Set Up To Fail

JULY 2014
Set Up to Fail:
Bail and the Revolving Door
of Pre-trial Detention
CANADIAN CIVIL LIBERTIES ASSOCIATION AND EDUCATION TRUST
LAssociation canadienne des liberts civiles et
Le Fidicommis canadien dducation en liberts civiles
Set Up to Fail:
Bail and the Revolving Door
of Pre-trial Detention
Canadian Civil Liberties Association
and Education Trust,
July 2014
Set Up to Fail: Bail and the Revolving Door of Pre-trial Detention
About the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and Education Trust

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is a national, non-profit, independent,
non-governmental organization that was constituted to promote respect for
and observance of fundamental human rights and civil liberties, and to defend
and foster the recognition of those rights and liberties. The CCLA has been
at the forefront of protecting fundamental freedoms and democratic life in
Canada since 1964. A wide variety of people, occupations and interests are
represented in its membership. The Canadian Civil Liberties Education Trust,
CCLAs education arm, has been engaged in public education since its inception
in 1968.
This report was written by Abby Deshman, Director of the Public Safety Program
with the CCLA, and Nicole Myers, Assistant Professor at the University of
Ontario Institute of Technology and Simon Fraser University (as of Fall 2014).
// i
Acknowledgments
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association thanks the Canadian Bar Associations
Law for the Future Fund for partial funding of this report. CCLA also gratefully
acknowledges assistance from a wide range of volunteers and contributors who
made this report possible. In addition to all CCLA staff who contributed, we give
our thanks to law and articling students Johanna Goosen, Alex Hudson,
TishaAlam, Julia Crabbe, Caroline Spindler, Maria Szabo and Sam Heppell for
spending weeks recording observations at bail courts across the country, and to
Debra Parkes at the University of Winnipeg, Peter Rogers at McInness Cooper
and Alexi Wood at Davis LLP, who were instrumental in facilitating the students
participation. CCLA volunteers, summer legal interns and seconded articling
students Sam Heppell, Maria Szabo, Matthew Benedict, Tyler Cohen, Cizan
Suleman, Golnaz Nayerahmadi, Alison Hamer, Philip Stiles and Jennifer Hancock
provided invaluable legal research and project support. We also benefited from
the hard work of staff at the access to information and correctional branches
ofthe jurisdictions studied who helped to fulfill our extensive access to
information requests. Special thanks to Jillian Rogin, who spent countless hours
at CCLAanalyzing interviews, discussing bail, and drawing from the conclusions
of her ongoing thesis research to draft the report sections on Gladue and the
bail system. Many thanks to those subject matter experts who provided
valuable and insightful feedback on an earlier version of this report. Finally,
thank you very much to all our interview participants, who took time out of their
busy schedules to share their perspectives on the bail system.
// ii
Table of
Contents
01 Executive Summary 1
02 Introduction: Bail in Context 5
03

The Law and Practice of Bail 14

3.1 Police powers to release or detain accused
14
3.2 Judicial interim release
15
3.3 The practice of bail
19
04 Findings 21
4.1 The first 24 hours in detention: Police powers to release
and the first judicial appearance
21
Decreasing use of police powers to release
21
Appearance before a justice without unreasonable delay:
a missed opportunity?
25
4.2 Nights, weeks or months behind bars:
Getting through bail court
26
Court administration and efficiency: systemic administrative delay
27
Ontario
30
Yukon
34
Overreliance on sureties: a costly obsession
35
Sureties and remote communities
41
Bail and remote communities
42
Perceptions regarding the quality of bail adjudication
44
Conditions of release: setting people up to fail
46
Overuse of bail conditions
48
Abstain conditions
56
Treatment conditions
59
4.3 The revolving door of pre-trial detention: breach of conditions
61
British Columbia
66
Ontario
67
Nova Scotia
68
Yukon
68
Manitoba
69

// iii
05 Systemic Discrimination and Bail

5.1 Addiction and mental health
5.2 Socio-economic status
5.3 Aboriginal people
Gladue
72
72
73
75
76
06 Conclusion and Recommendations

6.1 Consolidated recommendations
80
83
07 Appendix A: Methodology
7.1 Court observation
7.2 Interviews with criminal justice professionals
91
91
92
08

Appendix B: Data
8.1 Descriptive statistics
8.2 Court use of time
8.3 Legal representation
8.4 Daily case outcome
8.5 Adjournments
8.6 Release on bail
8.7 Form of release
8.8 Amount of bail
8.9 Conditions of release
09 Appendix C: The Practice of Bail in British Columbia,

Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Yukon
9.1 Bail in British Columbia
9.2 Bail in Manitoba
9.3 Bail in Nova Scotia
9.4 Bail in Ontario
9.5 Bail in Yukon
// iv
94
94
95
96
96
97
98
100
101
102
106
106
108
109
110
111
Executive
Summary
On any given day in 2012/2013, approximately 25,000 people were detained in
Canadas provincial jails.1 Over half of them were in pre-trial custody legally
innocent and waiting for their trial or a determination of their bail.2 Canadas jails
have not always looked like this. The remand rate has nearly tripled in the past
30 years, and 2005 marked the first time in Canadian history that our provincial
institutions were primarily being used to detain people prior to any finding of
guilt, rather than after they had been convicted and sentenced.3
While questions remain about what is driving the rise in pre-trial detention, it is
clear that it is not a response to increasing crime. Canadas overall crime rate
has been declining for at least 20 years. The violent crime rate is at its lowest
rate since 1987.4 In 2012, property offences and other non-violent Criminal Code
offences, such as breaching court orders or mischief, accounted for four-fifths
(79%) of police-reported crime.5
The law governing bail aims to safeguard individual liberty, the presumption of
innocence and the right to a fair trial by putting in place a strong presumption of
release and only imposing restrictions on liberty or detaining a person where
absolutely necessary. Not only does the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
(the Charter) guarantee our right to liberty, but it specifically enshrines a
constitutional right to reasonable bail.6
In many courts across the country, however, the bail system is operating in a
manner that is contrary to the spirit and, at times, the letter of the law.
Legally innocent individuals are processed through a bail system that is chaotic
and unnecessarily risk-averse and that disproportionately penalizes and
frequently criminalizes poverty, addiction and mental illness. Canadian bail
courts regularly impose abstinence requirements on those addicted to alcohol
or drugs, residency conditions on the homeless, strict check-in requirements in
difficult to access locations, no-contact conditions between family members,
and rigid curfews that interfere with employment and daily life. Numerous and
restrictive conditions, imposed for considerable periods of time, are setting
people up to fail and failing to comply with a bail condition is a criminal offence,
even if the underlying behaviour is not otherwise a crime.
01
On any given day,
the majority of
people detained
in Canadas
provincial and
territorial jails are
legally innocent
waiting for a bail
decision or
their trial.
1 Statistics Canada, CANSIM Table

251005.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid.
5 Samuel Perreault, Statistics
Canada, Police-reported Crime
Statistics in Canada, 2012
(Ottawa: StatCan, 25 July 2013),
online: Statistics Canada <http://
www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85002-x/2013001/article/11854eng.htm#wb-tphp>.
6 Constitution Act, 1982, being
Schedule B to the Canada Act
1982 (UK), 1982, c 11, ss 7, 11(e).
// 1
01
7 Public Safety Canada, Corrections

and Conditional Release Statistical
Overview (Ottawa: Public Works
and Government Services
Canada, Dec 2012), online:
Public Safety Canada <http://
www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/
rsrcs/pblctns/2012-ccrs/
index-eng.aspx#a5>.
8 Statistics Canada, CANSIM Table
2520051.
9 Lindsay Porter & Donna
Calverley, Trends in the Use of
Remand in Canada (Ottawa:
Juristat, 2011), online: Statistics
Canada <http://www.statcan.
gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2011001/
article/11440-eng.htm#a1>.
10 NM Myers & S Dhillon, The
Criminal Offence of Entering Any
Shoppers Drug Mart in Ontario:
Criminalizing Ordinary
Behaviour with Youth Bail
Conditions (2013) 55:2 Canadian
Journal of Criminology and
Criminal Justice.
11 See, for example, R v Zarinchang,
2007 ONCJ 470 at para 49.
// 2
Indeed, criminal charges for violating bail conditions are common. Across the
country, an administration of justice charge was the most serious charge in over
20% of the criminal and federal cases completed; about half of these cases
stemmed from violations of bail conditions.7 Moreover, the number of
administration of justice charges before our courts has risen in the past
10 years, and the increase is almost entirely due to allegations of broken bail
conditions.8 Our research found that some jurisdictions penalize bail breaches
more strictly than others. In Manitoba, for example, policy requires bail
supervisors to take a zero tolerance approach to bail violations: being a few
minutes late to an appointment will frequently result in a breach report, criminal
charges and a return to jail. Even when the original charge is withdrawn or
dismissed, the Crown will frequently still pursue a conviction for charges of
failure to comply with a bail order.
The cycle of detention, restrictive release and re-arrest could theoretically be
justified if it were necessary for public safety or to ensure an accused person
willreturn to court to face pending charges. Most of the people admitted to
pre-trial detention, however, are there for non-violent offences, and one in five
people are there simply because they failed to comply with a bail or probation
condition.9 Research also suggests that the release conditions being imposed
are too numerous and restrictive, frequently unnecessary and, at times, directed
towards behaviour modification and punishment.10 It is unconstitutional to
impose unnecessary restrictions on liberty, conditions the accused cannot
realistically comply with or conditions that are unrelated to the purposes of bail.
In some jurisdictions, violations of Charter rights in the bail context are routine.
We observed eight bail courts in five provinces/territories. Most of the bail
courts observed showed signs of inefficiency, adjourning a large proportion of
cases and spending only a fraction of open court time actively addressing bail
matters. Ontario, however, is experiencing unique problems of systemic delay:
during three weeks of observation, 20 people were returned to jail without
having their cases heard simply because the courts ran out of time. Multiple
court decisions over the past decade have criticized the serious and flagrant
systemic delays in Ontario bail courts, which force accused to languish in
custody waiting for their bail hearing.11 The continued systemic violation of
constitutional rights in Ontario bail courts is unacceptable.
Ontario and Yukon are also uniquely reliant on sureties: over half of observed
accused in these jurisdictions who were released on bail were required to have
a surety a friend or family member that must agree to supervise the accused
in the community and forfeit a specified sum of money if bail conditions are
violated. A surety release is one of the most restrictive forms of release, and the
costs of presumptively demanding an accused locate an acceptable surety and
requiring sureties to testify in court prior to release are significant. Accused

spend more time in detention and ask for numerous adjournments as they try
to put in place a release plan. Families and friends must take time off work,
pledge their money and act as jailors in the community. The practice especially
impacts those with few resources or limited social support, and accused from
remote communities. In Ontario even consent releases can be lengthy, contested
affairs, as sureties are cross-examined in open court. British Columbia, in
contrast, processes the vast majority of bail cases without requiring surety
supervision, suggesting the significant personal, systemic and financial costs of
insisting on so many surety releases in Ontario and Yukon are unnecessary.
Accused from remote communities are uniquely prejudiced by the bail system.
Most remote community members, unless released directly by the police, are
flown to the nearest provincial detention centre to have their bail processed.
Arranging for transportation can take a significant amount of time, and some
accused are spending over a week in detention waiting for their first appearance
in bail court. Once removed from their communities, accused are often cut off
from social support networks and do not even have access to phone numbers
they need to try to secure their release. If a surety is required to appear in
person, friends or family must spend hundreds of dollars on flights to appear
incourt to testify or simply sign the required papers. Counsel in northern
Manitoba report that Aboriginal clients regularly spend more time in pre-trial
detention than they would if they were just sentenced for the crime, and will
frequently plead guilty just to be released from custody and return home.
Nearly every issue highlighted in this report over-policing; routine adjournments;
requiring large numbers of abstention, treatment and other conditions;
difficulties with surety requirements; and the particular challenges faced by
accused detained in remote communities disproportionately impacts Aboriginal
people. Canadian courts have affirmed that an individuals Aboriginal heritage
and the systemic over-representation of Aboriginal people in our criminal justice
system must be taken into account at the bail stage. Unfortunately, our research
suggests that in areas with the highest concentrations of Aboriginal people, the
relevant Supreme Court jurisprudence is rarely explicitly raised. Even when
argued by counsel, the application of case law is inconsistent, and the practical
impact on the bail process is uncertain.
The personal, societal, financial and democratic costs of maintaining this system
are crippling. In Ontario, even a short stay in custodial detention awaiting bail
determination costs the province over $1,000 a figure that does not include
the additional expense of court services, duty counsel, Crown counsel and
judicial resources or costs to the accused person.12 Accused who are innocent
are pressured into pleading guilty just to escape the overcrowded dead time
It is
unconstitutional
to impose
unnecessary
restrictions
on liberty,
conditions the
accused cannot
realistically
comply with or
conditions that
are unrelated
to the purposes
of bail. In some
jurisdictions,
violations of
Charter rights in
the bail context
are routine.
12 Ontario spends an average of

