct

  • Drug and alcohol offences


Sexual Assault.

Sexual assault is defined by the Criminal Code of Canada as an assault of a sexual nature that violates the sexual integrity of the victim. These charges are taken very seriously and are pursued aggressively by the police.

When investigating a sexual assault case, police look at several factors such as which body part was touched, the nature of the contact, the situation, words and gestures accompanying the act, and any threats that were accompanied by force.

  • Sexual assault with a weapon

  • Aggravated sexual assault

  • Sexual battery

  • Sexual harassment

  • Rape

Criminal Harassment.

This is a charge that is laid against individuals who knowingly engage in prohibited conduct that causes another person to fear for their safety or the safety of someone known to them.

  • Assault

  • Uttering threats

  • Domestic assault

  • Mischief (damaging or destroying property with no intent to steal it)

Drugs.

Drug trafficking charges occur when the intent is to sell and distribute controlled substances, most often in relation to a criminal organization that smuggles drugs.

Drug possession, means that illegal drugs were found on your person or anywhere you had reasonable access to. It can also involve the use of drugs at the time of the arrest.

  • Possession of a prohibited or controlled substance

  • Possession of a controlled substance for the purposes of trafficking

  • Trafficking in a prohibited or controlled substance

  • Producing, cultivating, or growing a controlled substance

  • Use of a prohibited or controlled substance

  • Importing, exporting, or possessing for the purpose of exporting a controlled substance.

Weapons.

The Criminal Code covers a wide range of criminal activities. These include using a firearm in the commission of an offence, pointing a firearm, possessing a firearm for a dangerous purpose, and even the unsafe storage of a firearm.

  • Unauthorized possession of a firearm

  • Carrying a concealed weapon

  • Possession of an unauthorized, restricted, or prohibited firearm

  • Weapons trafficking

  • Assault with a deadly weapon

  • Robbery

Kidnapping.

This is defined as taking someone against their will to a secondary location. In Canada, there are several forms of kidnapping, which include causing a person to be confined or imprisoned against their will, unlawfully transporting them out of the country, and holding a person against their will for ransom.

  • Unlawful confinement

  • Human trafficking

  • Hostage-taking

  • Abduction

  • Child luring

Theft/Fraud.

Under the Criminal Code of Canada, theft is defined as unlawfully taking property while fraud is defined as using deceit, falsehood, or other fraudulent means to obtain property, money, or services.

  • Identity theft

  • Forged or counterfeited documents

  • Break and enter

  • Theft from an employer

  • Shoplifting