$183 per day to keep a person in
provincial jail. Mia Dauvergne,
Adult Correctional Statistics in
Canada, 20102011 (Ottawa:
StatCan, 21 Dec 2012), online:
Statistics Canada
<http://www.statcan.gc.ca/
pub/85-002-x/2012001/
article/11715-eng.htm>. The
median length of pre-trial
detention ranges between four
days (Quebec) to 24 days
(Northwest Territories). In
Ontario the median length of
pre-trial detention is seven
days. Statistics Canada, Data
Table for Chart 5: Median Number
of Days Spent by Adults in
Remand, by Province and
Territory, 2009/2010 and
2010/2011 (Ottawa: StatCan,
11Oct 2012), online: Statistics
gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2012001/
article/11715/c-g/desc/
desc05-eng.htm>.
// 3
01
ofprovincial jails. Those released on bail pending trial are living under highly
restrictive conditions, which criminalize a wide range of non-criminal behaviour.
The most marginalized in our society are set up for a revolving door of charges,
detention, release and further charges. Our courts are bogged down with
administration of justice charges stemming from unnecessary or overly broad
release conditions that should not have been imposed in the first place. This is a
systemic violation of the Charter right to reasonable bail.
Bail and pre-trial detention are complex systems. Police, prosecutors, defence
counsel, justices of the peace, judges, bail supervisors and the correctional
system all play key roles. Reform must be approached with the involvement of
all relevant stakeholders. The complexity of bail, however, must not be used as
justification for inaction. The individual and societal costs of the status quo are
unacceptable and unsustainable. In 1972, Canada passed comprehensive bail
reform legislation in response to studies demonstrating vast numbers of people
were being unnecessarily detained prior to trial.13 We have again reached a
point where concrete action is necessary to ensure that the bail system
upholds rather than undermines fundamental rights, public safety and the
administration of justice.
13 Bail Reform Act, SC 1970-71-72,

c 37.
// 4
Introduction:
Bail in Context
02
On any given day in 2012/13, 25,208 people were detained in Canadas provincial
and territorial jails. Over half of those detained (54.5%) were in pre-trial custody,
legally innocent and awaiting trial or determination of their bail.14 Canadas jails
have not always looked like this: the remand rate has nearly tripled in the past
30 years. Figure 1 below depicts the nature of provincial imprisonment by
distinguishing between those who were in custody on remand from those who
were in custody serving a custodial sentence.15 As can be seen, over the past
25years the sentenced population has been steadily declining while the rate of
remand has been steadily climbing. Indeed, 2005 marked the first time in
Canadian history that we had more people in pre-trial detention than we had in
sentenced custody.
Figure 1: Provincial Imprisonment Rate per 100,000 Residents (Total,
Sentenced and Remand) in Canada, 19782013
80
70
Total Provincial
60
50
40
Total Sentenced
30
20
Total Remand
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
10
Total Provincial
Total Sentenced
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Total Remand
It is clear Canada as a whole has a pre-trial detention problem. Provincial

statistics, however, show considerable variation in the use of remand across the
country. Looking at the average remand counts (the average number of accused
on remand on any given day) expressed as a rate per 100,000 residents, we see
that while the country has an average remand rate of approximately 39.1 per
100,000 residents, in the jurisdictions that were examined in the studies reported
here, rates of remand varied from 28.5 per 100,000 in British Columbia to
166.2per 100,000 in Yukon.
14 Statistics Canada, CANSIM

Table251005.
15 A third category of provincial
prisoners, who are generally
referred to in governmental
statistical reports as other
provincial prisoners, has not
been included. This very small
group is largely comprised of
people being held in custody for
various other reasons (most
commonly immigration issues).
// 5
02
Figure 2: Remand Rate per 100,000 Residents, 2012/2013

Rate per 100,000 Residents
Northwest Territories
Nunavut
Yukon
Manitoba
Saskatchewan
Alberta
Ontario
Canada
Nova Scotia
Quebec
British Columbia
New Brunswick
Prince Edward Island
Newfoundland
0
50
100
150
200
250
The proportion of the provincial/territorial custodial population on remand also

varies widely (see Figure 3 below). Across Canada 55% of people in provincial
and territorial custody were on remand in 2012/2013. Looking at the five
jurisdictions targeted for this study, 66% of Manitobas, 63% of Nova Scotias,
60% of Ontarios, 60% of Yukons and 52% of British Columbias provincial/
territorial prison population was in pre-trial detention.
// 6
Figure 3: Percent of Provincial/Territorial Prisoners on Remand, 2012/2013

Percent of Prisoners on Remand
Manitoba
Nova Scotia
Alberta
Ontario
Yukon
Canada
The 2012 crime

rate in Canada
was the lowest
rate since 1972.
The violent
crime rate has
also consistently
fallen and is at its
lowest rate since
1987.
Nunavut
British Columbia
Quebec
Saskatchewan
New Brunswick
Newfoundland
and Labrador
Prince Edward Island
0
15
30
45
60
75
While questions remain about what is driving the increase in the remand
population, it is clear that it is not a response to increasing crime. The crime rate
in Canada continues to decline; indeed the 2012 crime rate in Canada was the
lowest rate since 1972.16 The violent crime rate has also consistently fallen and is
at its lowest rate since 1987.17 There are fewer crimes being committed, and
those that are committed are less violent than they were in the past. In 2012,
property offences and other non-violent Criminal Code offences, such as
breaching court orders or mischief, accounted for about four-fifths (79%) of
police-reported crime.18
15
16 Samuel Perreault, Statistics

Canada, Police-reported Crime
(Ottawa: StatCan, 25 July 2013),
www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85002-x/2013001/article/11854eng.htm#wb-tphp>.
17 Ibid.
18 Ibid. (In 2012, property and
other Criminal Code offences
accounted for about four-fifths
(79%) of police-reported
Criminal Code incidents
(excluding traffic offences).
Theft of $5,000 or under,
mischief and offences related to
the administration of justice,
such as breach of probation or
fail to comply with order, made
up almost two-thirds (64%) of
the non-violent crimes reported
by police.)
// 7
// 8
10,000
10000
Total
8000
8,000
Property Crimes
6,000
6000
4000
4,000
Other Crimes
2000
2,000
Total
Property Crimes
Violent Crimes
2012
2010
2008
2006
2004
2002
2000
1998
1996
1994
1992
1990
1988
1986
1984
1982
1980
1978
1976
1974
1972
1970
1968
Violent Crimes
1966
1964
19 See CM Webster, AN Doob & NM

Myers, The Parable of Ms.
Baker: Understanding Pretrial
Detention in Canada (2009) 21:1
Current Issues in Criminal Justice
79. In Ontario, the number of
cases starting their case
processing history in bail court
has increased from an average
of six per 1,000 in 2001 to 8.3
per 1,000 residents in 2007 an
increase of 38%. The mean
number of appearances made in
the entire criminal court process
by those who were held for a
bail hearing has also increased
from an average of 7.7
appearances in 2001 to 9.4
appearances in 2007 a 22%
increase. Indeed, as noted by
Webster, Doob and Myers, the
proportion of cases that began
their case processing history in
bail court rose from 39.2% in
2001 to 50.2% in 2007 in Ontario
(92). This means the majority of
cases in Ontario now start in
bail court. That said, the
proportion of bail cases that
were formally detained
following a bail hearing stayed
much the same (13% and 12.3%,
respectively) (Webster et al
[2009] at 92). This suggests that
the growth in the remand
population is not so much a
function of more people being
denied bail; rather, it is the
result of more people being held
for a bail hearing and the bail
decision taking longer to be
made. This means that not only
are more people being detained
after being charged, but they
are spending a longer period of
time in remand custody.
20 Jillian Boyce, Cases Completed in
Adult Criminal Court, by Type of
Offence, Canada, 2010/2011 and
2011/2012 (Ottawa: Juristat),
www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85002-x/2013001/article/11804eng.htm?fpv=2693>.
21 Ibid.
gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2011001/
12000
12,000
1962
02
Figure 4: Total Police-Reported Crime Rate per 100,000 Residents for

Canada, 19622012
Other Crimes
Despite the fact that our communities as a whole are safer than ever and the
vast majority of cases being processed are non-violent in nature, there are
indications that more people are starting their interaction with the justice
system in custody. In Ontario, the only province that has been studied in detail,
more cases are starting criminal court processing in bail court, and individuals
are making more court appearances as they wait for their bail to be decided.19
If a person is released on bail, restrictive conditions are often imposed. Common
conditions include curfews; reporting to police or bail supervision workers;
movement restrictions and geographical boundaries; no-contact orders; drug or
alcohol abstention orders; medical or addictions treatment orders; bans on cell
phones, computers or internet use; and house arrest. One has to keep in mind,
when reading this list of restrictions, that those subject to them have not been
found guilty of any crime. Once released, however, violating any condition of bail is
a criminal offence; Canadas courts are overloaded with people accused of
committing these crimes, which are generally called administration of justice
offences. Across the country, in 2011/2012 an administration of justice charge was
the most serious charge in 22% of completed criminal and federal cases; 44% of these
administration of justice charges stemmed from violations of bail conditions.20
The total number of failure to comply charges, including those that may bepart
of a case with more serious offences, is even higher.21 A failure to comply
charge will often result in the persons arrest and return to pre-trial detention
infact, failure to comply with a bail condition is the most common reason for a
person to be admitted to pre-trial detention.22 Appearing in bail court with an
administration of justice charge also establishes a legal presumption against
release on bail, making it more difficult for individuals to secure their release.23
For a person who has been charged with an offence, the difference between
being released from police custody and being detained for a bail hearing can
besignificant. Even a few days in detention can mean emergency child care
arrangements, lost income, a lost job or skipped medication. In jurisdictions that
regularly require a surety, the bail process is frequently delayed as the accused
must find an acceptable family member or friend who will agree to supervise
him or her in the community and promise a defined sum of money should the
accused fail to comply with their bail or commit a new criminal offence. Often,
release will be delayed until the surety can personally attend the courthouse.
Accused in custody frequently agree to abide by numerous strict bail conditions
to secure immediate release by consent of the Crown. These restrictions on
pre-trial liberty can be quite onerous. If accused persons could expect to have
their trial and be sentenced within a few weeks of initial arrest, the presence of
numerous restrictive conditions may not present such a problem. However, the
median time to case completion is 117 days (four months) in Canada,24 and if
accused were to insist on their right to a trial rather than simply pleading guilty,
the wait time tends to be much longer. This means that accused are subject to
numerous conditions for extended periods of time. Moreover, failing to comply
with any of these conditions is a criminal offence. Even if the original charge
cannot be sustained in court, an accused who violates a condition of release
(e.g., is not at home 10 minutes after the beginning of a curfew period) can be
found guilty of the criminal offence of failure to comply with a court order.
Those who are denied release on bail may spend months, or even years, awaiting
trial in overcrowded provincial detention facilities. As explained in a federal
report on justice efficiencies, [t]ime on remand is often referred to as dead time
because the accused is housed in facilities designed for short-term detention
and may have no access to recreation, work or rehabilitative programs.25 The
Supreme Court of Canada has stated that an accused placed in remand is often
subjected to the worst aspects of our correctional system by being detained in
dilapidated, overcrowded cells without access to recreational or educational
programs.26 Countless lower court rulings have also recognized the overcrowded,
harsh conditions of pre-trial detention facilities across the country.27 As
described by one Ontario court:
generally, detention centres do not provide educational, retraining or
rehabilitation programming for those in custody awaiting trial; and due to
overcrowding, inmate turnover, labour disputes and other factors, the
custodial conditions for remand prisoners can be unusually onerous.
...
23 In these cases, the onus is

reversed the accused must
demonstrate why they ought to
be released, rather than the
Crown having to demonstrate
why the accused ought to
bedetained.
24 Statistics Canada, Adult Criminal
Court Statistics 2011/2012 (2013),
www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85002-x/2013001/article/11804eng.htm?fpv=2693#a11>.
25 Department of Justice, The Final
Report on Early Case Consideration
of the Steering Committee on
Justice Efficiencies and Access to
the Justice System (Ottawa: DOJ,
2013), online: Department of
Justice <http://www.justice.gc.ca/
eng/rp-pr/csj-sjc/esc-cde/
ecc-epd/p1.html>.
26 R v Hall, 2002 SCC 64 at para 118.
27 For some recent examples from
across Canada, see R v Rose, 2013
NSPC 99 at paras 2021
(Mr.Rose testified that he is on
remand awaiting the final
outcome of his case. He has been
moved four or five times
between Burnside and Cape
Breton. When in Burnside he
has had to sleep on the floor
because of overcrowding. He
cannot remain in Cape Breton if
all beds are taken. He has missed
several dental appointments
because he has been moved due
to overcrowding. . . . On one
occasion when there was no
room he was put in the lockdown
range where there is no fresh air
and no programs. There are no
programs in Burnside for remand
prisoners. In Cape Breton he has
been able to attend Alcoholics
Anonymous meetings and take
an upgrading class.); R v Utye,
2013 NUCJ 14 at para 16
(Mr.Utye has been in pre-trial
detention for a period of
approximately 50 weeks. He
consented to his detention
without seeking bail. Given the
difficult conditions caused by
overcrowding at the Baffin
Correctional Center, the accused
is entitled to enhanced credit for
this pre-trial detention.
Overcrowding continues to affect
the availability of programming
within the institution as well as
the quality of a prisoners
confinement.); R v Clayton, 2012
ABQB 333 at para 34 (I was
advised that for 39 of the 48 days
he had spent in custody awaiting
// 9
02
his sentencing hearing he was
forced to sleep on the floor
because of overcrowding in the
Centre. This is unacceptable
practice in my view.); R v
Johnson, 2013 ONSC 4217 at para
36 (The awful conditions of
confinement at the Don Jail are
well-known to judges in Ontario.
The overcrowding, triple-bunking
and lack of access to fresh air
and exercise are part of the
regular menu at this institution);
R v Crockatt, 2013 ONSC 6797 at
para 55 (Evidence was obtained
from the Ministry of Community
Safety and Correctional Services
relative to the circumstances
that obtained at the Toronto E.
Detention Ctr. During [sic] the
period from January 27, 2012 to
August 28, 2013 relative to the
incarceration of Justin Battle.
This document evidences the
overcrowded conditions at that
facility which frequently
required the offender to be
housed with three inmates to a
cell, which resulted in him being
offered access to the exercise
yard only 312 times, or about
56% of the time that he was in
custody there, and the number
of times during that earlier
period of pretrial and
presentence custody during
which lockdowns took place.);
R v Dicker, 2013 CanLII
13200 (NLPC).
28 R v Morant, 2013 ONSC 1969 at
paras 52, 55.
29 Martin L Friedland, Detention
Before Trial: A Study of Criminal
Cases Tried in the Toronto
Magistrates Courts (Toronto:
University of Toronto Press,
1965).
30 Ibid; P Koza & A Doob, The
Relationship of Pre-trial Custody
to the Outcome of a Trial (1975)
17:4 Criminal Law Quarterly 391;
M Dhami, Conditional Bail
Decision Making in the
Magistrates Court (2004) 43:1
The Howard Journal 27.
31 Statistics Canada, Table 5
Expenditures on Adult Correctional
Services, by Jurisdiction,
// 10
Living in very overcrowded conditions, with the threat of violence among the
inmates, being regularly triple bunked in a windowless cell that is 6 by 9
including a toilet and not even being able to go outside for much of the time,
let alone exercise is harsh for anyone. . . . The conditions in these institutions
are disturbing.28
Under these circumstances, the pressure to plead guilty to get out of custody
and back to normal life is enormous. Previous research shows there is a
relationship between being held in pre-trial detention and pleading guilty.29
The desire to be released from custody and have matters resolved exerts
considerable pressure on the accused to forfeit their right to a trial. Even if a
person decides to exercise their constitutional right to a trial, their detention
makes it more likely that they will be found guilty and receive a longer
custodialsentence.30
The financial costs of maintaining a high remand population are staggering. In
2010/11 the Ontario government spent $750 million on adult correctional
services; 78% of these costs are directed towards keeping people in jail.31 All the
provinces and territories jointly spend $1.9 billion each year on adult corrections.32
Even a short stay in custodial detention while awaiting bail is expensive. Ontario
spends an average of $183 per day to keep a person in provincial jail.33 This
means the median of seven days34 in remand costs taxpayers over $1,000 per
accused a figure that does not include the additional costs of court services,
duty counsel, Crown counsel and judicial resources, and transporting the
accused person between the remand facility and court (often multiple times). In
comparison, it costs $5 to supervise an accused in the community.35 Indeed, the
size of the remand population represents such a significant cost liability to the
Ontario government that, in 2012, the Commission on the Reform of Ontarios
Public Services stated, Ontario must address the trend of increasing custody
remand and the additional costs associated with this trend if the province is to
balance its budget by 201718.36
This public expenditure is not buying an increase in public safety. To the
contrary, unnecessarily detaining people prior to trial will, if anything, make our
society less safe. Individuals who are detained even for a short period of time
can lose income, housing, employment and social connections. These stabilizing
factors are all elements that contribute to individual success and community
safety.37 Over-supervising low-risk defendants and placing unnecessary conditions
on their release also has a negative impact, as it tends to increase the likelihood
of individual failure.38 The majority of people who are admitted to pre-trial
detention are facing non-violent charges.39 There is no trade-off between a
sensible, defensible, rights-respecting bail system and public safety: these are
mutually reinforcing goals.
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (the Charter) constitutionally

guarantees individuals right to be presumed innocent, right to reasonable bail,
right to equality, right to be free from arbitrary detention and right to not be
deprived of our liberty except in accordance with the principles of fundamental
justice.40 The Criminal Code sets out a presumption that accused should be
released without conditions while awaiting trial.41 Yet, for the past 30 years, the
remand population has grown at an alarming rate. Today there are more legally
innocent people in Canadas provincial and territorial jails than there are people
in custody serving a sentence post-conviction. The bail system routinely prejudices accused persons, violates fundamental rights and freedoms of Canadians
and undermines the integrity of the criminal justice system. The personal,
societal, democratic and financial costs of needlessly imprisoning the innocent
make this a trend that we cannot afford to continue.

gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2012001/
article/11715/tbl/tbl05-eng.htm>.
32 Ibid.
33 Mia Dauvergne, Adult Correctional
(Ottawa: StatCan, 21Dec 2012),
www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85002-x/2012001/article/11715eng.htm>.
34 The median length of pre-trial
detention ranges between four
days (Quebec) to 24 days
(Northwest Territories). Statistics
Canada, Data Table for Chart 5:
Median Number of Days Spent by
Adults in Remand, by Province and
Territory, 2009/2010 and
Canada <http://www.statcan.gc.
ca/pub/85-002-x/2012001/
article/11715/c-g/desc/desc05eng.htm>.
35 Commission on the Reform of
Ontarios Public Services, Public
Services for Ontarians: A Path to
Sustainability and Excellence
(Toronto: Ontario Ministry
of Finance, 2012), online:
Ontario Ministry of Finance
<http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/
reformcommission/chapters/
ch14.html>.
36 Ibid.
37 M Berg & B Huebner, Reentry
and the Ties that Bind: An
Examination of Social Ties,
Employment and Recidivism
(2010) 28:2 Justice Quarterly 383;
Daniel S Nagin, Francis T Cullen &
Cheryl Lero Jonson (2009),
Imprisonment and Reoffending
in Michael Tonry, ed, Crime and
Justice: A Review of Research (38)
(Chicago: University of Chicago
Press, 2009).
38 J Sprott & N Myers, Set Up to
Fail: The Unintended
Consequences of Multiple Bail
Conditions (2011) 53:4 Canadian
Journal of Criminology and
Criminal Justice 404.
gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2011001/
1982 (UK), 1982, c 11.
41 Criminal Code, RSC 1985, c C-46,
s515.
// 11
02
The Human Impact of Pre-trial Detention

There are repercussions of the bail system that people dont understand. Being
detained has a cataclysmic effect on a persons ability to defend themselves. . . .
Access to your counsel is considerably harder. . . . For me to go visit someone in
pre-trial, [it] is an hour each way. . . . Youre sitting in a locked room thats hot
and smelly and [in] most cases you require your client to be more proactive. . . .
It makes a huge difference.
Defence counsel, British Columbia
[The pressure of being in jail] forces people to plead guilty. The ride to and from
Vanier [Detention Centre] and the West [Detention Centre] in the wagon that
in itself forces people to plead guilty regularly. Somebody will be arrested, and
they want to plead guilty to avoid having to come back the next day . . . . I guess
at Vanier they have to get up [between] 4:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. As long as youre
coming to court, you cant access the phone. A woman told me recently that she
was coming back and forth for a few days, and had not been given access to
clean clothing or underwear, and she had been menstruating . . . actually the
guards, she told me that the guards with the inmates had lobbied for clean
clothes. Surprisingly the guards supported the women, and they were able to
achieve that. Thats the same with the men; theyre not given access to showers
or the phone as long as theyre coming to and from court. So they have to rely
100% on us [duty counsel] to make calls, talk to their family.
Duty counsel, Ontario
We had a client no record, charged with straight summary offence, prowl by
night, and later charged with criminal harassment [who] was arrested in
[city A]. . . . The conditions of his release were a curfew every night, [and] he had
to reside with his surety in [city B]. . . . He had to move . . . he lost his job. . . . It
was a significant disruption for a first offender charged with minor offences. . . .
At that point, a few weeks later, when you get a chance to speak with the
Crown, the damage has been done hes lost his job, had to move out of his
apartment.
Defence counsel, Ontario
[People plead guilty to get out of remand] all the time. . . . People will just plead;
sooner in, sooner out. . . . The wait for trials, even in custody, is so long. . . . You
could have somebody who is waiting six to eight months for a trial, and the
Crowns only looking at three to four months on a guilty plea.
Defence counsel, rural Manitoba
[There are] huge problems [with people getting released and not having their
property with them]. People getting arrested in one city, taken to another city
and then they have to make their own way back. They dont have any money.
Their wallet is at the police station. The level of inhumanity is staggering; and
[if] I were to focus on it, it would overwhelm me it shocks me. But it happens
all too easy because one individual is making a bureaucratic decision and they
dont have any sensitivity to the repercussions of it because they actually dont
understand the system.
// 12
Conditions in Provincial Jails

They are abysmal. I have a client convicted. . . . He ended up in a max[imum
security] prison outside of Vancouver. . . . He ended up being successful
on his appeal; a new trial was ordered, so hes now been returned to the
remand centre. Hes so horrified at the prospect of being in the remand
facility. He was in the remand facility for three years prior to being convicted.
Hes so horrified by the prospect of remand that he attempted suicide within
a week of being [back] there. [In] most of the remand facilities, you have no
personal contact with anybody. . . . Twenty-twohour lockdowns for many
people, double bunking, no work, no education, no programs you really are
better off serving time in a federal institution. The conditions are appalling,
and of course you cant get in to look at them, but I can tell you that I would
not be surprised if the standards breached any number of international
conventions.
Its overcrowded. . . . I find that Im often dealing with older people who . . .
might have dementia or other problems, and it seems like theyre forced to
sleep on the hard concrete floor [because] theres not enough bunks. . . .
Im wondering why the people who look like they need the bed the most
arent being given the bed. . . . It seems like its being left to the inmates to
determine who gets to sleep where.
Defence counsel, Ontario
The local jail went to double bunking possibly five years ago or so and sort of
a fuss died down so what was new then is now old. . . . The most common
complaint is access to prescribed medications anything, like pain medication
or mood altering [medication] which has been prescribed, seems to be a
hard sell at the jail. . . . The jail has doctors who patrol regularly and it seems
that they are influenced by the jail authority and are persuaded. . . . They
dont prescribe as doctors do on the street.
Duty counsel, Nova Scotia
Theyre overcrowded from what Im told. . . . The remand centre downtown
doesnt have a yard. So theres really no real outdoor time that they get. . . .
Downtown, youre in downtown Winnipeg . . . and if youre in segregation,
youre locked up 23 hours a day . . . and theres not a whole lot of
programming.
Defence counsel, Manitoba
// 13
03
42 R v Pearson, [1992] 3 SCR 665
(1992), 17 CR (4th) 1, 77 CCC (3d)
at 691; R v Hall, 2002 SCC 62, 217
DLR (4th) 536 at para 13.
ss 497(1.1), 498(1). There are a
variety of forms of police
release, including a summons,
appearance notice, promise to
appear and recognizance. An
appearance notice is usually
issued directly by the police. A
summons, which can be
received via mail, requires an
individual to appear in court at a
specific time and place. Both of
these can be issued without
arresting the accused. A
promise to appear is a written
document signed by the
accused where he or she
promises to appear in court on a
specific time and date, and
abide by any additional
conditions imposed by the
officer and included in the
document. A recognizance is
similar to a promise to appear,
but will require the accused to
pay a sum of money if they fail
to appear in court. Individuals
who live more than 200 km from
where they will have to appear
in court may be required to
provide a cash deposit.
44 Only a Supreme Court judge
may release people charged
with treason (s 47), alarming
Her Majesty (s 49), intimidating
parliament (s 51), inciting mutiny
(s 53), sedition (s 61), piracy
(s 74), piratical acts (s 75) and
murder (s 235). Individuals who
are arrested without a warrant
for an indictable offence
committed in another
jurisdiction must also be
brought before a justice
(s 503(3)). All sections in this
footnote refer to Criminal Code,
RSC 1985, c C-46.
s 495(2).
s 499(1).
// 14
The Law and

Practice of Bail
The legal framework governing bail and pre-trial detention draws from the
presumption of innocence and the general principle that the government must
justify any restriction on an individuals liberty. The right to pre-trial release is
secured in both the Criminal Code of Canada and the Canadian Charter of Rights
and Freedoms; everyone charged with a criminal offence has a basic entitlement
to be granted reasonable bail unless there is just cause to do otherwise.42
Both the legal provisions governing pre-trial detention, as well as the practical
decisions regarding how bail courts operate, must be interpreted and analyzed
in light of the right to liberty and the presumption of innocence.
3.1 Police Powers to Release or Detain Accused43
In the vast majority of cases44 the Criminal Code directs police to release individuals
from custody with the least restrictions possible placed on their liberty. Police
officers can only arrest a person without a warrant if there are reasonable
grounds to believe that the person will not attend court or the public interest will
not be satisfied by issuing the person an appearance notice.45 Officers considering
whether an appearance notice will be sufficient are specifically directed to consider
whether arrest is necessary to establish the identity of the person, secure or
preserve evidence, prevent the commission of more offences, protect victims or
witnesses, or ensure a persons attendance at court. If the police decide a
warrantless arrest is necessary, other sections of the Criminal Code direct officers
to release the accused as soon as practicable unless their detention is necessary
to achieve the specifically listed purposes of bail. Where there is a warrant for an
individuals arrest, the Criminal Code gives police officers the discretionary power
to release an individual with a promise to appear or a recognizance.46
The Criminal Code permits the police to impose release conditions in certain
circumstances. Where there is an arrest warrant, the police may release a
person on an undertaking and may impose the following optional conditions
where justifiable:
remain within a territorial jurisdiction specified in the undertaking;
notify a peace officer or another person of any change in address,
employment or occupation;
abstain from communicating, directly or indirectly, with any victim,
witness or other person;
deposit the persons passport;
abstain from possessing a firearm;

report at specified times to a peace officer or other person;
abstain from consuming alcohol, other intoxicating substances, or drugs
other than prescribed medication; and
any other condition specified in the undertaking that the officer in charge
considers necessary to ensure the safety and security of any victim of or
witness to the offence.47
These conditions may also be imposed on a person arrested without a
warrant if they are not released through the mandatory release provisions
described above.48
The legal reforms

in the 1970s
firmly established
the presumption
that an accused
should be
released without
conditions
pending trial.
3.2 Judicial Interim Release

Canadas bail provisions were reformed in 1972 when the Bail Reform Act was
introduced. Before 1972 bail was highly discretionary. There was a presumption
that an accused person would be detained unless he or she applied for bail, and
the law gave judges no criteria or guidance for the decision. Studies of the bail
system in the 1960s found that bail was operating in an ineffective, inequitable,
and inconsistent manner and the system was often subverted into a form of
punishment before trial. 49 In light of the significant impacts on liberty, the
presumption of innocence and an accuseds practical ability to mount his or her
defence, it was recommended that pre-trial detention be carefully controlled by
clear criteria50 and limited to those situations where it was necessary for the
protection of society.51
The legal reforms in the 1970s firmly established the presumption that an
accused should be released without conditions pending trial. This presumption
was constitutionally entrenched in s 11(e) of the Charter, which guarantees the
right not to be denied reasonable bail without just cause.52 As described by the
Supreme Court:
Most of the current bail provisions in the Criminal Code were enacted in the
Bail Reform Act, S.C. 1970-71-72, c. 37. The Bail Reform Act established a
basic entitlement to bail. Bail must be granted unless pre-trial detention is
justified by the prosecution. . . . Section 11(e) creates a basic entitlement to be
granted reasonable bail unless there is just cause to do otherwise.
. . . In general, a person charged with an offence and produced before a
justice, unless he or she pleads guilty, is to be released on an undertaking
without conditions. However, the Crown is to be given a reasonable
opportunity to show cause why either detention or some other order
should be made. . . . 53
47 It should be noted that police

officers do not have unlimited
discretion to impose conditions
of release. Police may impose
the specific enumerated
conditions, or any other
condition that is necessary to
ensure the safety and security
of any victim of or witness to the
offence. R v Skordas, 2001 ABPC
118, 290 AR 191; R v Barnett,
[2010] OJ No 5822, 2010 ONSC
3720.
s 498.
49 Martin L Friedland, Detention
Before Trial: A Study of Criminal
Cases Tried in the Toronto
Magistrates Courts (Toronto:
University of Toronto Press,
1965) at 172, 175; cited in R v
Hall, 2002 SCC 62, 217 DLR (4th)
536 at paras 5758.
50 Friedland, ibid at 186.
51 Canadian Committee on
Corrections, Toward Unity:
Criminal Justice and Corrections
(Ottawa: CCC, 1969) at 1089.
1982 (UK), 1982, c 11.
53 R v Pearson, [1992] 3 SCR 665
(1992), 17 CR (4th) 1, 77 CCC (3d)
at 691.
// 15
03
In order to withstand constitutional scrutiny, the amount of money required

and any restrictions on an accuseds liberty when released on bail must be
reasonable and there must be just cause if a person is denied bail altogether.54
While there are some situations in which the burden of proof is reversed and an
accused is required to show that he or she should not be detained,55 in general
the onus is on the prosecution to show why a person cannot be released.56 An
accused shall be released on his giving an undertaking without conditions 57
unless a prosecutor can show why further restrictions on liberty are justified. If
unconditional release is not appropriate in a specific case, the Court has a series
of increasingly restrictive release orders that can be imposed:
(2) Where the justice does not make an order under subsection (1), he shall,
unless the prosecutor shows cause why the detention of the accused is
justified, order that the accused be released
54 Ibid at para 57.

55 Generally the Crown must prove
why an individual should be
detained. Since the introduction
of the Bail Reform Act, however,
several amendments have been
passed that reverse the onus,
requiring certain accused to
demonstrate why they ought to
be released. Currently, an
accused bears the onus if he or
she is charged with:
an indictable offence that
was allegedly committed
while the accused was on
bail for another indictable
charge (s 515(6)(a)(i));
murder, treason and a few
other serious offences
(s522(2));
certain offences related to
or involving criminal
organizations, terrorism,
security of information,
firearms, or the trafficking,
importing or production of
prohibited drugs (s 515(6)(a));
an indictable offence when
the accused is not ordinarily
resident in Canada (s 515(6)
(b)); or
an offence of violating an
existing bail condition or
failing to attend court when
required for a pending
charge (s 515(6)(c)).
In these cases, a person will be
presumptively detained unless
he or she can prove that release
is appropriate.
s 515(1).
57 Ibid.
// 16
(a) on his giving an undertaking with such conditions as the justice directs;
(b) on his entering into a recognizance before the justice, without sureties,
in such amount and with such conditions, if any, as the justice directs but
without deposit of money or other valuable security;
(c) on his entering into a recognizance before the justice with sureties in
such amount and with such conditions, if any, as the justice directs but
without deposit of money or other valuable security;
(d) with the consent of the prosecutor, on his entering into a recognizance
before the justice, without sureties, in such amount and with such conditions,
if any, as the justice directs and on his depositing with the justice such sum
of money or other valuable security as the justice directs; or
(e) if the accused is not ordinarily resident in the province in which the
accused is in custody or does not ordinarily reside within two hundred
kilometres of the place in which he is in custody, on his entering into a
recognizance before the justice with or without sureties in such amount
and with such conditions, if any, as the justice directs, and on his depositing
with the justice such sum of money or other valuable security as the justice
directs.
Section 515(3) of the Criminal Code requires the prosecution demonstrate why
the less onerous form of release is inappropriate before the justice can impose
the subsequent, more restrictive form of release. This process has been
referred to as the ladder approach:
The structure for interim release adopted in Part XVI has been called the
ladder principle. At its core this means . . . that release is favoured at the
earliest reasonable opportunity and, having regard to the risk of flight and
public protection, on the least onerous grounds. The first option to consider is
release upon an undertaking without conditions (s. 515(1)). Second, if the
prosecution considers that this will not secure the aims of Part XVI it may
seek to show cause for other, non-monetary conditions (s. 515(2)(a)). Only in
the last resort should those conditions include a requirement for cash by
deposit or recognizance by the accused or a third party (s. 515(3)). These are
the steps on the ladder. Even then, however, there is a progression in the
types of cash conditions that may be sought and imposed . . . and, again, the
policy favours less onerous conditions unless cause is shown for more
onerous grounds.58
The basic principle is restrictions on pre-trial liberty should be imposed only to
the extent that they are necessary to give effect to the criteria for release.59
The Criminal Code sets out three justifications (commonly referred to as the
primary, secondary and tertiary grounds) for detaining a person or requiring
conditional release prior to trial. The primary ground requires that detention be
necessary to ensure an accuseds future attendance in court to face the pending
charges.60 The secondary ground authorizes detention where it is necessary for
the protection or safety of the public due to a substantial likelihood an accused
will commit an offence or interfere with the administration of justice and thereby
endanger the protection or safety of the public.61 Finally, bail may be denied
or conditions imposed where necessary to maintain confidence in the
administration of justice, having regard to all the circumstances.62 This analysis
includes consideration of the apparent strength of the Crowns case; the gravity
of the offence; the circumstances surrounding the commission of the offence,
including whether a firearm was used; and the potential sentence if the accused
is found guilty.63
Section 515(4) of the Criminal Code states that a justice may impose one or more
of the following requirements on an accused who is released with conditions
under s 515(2):
report at specified times to a police officer or other person;
remain within a specified territorial jurisdiction;
notify a police officer or other person of any change in address
oremployment;
abstain from communicating, directly or indirectly, with any victim,
witness, or other specified person;
refrain from going to any specified place;
deposit a passport;
Restrictions on
pre-trial liberty
should only be
imposed to the
extent that they
are necessary to
ensure attendance
at trial, address
a substantially
likely risk to
public safety,
or to maintain
confidence in the
administration
of justice.
58 R v Anoussis, 2008 QCCQ 8100,
242 CCC (3d) at para 23; see also
R v Horvat (1972), 9 CCC (2d) 1,
[1972] BCJ No 540 at paras 56.
59 Hon Justice Gary T Trotter, The
Law of Bail in Canada, 3d ed,
(Toronto: Carswell, 2010) at 241.
s 515(10)(a).
s 515(10)(b); R v Morales, [1992]
3SCR 711 at 737, 77 CCC (3d) 91
(I am satisfied that the scope of
the public safety component of
s 515(10)(b) is sufficiently narrow
to satisfy the first requirement
under s 11(e). Bail is not denied
for all individuals who pose a
risk of committing an offence or
interfering with the administration of justice while on bail. Bail
is denied only for those who
pose a substantial likelihood of
committing an offence or
interfering with the administration of justice, and only where
this substantial likelihood
endangers the protection or
safety of the public. Moreover,
detention is justified only when
it is necessary for public safety.
It is not justified where
detention would merely be
convenient or advantageous).
s 515(10)(c).
63 Ibid.
// 17
03

s 515(4)(e.1).
s 515(4)( f ).
66 R v Keenan, (1979) JQ No 195,
57 CCC (2n) 267.
67 R v Sexton, (1976) NJ No 89, 33
CRNS 307 (Nfld Dist Ct).
68 R v Saunter, 2006 ABQB 808
(Alta QB).
69 Collins v R (1982), 31 CR (3d) 283
(Ont Co Ct).
70 R v Farago (2002), 333 AR 158
(QB).
s 503(1); R v Obed, 2011 CanLII
50704.
72 Originally noted in R v Simpson
(1994), 117 Nfld & PEIR 110
(Nfld CA), appeal allowed by the
Supreme Court on grounds not
affecting this point, [1994] SCCA
No 180 and affirmed in R v W(E)
(2002), 168 CCC (3d) 38
(Nfld CA).
s 520(4).
74 R v V(J) (2002), OJ No 1027, 163
CCC (3d) 507 (ONSC); see also
R v Pati (2002), 2002 CarswellOnt
6271 (ONSC) where practice
directive stating that the court
could hear a maximum of 10 bail
hearings per day were seen to
be at the root of the delay. Such
a delay was held to be in
violation of s 11(e) of the Charter;
R v Jevons (2008), OJ No 4397,
2008 ONCJ 559 (Ont CJ);
R v Brown (2009), OJ No 3592,
247 CCC (3d) 11 (ONCA); R v
Zarinchang (2010), OJ No 1548,
254 CCC (3d) 133 (ONCA).
75 R v M(N) (2005), 1 CRR (2d), 2005
ONCJ 348 (Ont CJ).
// 18
comply with any other condition specified in the order that the justice
considers necessary to ensure the safety and security of any victim of or
witness to the offence;64 and
comply with such other reasonable conditions specified in the order as
the justice considers desirable.65
Although the courts discretion appears to be quite broad, case law makes it
clear there are important limits to the conditions that may be imposed. Courts
must take the presumption of innocence into account before imposing any
condition, and only conditions that are connected to the purpose of bail are
permissible.66 The Charter also requires that any conditions imposed be
reasonable. A court may not impose conditions an accused has no reasonable
prospect of complying with for example, if the condition is impossibly
restrictive67 or requires the accused to deposit an excessive sum of money given
their personal circumstances.68 Conditions that unjustifiably restrict the liberty
of the accused may also infringe on other rights protected under the Charter,
including security of the person, the right to equality, freedom of expression69
and freedom of association.70
The Criminal Code contains specific provisions establishing timelines for bail
appearances. A person who is detained by the police must be brought before a
justice without unreasonable delay, and in any event within 24 hours if a justice
is available or as soon as is practicable if one is not.71 On account of the primacy
of liberty and in recognition that freedom is not to be restrained except in
accordance with constitutionally valid law, this requirement has been described
as one of the most important procedural provisions of the Criminal Code.72
Given the paramountcy of the liberty of the accused in this context, it is clear
the appearance before a justice must be a meaningful appearance and not
merely a procedural formality. The Criminal Code also specifies that a bail
hearing may not be adjourned for more than three clear days without the
consent of the accused.73
Beyond these statutory requirements, unjustified delays in securing bail violate
Charter rights, specifically the right to reasonable bail, the right to be free from
arbitrary detention and the right to liberty as protected by s 7. Several cases
examining the impact of systemic delays in the bail system conclude the resulting
Charter violations may justify a stay of proceedings against the accused.74 Finally,
purposive delays by the prosecution in order to secure advantages unrelated
to the bail process (for example, to allow for further police investigation of
circumstances irrelevant to the bail decision) infringe the constitutional right to
reasonable bail.75
Canadian courts have affirmed an accuseds Aboriginal status must be taken

into consideration during the bail process.76 In 2008/2009, although Aboriginal
people represented approximately 3% of the Canadian adult population,
Aboriginal people comprised 18% of admissions to federal custody, 27% of
admissions to provincial and territorial sentenced custody and 21% of admissions
to remand.77 In R v Gladue 78 and R v Ipeelee 79 the Supreme Court of Canada
recognized the gross overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in Canadas
prisons and criminal justice system constituted a crisis.80 The Court found that
systemic bias and discrimination throughout the criminal justice system had
combined with [y]ears of dislocation and economic development and have
translated, for many Aboriginal peoples, into low incomes, high unemployment,
lack of opportunities and options, lack or irrelevance of education, substance
abuse, loneliness, and community fragmentation81 to propel over-incarceration.82
Subsequent appellate decisions affirm consideration of an accuseds Aboriginal
heritage and systemic discrimination in the justice system extend beyond
theconfines of sentencing and are applicable83 whenever an Aboriginal
personsliberty is at stake, including in the exercise of prosecutorial discretion.84
These principles must also be taken into account in judicial interim release
proceedings.85
The application of Gladue to bail proceedings involves a contextual analysis of
the systemic factors at play in the arrest, charging and detention of Aboriginal
accused. Reasonable bail, as envisioned in s 11(e) of the Charter, must include
an assessment of what is reasonable for the Aboriginal accused, having regard
to the systemic issues the person may face in terms of the requirement of a
surety, the accuseds ability to comply with conditions and the quantum of bail.
As noted in R v Daniels, in any bail application involving an Aboriginal accused,
the Court is required to take judicial notice of the unique systemic factors which
have affected aboriginal people in Canadian society in order to place in the
proper context the individual accused applying for bail. Part of this context is the
fact that aboriginal people are disproportionately denied bail.86
3.3 The Practice of Bail
The legal framework established by the Criminal Code and Charter provides a
uniform starting point for the adjudication of bail. In practice, however, differences
in local context, policy, procedure, practice and culture can impact how the law
is applied and interpreted. In order to have a full understanding of bail in
Canada, a formal review of the law must be supplemented by an overview of the
practice of bail in different jurisdictions. A short survey of bail practices in the
five jurisdictions studied British Columbia, Yukon, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova
Scotia is provided in Appendix C. There are, however, a few key differences
worth highlighting to contextualize the findings.
76 See for example R v Robinson,

2009 ONCA 205; Rich v Her
Majesty the Queen, 2009 NLTD
69; R v Wesley, [2002] BCJ No
3401; R v TJJ, 2011 BCPC 155; R v
Pitawanakwat, [2003] OJ No 5029,
R v P(DD), 2012 ABQB 229;
R v Daniels, [2012] SJ No 810 (CJ).
gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2011001/
78 R v Gladue (1999), 133 CCC (3d)
385 (SCC).
79 R v Ipeelee, 2012 SCC 13, [2012]
1SCR 433.
80 R v Gladue (1999), 133 CCC (3d)
385 (SCC) at para 64.
81 Ibid at para 67.
82 Bridging the Cultural Divide: A
Report on Aboriginal People and
Criminal Justice in Canada Royal
Commission on Aboriginal Peoples
(Ottawa: Canada Communication
Group Publishing, 1996) at xii,
315; M Jackson, Locking Up
Natives in Canada: A Report of
the Committee of the Canadian
Bar Association on
Imprisonment and Release
(1989) 23 UBCL Rev 220.
83 Other contexts include jury
selection: R v Kokopenace, 2013
ONCA 273, leave to appeal to
the Supreme Court allowed,
[2013] SCCA No 308; review
board hearings: R v Sim, 2005
CanLII 37586 (Ont CA); parks
(s 161) orders: R v Sutherland,
2009 BCCA 534; civil contempt
proceedings: Frontenac Ventures
Corporation v Ardoch Algonquin
First Nation, 2008 ONCA 534,
leave to appeal refused, 2008
CanLII 63483; parole ineligibility:
R v Jenson, 2005 CanLII 7649
(Ont CA); and extradition: United
States v Leonard, 2012 ONCA622.
84 United States v Leonard, 2012
ONCA 622.
85 See for example R v Robinson,
2009 ONCA 205; Rich v Her
Majesty the Queen, 2009 NLTD
69; R v Wesley, [2002] BCJ
No 3401; R v TJJ, 2011 BCPC 155;
R v Pitawanakwat, [2003] OJ No
5029; R v P(DD), 2012 ABQB 229;
R v Daniels, [2012] SJ No 810 (CJ).
86 R v Daniels, [2012] SJ No 810 (CJ)
at para 19.
// 19
03
There are significant differences in the way bail is adjudicated across the
country. Ontario is the only jurisdiction to primarily use justices of the peace to
preside over bail hearings.87 Yukon uses a combination of justices of the peace
and judges, whereas Manitoba, Nova Scotia and British Columbia only use
judges in bail court. The Winnipeg court has a unique administrative triage
system to streamline the bail process.88 As a result of this system, the majority
of consent bail releases in Winnipeg are addressed relatively informally before a
justice of the peace without oral submissions in open court or the attendance of
the accused or a surety.
The availability and structure of bail supervision programs also differs drastically
across the provinces. Nova Scotia currently has no bail supervision programs.
Ontario contracts all bail supervision to community organizations across the
province whereas British Columbia and Yukon use government bail supervision
programs, with probation officers supervising accused. Manitoba also uses
government-run bail supervision, which is supplemented in Winnipeg by two
community bail supervision programs.
87 Section 522 of the Criminal Code

requires judicial interim release
(bail) decisions for certain
charges (e.g., murder, treason,
terrorism, etc.) be adjudicated
by a Superior Court justice. In
Ontario, it is routine for all other
matters to be heard by justices
of the peace. Other provinces
primarily use judges for all
bailmatters.
88 Provincial Court of Manitoba,
Pre-trial Coordination Protocol:
Adult Charges (Winnipeg:
Provincial Court, 4 January
2013), online: Provincial Court of
Manitoba <http://www.
manitobacourts.mb.ca/pdf/
pretrial_ jan2013.pdf>.
// 20
Findings
04
4.1 T
he First 24 Hours in Detention: Police Powers to Release
and the First Judicial Appearance
Decreasing use of police powers to release
The police have the ability to release accused pending their first court appearance or to hold them in detention for a bail hearing before a justice. The police
decision whether to detain or release an individual is important. As depicted in
Figure 5 below, accused, depending on where they are arrested, will spend a
median of four to a median of 24 days in pre-trial custody before a decision is
made with respect to bail.
Figure 5: Median Number of Days Spent in Remand by Adults, by Selected
Provinces and Territories, 1999/2000 and 2010/201189 90
British Columbia
Newfoundland
and Labrador
Nova Scotia
New Brunswick
Quebec
Ontario
Manitoba
Saskatchewan
Alberta
Yukon
0
7
2010/2011
14
1999/2000
21
28
35
89 Mia Dauvergne, Adult Correctional Statistics in Canada,

21Dec 2012), online: Statistics
gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2012001/
article/11715-eng.htm>; Lindsay
Porter & Donna Calverley,
Trends in the Use of Remand in
Canada (Ottawa: Juristat, 2011),
online: Statistics Canada
<http://www.statcan.gc.ca/
pub/85-002-x/2011001/
article/11440-eng.htm>.
90 Note: 1999/2000 data missing
for Alberta and 2010/2011 data
missing for British Columbia.
// 21
04
For accused from remote communities, time in custody may be longer as it may
take up to a week to be transported to the nearest provincial detention centre.
The logistical difficulties of contacting friends and family from hundreds of
kilometres away slows the bail process and results in more time spent in pre-trial
detention.91 The difference between being released directly from police custody
and being held for processing by the bail courts can be the difference between
sleeping at home and spending many nights in jail awaiting a bail decision.
Recommendation 1.1: The RCMP and other police services operating in
rural detachments should review the conditions of confinement in police
holding cells, recognizing that individuals may be detained there for multiple
days while they await transportation to provincial correctional centres.
As noted in the introduction, at least in Ontario, police releases are becoming
less frequent more people are starting their contact with the court system in
bail court, after having been detained by the police. Unfortunately, there is no
academic research into this part of the pre-trial process. Police release decisions
are made behind closed doors, generally without the participation of defence
counsel. There is no public reporting or centralized database listing the number
and types of conditions imposed by police when an individual is released
without appearing in bail court.
Observations of individual cases illustrate how police discretion can be used
to detain people who ought to have been released. An Ontario interview
participant, for example, described a number of scenarios where, in her opinion,
accused who could have been released by the police were held in custody for a
bail appearance:
In one case, there was a woman with no criminal record, no outstanding
charges, who was arrested for a domestic assault. The charge was assault
with a weapon; it was alleged that she hit her husband with a tea towel. She
was arrested over a long weekend and not released in WASH [Weekend and
Statutory Holiday] court, meaning that she was in custody for days before
being released from bail court.
91 Rural Manitoba interviews.
// 22
In another instance, a young Aboriginal man was charged with mischief

graffiti and released on a promise to appear. Although he went to court as
required and was working towards diversion on the mischief charge, he didnt
go to the police station for [finger]prints and was charged with failure to
appear. Upon arrest for this charge he was held for bail, and because the
Crown requested some form of supervision, he was in custody for two days
waiting to be seen by the bail program before being released on his own
recognizance. One of the conditions the Crown requested was that he be
bound by a boundary condition, not to be within a certain area of the
downtown core of Toronto. This condition had not been imposed on the
original police release. It seems like the police operate under the mistaken
assumption that if anyone is charged with any kind of fail to, that they have
to bring them in for bail. This kid had appeared for court as required, had not
committed any further substantive offences and did not pose any threat to
the public. Why did he have to spend two days in jail? What basis could the
Crown possibly have had to impose a boundary condition? Why would he
need to be supervised by [the] bail program?
In yet another case, an elderly gentleman with significant health issues was
charged with committing some kind of minor fraud. The alleged offences
were dated the allegations arose six to seven years earlier against an
employer the accused no longer worked for. He had a minor criminal record
that was very dated, although it contained findings of guilt for some related
offences. The Crown insisted on a surety and the gentleman spent two days
in custody waiting for one of his friends to be able to get to the courthouse to
bail him out.92
It is not unusual
for a person
who is accused
of committing
a very minor
offence to be
detained for a bail
determination.
Instances of very minor charges resulting in detention for a bail determination

are not unusual. In their 2009 study, Webster, Doob and Myers reproduce a
newspaper article to tell the parable of Ms. Baker, a 40-year-old woman who
was held for a bail hearing after being arrested for stealing a high school laptop:
Stolen Laptop Recovered
A Dell laptop computer stolen in December has been located. The Huntsville
[detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police] report that in December, police
were advised that the computer had been turned in to a local computer shop
for reformatting. While store employees were conducting a reformatting
process, they found that the laptop was property of Trillium Lakelands
District School Board and it had been taken from Huntsville High School.
After an investigation, police arrested 40-year-old Rosanne Baker of Huntsville
for the theft. Baker was charged with possession of stolen property obtained
by crime and breach of probation. She remained in custody and was held for
a bail hearing in Bracebridge today.93
In these and similar cases, it is unclear why the police did not release the
individual from custody. The increase in the number of accused held by the
police for a bail hearing, in a time of declining overall and violent crime rates,
suggests police are not exercising their powers of release to the fullest extent
available. Indeed, considering the legally mandated grounds for detention,
holding an accused in detention is to be used with restraint and only for more
serious offences or accused. The frequent presence of minor cases in bail court
suggests individuals are being needlessly detained by police.
92 Duty counsel, Ontario.

93 Stolen Laptop Recovered, The
Forester (4 March 2009) A4.
// 23
04
Reports from across the country urge the police to release more people directly
from police custody. In 2006 a federal report found that in some jurisdictions
the police make limited use of their release powers, recommended police
make better use of the available statutory forms of release, and suggested
supplemental education and training to attain this goal.94 This recommendation
was adopted again in 2013 by the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney Generals
expert round table on bail, which recognized the significant impact that police
practices, relating to the exercising of their discretion, have on the efficiency and
effectiveness of bail courts. 95 Similarly, a 2012 report into the bail system
identified a misunderstanding on the part of some police officers concerning
the scope of their authority to release and the underuse of these powers as a
contributing cause to the growing remand population.96
When police decide to release an individual, there may be inappropriate or
unconstitutional conditions imposed. Indeed, interviewees report concerns
withthis aspect of the police release process. Accused who are offered release
from police custody may feel they have little choice but to accept the policeimposed conditions:
94 Canadian Department of Justice,

The Final Report in Early Case
Consideration of the Steering
Committee on Justice Efficiencies
and Access to the Justice System,
online: <http://www.justice.
gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/csj-sjc/esc-cde/
ecc-epd/p6.html#a2>.
95 Justice on Target, Ministry of the
Attorney General, Bail Experts
Table Recommendations (2013)
at18.
96 Re-inventing Criminal Justice: Final
Report, The Fourth National
Criminal Justice Symposium
(January 13/14, 2012) at 2. See
also John Howard Society of
Ontario, Reasonable Bail? (2013)
at 8 (Recommendation 1.1:
That police draw on their
powers of release, outlined in
the Criminal Code, to release
more charged persons onto
their own recognizance, instead
of detaining for a bail hearing).
97 Defence counsel, British
Columbia.
98 Defence counsel, Halifax.
// 24
The problem is, a guys sitting in jail. . . . He has no idea whats going on.
Someone comes in and says, youre going to get released, and they get
basically told what the conditions are. They dont really have a lot of say in
the process. If you were about to be released, would you start arguing about
what sorts of conditions youre going to be released on? No, you just be
damn glad that youre going to be getting out in a fewhours.97
Defence counsel in Halifax note that while the police appear to be appropriately
exercising their powers to detain an accused for a bail hearing, they also impose
strict conditions that are often unrelated to the underlying offence when they
release the accused.98
Previous reports recommend police increase the use of their powers of release
under the Criminal Code. We adopt the recommendations of these reports, and
echo their call to increase the use of this release power while simultaneously
educating police officers on the legal limits of their power to impose conditions.
Recommendation 1.2: Police should make increased use of their power to
release, and ensure that any conditions imposed are constitutional and
legally permissible under the Criminal Code.
Recommendation 1.3: Individuals released from police custody should

be proactively informed of the procedures that can be used to vary policeimposed conditions under ss 499(3) and 503(2) of the Criminal Code.
Appearance before a justice without unreasonable delay:
A missed opportunity?
The Criminal Code requires individuals detained by the police to be brought
before a justice without unreasonable delay, or in any event before a justice
within 24 hours where one is available.99 All jurisdictions studied have established
procedures to fulfill this obligation outside of regular court hours, usually by
providing a telephone appearance with a justice.
This first bail appearance, while a crucial guard against arbitrary detention and
police abuse of authority, is not necessarily functioning as a meaningful review
of whether or not a person should be released from custody. The impact this
first appearance has on individuals from remote communities may be particularly
profound. In Manitoba, rural defence counsel report that a person who is
adjourned and returned to police cells after their first appearance by telephone
could wait up to a week before transportation is available to fly them to the
provincial court for a continuation of their bail hearing. Since the RCMP holding
cells were not designed for long-term detention, researchers were told that the
conditions can be quite bad: I guess the cells are not very comfortable theyre
not prison cells, [and] some of them dont have mattresses Im told. The toilet is
right out in the open there . . . 100
Ontario appears to be grappling with similar issues. A 2013 Ontario report on
justice in fly-in communities sought ways to keep accused in their local community
pending a final bail decision, but ultimately concluded this was not legally
possible in most cases: the Criminal Code requires that any remand before or
during a bail hearing be to custody in prison [emphasis added].101 Unfortunately,
the report did not provide an in-depth examination of this provision or reflect
on the fact that this interpretation may lead to an accused having their case
adjourned for more than three days as transport is arranged, in clear violation
of s 516(1) of the Criminal Code.
Failure to effectively adjudicate release at the first appearance has drastic
consequences for individuals from remote communities. For remote communities
where courts or provincial jails are significant distances away, keeping accused
in police custody, increasing Crown and defence involvement in the firstappearance and making use of video technology are areas that should beexplored.
99 In practical terms, barring

highly exceptional circumstances all jurisdictions in
Canada have justices available.
R v Simpson, 1994 CanLII 4528
(NLCA), online: CanLII <http://
canlii.ca/t/1nplw>.
100 Defence counsel, rural
Manitoba.
101 Ontario Court of Justice and
Ministry of the Attorney
General, Report on Fly-In Court
Operations, (Toronto: 2013),
online: Ontario Court of Justice
<http://www.ontariocourts.ca/
ocj/files/reports/fly-in.pdf>;
Criminal Code, RSC 1985,
c C-46, s 516(1).
// 25
04
Recommendation 2.1: Provincial and territorial governments should

implement the recommendation of the Ontario Court of Justice and Ministry
of the Attorney General Joint Fly-In Court Working Group that [w]here
appropriate, northern police should exercise their discretion to release the
accused person into the fly-in community. Police should consult with the
Crown whenever detention is contemplated, northern police services and
Crown Offices should review, and adopt if appropriate, a bail consultation
process as a best practice to ensure that accused persons are not taken out
of the community where the Crown will consent to release.102
Recommendation 2.2: In line with the recommendation of the Ontario
Court of Justice and Ministry of the Attorney General Joint Fly-In Court
Working Group,103 s 516(1) of the Criminal Code should be studied further,
particularly in light of the requirement that no adjournment be for more than
three clear days except with the consent of the accused. If s 516(1) does
clearly prevent an accused from staying in police custody after the first bail
appearance, the federal government should study amending the provision to
permit an accused person, with his or her consent, to be remanded to
somewhere other than custody in prison (i.e., police custody) before or
during a bail hearing. Such an amendment could potentially allowan accused
person to remain in the community for his or her bail hearing. 104
4.2 Nights, Weeks or Months behind Bars: Getting through Bail Court

ocj/files/reports/fly-in.pdf>.
103 Ibid.
104 Ibid, recommendation 4(d).
105 NM Myers, Shifting Risk: Bail
and the Use of Sureties (2009)
21:1 Current Issues in Criminal
Justice 127.
106 Nicole Myers, Creating
Criminality: The Intensification
of Institutional Risk Aversion
Strategies and the Decline of the
Bail Process (University of
Toronto: Doctoral dissertation,
2013).
107 Ibid.
// 26
A person who is remanded after their first appearance is transferred to a

provincial jail to await determination of their bail. Both in-court observations and
interviews for this study focused on how the bail courts are operating. Existing
academic research on bail in Canada has focused on the situation in Ontario.
These studies found the bail court makes remarkably few bail decisions each
day; rather, most accused are adjourned to another day for their bail to be
determined. In one study of eight courts, between 57% and 81% of accused in
bail court did not have their bail decided on an average day.105 It has been
suggested that a culture of adjournment has developed, whereby an
adjournment is the most expected and accepted outcome.106 Intertwined with
this culture of adjournment is an aversion to being the one to make the release
decision. Despite the presumption of innocence, presumption of release on bail,
and instructions to approach the use of detention and conditions of release
with restraint, most accused in Ontario are required to produce a suitable
surety and agree to comply with an average of nine conditions107 in order to
secure release on bail. Indeed, actual practice would lead one to believe that the
onus was almost always on the accused to demonstrate why a release was
appropriate the opposite of what is suggested by current law.
Many conditions that are routinely imposed have little or no relationship to the
grounds for detention and facts of the alleged offence. In a study of bail conditions
imposed in Ontario youth courts, approximately 41% of conditions imposed
had no apparent connection to the allegations or grounds for detention, and a
further 22% were only ambiguously connected.108 Examples of unrelated
conditions include broad general requirements to be amenable to the rules and
discipline of the home, attend school each and every day, each and every class
or attend counseling. A number of conditions the court routinely imposes may
be difficult to comply with for the duration of time it takes for a case to be
completed. Some conditions are overly vague or far-reaching, in that they can
encompass a wide range of different behaviours. Bail conditions, when imposed
in large numbers for long periods of time, are often violated, leading to additional
criminal charges.109
Many conditions
that are routinely
imposed have
little or no
relationship
to the grounds
for detention
and facts of the
alleged offence.
The rise in the use of sureties and conditions of release is consistent with the
notion that criminal justice professionals are reluctant to be the one to make the
bail release decision out of fear they will be held accountable if the accused
commits an offence while on bail. Previous research suggests this risk aversion
and off-loading of responsibility has manifested in more people being detained
by the police for a bail hearing, more releases being contested by the Crown and
more stringent conditions being placed on those who are released, despite
falling crime rates.110
We were interested in confirming these trends in Ontario and obtaining
preliminary assessments of issues experienced in other provinces. Although
some of the concerns raised are shared across multiple jurisdictions, there are
significant differences that influence how accused are treated in the bail
process. Three areas of concern are canvassed below: court administration and
efficiency, conditions of release and the requirement of surety supervision.
Court administration and efficiency: Systemic administrative delay
Bail court observations tracked the use of court time and how each accused was
processed. Across the country the observed bail courts opened for operation
between 9:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. and closed for the day between 3:00 p.m. and
4:00 p.m. On average the courts were open for operation for five hours and
22minutes; the remaining two hours and nine minutes were spent on recesses.
There was, however, significant variability across the provinces: the courts
observed in Yukon and Manitoba, for example, spent much less time on recesses
than other jurisdictions.111
108 NM Myers & S Dhillon, The

Criminal Offence of Entering
Any Shoppers Drug Mart in
Ontario: Criminalizing
Ordinary Behaviour with Youth
Bail Conditions (2013) 55:2
Canadian Journal of Criminology
and Criminal Justice 187.
Conditions (2011) 53:4
110 NM Myers, Shifting Risk: Bail
and the Use of Sureties (2009)
21:1 Current Issues in Criminal
Justice 127.
111 See Appendix B, Table 2.
// 27
04
Across the country, only about half of the time the courts were officially open
was used to actively address bail matters. The rest of the time was typically
spent waiting for various things for example, accused must be brought
before the court, paperwork must be located. Again, there was significant
variation across the jurisdictions: Nova Scotia actively used only 39.7% of its
operational court time while Manitoba spent 73.4% of operational time actively
addressingcases.
Assessments of court efficiency must also take into account whether cases are
resolved or adjourned to another day. All courts observed adjourned a relatively
high percentage of their cases, ranging from a low of 30.7% of cases in Manitoba
to a high of 68.8% of cases in Yukon.112 Consistent with previous research, most
(70.4%) requests for an adjournment came from defence counsel or the accused.
Some of these delays may be justifiable: lawyers may have no advanced notice
of an appearance in bail court, and accused persons may want some time to
prepare their case. Some interviewees, however, did relate instances of duty
counsel refusing to hold show cause hearings as an apparent policy matter.
Financial restraints, including significant cuts to legal aid systems, may also be
pushing private defence counsel to adjourn clients until several legal aid matters
are ready to proceed in the same courthouse on one day. There are also likely
systemic factors at play, even in defence adjournments. Accused have difficulty
consulting with counsel before court and are frequently required to put in place
a plan of release that, in some jurisdictions, presumptively includes the in-court
attendance of sureties. These and other systemic factors can significantly
contribute to defence-requested adjournments.
In a further 9.5% of adjournment requests, the Crown asked for the adjournment
and 6.7% came from the presiding justice. Crown and court-initiated
adjournments suggest that the justice system is not ready to proceed with the
bail hearing.
Adjournments, whether requested by defence counsel or the Crown, directly
contribute to an increased pre-trial detention population. There is no automatic
right of the Crown to delay bail proceedings. Rather, as Justice Trotter has noted,
112 The statistic for Manitoba may

be artificially low due to the
unique procedures in
Winnipeg bail court. For details
please see Appendices.
113 Gary T Trotter, The Law of Bail
in Canada, 3d ed, loose-leaf
(Toronto: Carswell, 2010)
at521.
// 28
It must be stressed that three clear days is the outside limit on an

adjournment without consent. Adjournments under s. 516 need not be
contemplated in three day blocks of time. An adjournment should only be as
long as is necessary in the circumstances. Just as the prosecutor must justify
the need for an adjournment per se, the length of the adjournment (within
the parameters of three clear days) must also besubstantiated.113
With the exception of Yukon, close to a third of all adjournments were granted
without any justification being provided to the court. Unjustifiable adjournments
and those that are caused by systemic delays in the court system are
unconstitutional. Crown, defence counsel and the judiciary all have an obligation
to ensure adjournments are not being requested or granted simply out of habit,
and that each request for an adjournment is necessary and fully justifiable in
each individual case. It is within the discretion of the presiding justice to not
grant an adjournment. Indeed, where it is found that an adjournment would
violate s 516, or the accuseds Charter rights, the justice should release the
accused on an undertaking with no conditions.114
Close to a third of
all adjournments
were granted
without any
justification
being provided to
the court.
Recommendation 3.1: All justice participants should ensure only meaningful

adjournments are requested.115 Where it is found that an adjournment would
violate s 516(1), or the accuseds Charter rights, the justice should release the
accused on an undertaking with no conditions.
Recommendation 3.2: All justice participants should state on the record
who is requesting the adjournment and the reason for the request.
Adjudicators should, where appropriate, question the necessity of the
adjournment prior to granting or denying the request.
Recommendation 3.3: Governments should establish mechanisms to track
the reasons for adjournments. Where adjournments are frequently requested
in order to facilitate administrative needs (for example, to get access to a
phone to contact potential sureties or gather court paperwork), initiatives
should be explored to address the underlying causes of delay. This may help
identify the specific resources and procedures that need to be put in place in
a particular location to enable earlier bail decisions.116
Recommendation 3.4: All steps of the pre-trial process should facilitate the
individuals release from custody as soon as possible. Procedures should be
explored to allow defence counsel, including duty counsel, to speak to
accused individuals before the first bail appearance (e.g., Brydges counsel)117
to assist the accused in preparing for bail release. Phone access should be
provided both in police custody and in court so accused may prepare for
release by contacting potential sureties and retaining private counsel.
When reasons for the adjournment request were given, there were important
and significant variations between the jurisdictions. Based on court observations
and interviews with counsel, there are particular concerns with systemic delays
in Ontario and Yukon. In Ontario, 20 accused 12.7% of observed cases were
returned to custody because the court ran out of time to hold their bail hearing.
In Yukon, a high percentage of cases were adjourned for court services and
114 For an example of this

happening, see R v Obed, 2011
CanLII 50704 (NLPC).
115 See also the recommendation
in Re-inventing Criminal Justice:
Final Report, The Fourth
National Criminal Justice
Symposium (January 13/14,
2012).
116 Ibid (recommending early
access to the resources
needed to implement release
decisions [e.g., telephone
access]).
117 Brydges counsel is the term
used to refer to the 24-hour
duty counsel telephone lines
available to provide individuals
with legal advice upon arrest
or detention. According to a
2004 report surveying these
services across Canada,
accused persons receive basic
information concerning their
legal rights, the structure and
operation of the court process,
the nature of the criminal
investigation, and the
important elements of their
own cases. Most significantly,
accused persons gain some
rudimentary knowledge about
the legal implications of the
alleged offences and the
desirability of giving statements
to the police. Simon
Verdun-Jones & Adamira
Tijerino, A Review of Brydges
Duty Counsel Services in Canada
(Department of Justice Canada
Research and Statistics
Division, 2004) at 63.
// 29
04
administrative processes. In both jurisdictions approximately 20% of

adjournments were related to surety requirements. The situation in these
two provinces is addressed in more detail below.
Ontario
Observations of systemic delay
During observational data collection, 20 accused 12.7% of observed Ontario

bail cases had their bail hearing adjourned because the court ran out of time
to hear any more matters. This is consistent with Myers finding that 6.6%
(n=132) of observed cases in Ontario were adjourned because the court ran out
of time to adjudicate the accuseds bail hearing.118 Interviews with counsel in
Ontario confirm these were not isolated or infrequent situations. Multiple
defence counsel related instances where an accused was ready to proceed with
a contested bail hearing, and sureties were present in the courtroom, but the
justice of the peace refused to hear the matter because the court was out of
time. As one defence counsel related,
Often, contested bail hearings arent reached and then go over til the next
day. . . . Thats with the surety coming every single day. . . . Justices of the
peace have said in court that they will not run contested bail hearings after a
certain time of the day.119
Another defence counsel spoke of significant delays scheduling contested bail
hearings, stating if you can schedule a bail hearing for within a week, you are
doing pretty well 120 :
If you have a complex bail hearing, where you have more than one surety [or]
where charges are fairly serious, you are not going to get a bail hearing within
a day, three days, or even a week. . . . You quite often can wait several weeks
to get a bail hearing. . . . Even if that client is released, theres not necessarily
a remedy.121
118 Nicole M Myers, Shifting Risk:

Bail and the Use of Sureties
(2009) 21:1 Current Issues in
119 Defence counsel, Ontario.
120 Defence counsel, Toronto.
// 30
Accused are faced with a difficult choice: agree to the conditions being offered
by the Crown to secure a consent release today even though the conditions may
be inappropriate, overly restrictive or impossible to comply with or wait in
custody in an overcrowded jail to gamble on a contested bail hearing. If an
accused does not agree to follow all of the conditions proposed by the Crown as
part of a consent release, the accused faces the uncertainty of a bail hearing,
where the justice may detain the accused or impose the same or more onerous
conditions of release than was offered by the Crown. Immediate release is the
primary goal, and accused will agree to almost anything to avoid returning to
detention. Lengthy waits in custody for bail hearings may exacerbate thispressure.
Defence counsel in different regions also report that certain justices of the
peace refuse to set the case aside until later in the day when defence or duty
counsel is ready to proceed (commonly referred to as holding a matter down).
This occurs even when counsel report that sureties will be arriving later that day
to secure the persons release: They absolutely will not hold any matter down
ever, for anybody, no matter what. . . . The justice of the peace will not hold
matters down.122
A similar situation is noted by counsel working out of a different courthouse:
Certain justices
of the peace
refuse to set the
case aside until
later in the day
when defence or
duty counsel is
ready to proceed.
Thats the situation, where duty counsel isnt even able to go and speak to
the person ahead of time to find out if they have a surety. . . . The first time
they see them is in the court. I ask the matter to be held down to see if we
can get a surety there, and the result is quite often that, with certain justices
of the peace, theyll just adjourn the matter. They feel like theres a pressure
to bring people down one after the other. They dont want to wait to allow
lawyers to speak to the accused upstairs, [so] they just adjourn them until
the next day. . . . Sometimes on occasions when things are running smoothly
and theres a surety coming, theres one justice of the peace who wont hold
the matter down even for that.123
Individuals must be given a meaningful opportunity to consult with counsel and
arrange for sureties where necessary. Our courts should be facilitating this
process by holding cases down if there is a chance they will be ready to proceed
later in the day. It is the definition of arbitrary to send a person back to jail
simply because certain justices of the peace do not want to hold down cases
until a person can consult with counsel or a surety can arrive.
The type of court-imposed adjournment observed in Ontario is in clear violation
of the Charter a holding affirmed by higher courts on several occasions over a
number of years. It is important to highlight that Ontario is the only province
where researchers observed cases being adjourned because the court ran out
of time.124
At some courthouses, defence counsel report that significant barriers to communicating with accused in the court holding cells can contribute to systemic
delay. As described by one duty counsel,
At College Park we have much less access to the people in custody so you
can wait up to 45 minutes to see someone, whereas at Old City Hall that
would never happen. There are three interview rooms upstairs but thats
for everybody, all the people in custody and so you often wait in line. The
lawyers are there for trials, bail, sentencing so three [interview rooms] is
122 Defence counsel, Greater

Toronto Area.
124 In Nova Scotia one duty
counsel specifically stated he
thought they were doing
better compared to Ontario:
remanding routinely for
domestics, holding [in
custody] routinely for drinking
and driving, remanding
because of limited court time
Ive seen all those issues in
Ontario and none of them are
in play here. . . . We have a
small little system so that if
theres a drug bust of say 20
or so people, it overloads us
for a few days, but were
keeping up.
// 31
04
not enough. There are interview rooms downstairs, but once court starts,
everyone is brought upstairs except those who are considered separates
[accused held in custody separate from other accused].125
In some courts, in-custody consultation areas are frequently closed, forcing duty
counsel to speak to clients for the first time in the body of the court:
Quite often, in St. Catharines, were not able to speak with the accused
people before court starts. And [when] theyre brought down and when we
do speak with them . . . theres not very much confidentiality, so thats a
problem as well. . . . The explanation Ive been given is that theres not
enough room upstairs and very often . . . the prisoners just arent there on
time to begin court.126
Lack of interview space also prevents mental health workers from accessing
clients. Ultimately, defence counsels inability to access and speak with accused
means that the person often has to stay in jail because there was not enough
time to contact a surety.127
History of systemic delay in Ontario bail courts
The continuing situation in Ontario merits particular attention, as a number of

cases have recognized and condemned the systemic delays in the bail system.
In the 2002 case R v Villota, the Peel Criminal Lawyers Association filed affidavit
evidence of the systemic delays faced in Peel Region bail courts. The evidence
alleged that, on a regular basis, show cause bail hearings are not reached on
the date scheduled because of congestion in the bail courts and protracted
judicial interim release hearings. Prospective sureties attend day after day.128
The court at that time commented that,
The routine adjournment of bail hearings other than at the request of the
prosecutor or the accused (Code s. 516(1)), as not reached cases, is an
entirely unacceptable threat to constitutional rights, a denial of access to
justice, and an unnecessary cost to the court system. . . . There appears to
be a widespread indifference to theinjustice done to accused persons by
reason of unnecessary incarceration pending arraignment.129
125 Duty counsel, Toronto.

128 R v Villota, 2002 CanLII 49650
(ON SC) at para 57.
129 Ibid para 67.
// 32
Similar problems were evidenced in the 2008 case R v Jevons.130 The court found
that, [n]otwithstanding several appearances over a period of eight days, the
Defendant remained in custody because the Court was too overburdened to do
anything other than repeatedly remand him:131
In this case, a 59-year-old man, with no criminal record, and a productive
member of the community was arrested because of serious allegations
made by another person. He spent eight days in custody, partly under lock
down, without access to his daily medication, at much inconvenience to
family and sureties, and the expense of counsel, because the Court was
unable to hear his case. What occurred to the Defendant was not an
aberration but the result of long-standing systemic problems. The Defendant
feared he might never be released before trial. That fear was reasonable.
What is not reasonable are the resources allocated for bail hearings in
Durham Region.132
The court found the accuseds s 11(e) Charter rights had been violated in a
manner that constituted an affront to the administration of justice and shocks
the conscience of the community.133
Very similar facts arose in the 2010 case R v Zarinchang, where an accused
waited 24 days in custody before being able to proceed with a bail hearing.134
The Court of Appeal stressed the accuseds experience in the bail process was
indicative of a general trend:
[T]he systemic problem of delay was recognized in York Region for some
time at least a year and no doubt for some time before the regional Crown
Attorney found it necessary to appoint a committee to study the matter. The
circumstances in which the respondent was placed were entirely predictable.
The record demonstrates that many others were similarly affected.135
Justice Chisvin, who heard the application at first instance, found the breach of
constitutional rights
can only be described as serious and flagrant, those responsible have
effectively ignored the impending reality and disaster that was afoot. Individuals
have been allowed to languish in custody awaiting show cause hearings.136
The interviews and court observations make it clear these problems remain
entrenched. Although the Ontario governments Justice on Target initiative137 has
recently released a report with recommendations for addressing delays in the bail
system, it is not clear how these recommendations will be implemented.138 Justice
on Target has also been criticized for focusing on administrative and procedural
130 R v Jevons, 2008 ONCJ 559.

131 Ibid at para 40.
134 R v Zarinchang, 2010 ONCA 286.
136 R v Zarinchang, 2007 ONCJ 470
at para 49.
137 As described on Ontarios
Generals website, Justice on
Target (JOT) is the provinces
strategy to address criminal
court delay, using an
evidence-based approach to
increase the effectiveness of
Ontarios criminal courts.
General, Justice on Target,
online: Ministry of the
Attorney General <http://
www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.
on.ca/english/jot/>.
138 Justice on Target, Ministry of
the Attorney General, Bail
Experts Table Recommendations
(2013).
139 See for example Megan
OToole, Courting Disaster?
The Long Wait for Justice in
Ontario, National Post (9 June
2012) (A veteran judge,
speaking on condition of
anonymity, said Justice on
Target has ignored the larger
problem of why certain cases
are entering the system at all.
The real problem, which all
criminal-justice professionals
know, is that it targets only
surface targets, such as the
number of appearances, he
said. What is not targeted, for
political reasons, is the harder
question of why we expect our
criminal justice system to
accomplish something which
it is simply not designed to
do to solve our social
nuisances.).
// 33
04
technicalities rather than tackling more entrenched and substantive problems.139

Indeed, the report explicitly states the recommendations are focused on streamlining processes and enabling effective and efficient decision-making rather than
seeking to restrict the exercise of discretion by justice participants. 140 Although
the report addresses the appropriate exercise of police discretion, the exercise of
Crown discretion is not mentioned. Given the long-standing, systemic nature of
the issues, more emphasis on concrete action is necessary.
Recommendation 3.5: The Ontario government must take immediate and
concrete steps to end ongoing unconstitutional adjournments in bail court.
As astarting point, policies should ensure that the courts have the resources
to remain open until individuals who are ready to have their bail hearing have
beenaddressed.
Recommendation 3.6: Regularly refusing to hold cases down so as to allow
for consultations with lawyers, case preparation and the attendance of
sureties violates the right to be free from arbitrary detention. Cases that are
not ready to proceed in the morning should be held down until later in the
day rather than immediately adjourned to another day. All hold down
requests that are intended to facilitate the timely release of the accused
should be granted by the presiding justice. It should be presumed that all
cases will be dealt with to the fullest extent possible each day.
Yukon
Adjournments also constituted a particularly high percentage of case
dispositions in Yukon. Despite a small daily caseload, on average 68.6% of
observed cases were adjourned to another day;141 most (83.3%) adjournments
were requested by defence counsel.142 One explanation for the high number of
adjournment requests may be that, as reported by a wide range of interviewees,
accused who are not immediately released are routinely remanded for three
days to allow a probation officer to complete a bail supervision report. As
described by one interviewee:

(2013) at 2.
143 Interviewee, Yukon.
// 34
We do bail supervision reports for anybody who is kept in custody; the court
will order a bail supervision report. . . . They are very time consuming and a
huge concern for us. It wasnt so much of a concern when the orders were
straightforward, [but] now we have very complicated orders put on bail,
and sometimes it doesnt fit with what the actual allegation is thats before
the court.143
Defence counsel with experience in multiple jurisdictions singled out these
reports as a unique practice:
One of the differences in Yukon is that, in every serious case, the Crown will
obtain a report prior to the bail hearing from a bail supervisor about a
persons suitability for bail . . . a bail suitability report. I think that benefits the
Crown more than the defence. Its another layer of bureaucracy that seems
to be extremely risk averse. Anybody in the chain who has to make a decision
is going to err on the side of caution. The problem with erring on the side of
caution is it inevitably leads to decision-makers detaining, as we have very
poor models for predicting risk. And I think people forget the presumption of
innocence in all of it.144
There appear
to be dramatic
differences in the
way bail releases
are approached
across
jurisdictions.
The observational data support the interview evidence that adjournments are
primarily for administrative reasons; during observation, 29.2% of accused were
adjourned in order to get court paperwork organized and a further 29.2% for a
court service or administration. This means that 58.4% of individuals appearing
before bail court were remanded in custody for administrative reasons.
Recommendation 3.7: Yukon government should examine the frequent
practice of remanding individuals in order to obtain a bail supervision report
from probation. The practice is costly for both accused and probation
services.
Recommendation 3.8: Yukon justice system participants should consider
whether regular adjournments for a bail supervision report are warranted.
Overreliance on sureties: A costly obsession
Across all the courts, the most common form of release, when the Crown
consents to the accuseds release, is on the accuseds own recognizance (38.1%):
an acknowledged indebtedness to the Crown and a promise to return to
court and comply with any condition the court imposes. A release with surety
supervision a friend or family member who must agree to supervise the
accused in the community and forfeit a specified sum of money if bail conditions
are violated was the next most common form of release at 30.6%. These
generalized statistics, however, mask some striking regional differences.
Despite the fact that Canada has a single Criminal Code, there appear to be
dramatic differences in the way bail releases are approached across jurisdictions.
In British Columbia, Manitoba and Nova Scotia, the majority of accused were
released on their own recognizance. During our court observations, neither
British Columbia nor Manitoba courts required a surety for any accused; in
Nova Scotia sureties were attached to only 25% of releases.145
Columbia.
// 35
04
In contrast, in Ontario and Yukon the majority of individuals were released with
a surety requirement. In Ontario, 53.1% of accused released with the consent of
the Crown were required to have a surety supervise their bail.146 An additional
21.9% of releases were with bail program supervision, a program that in Ontario
is reserved for those who cannot find a surety and would otherwise be
detained. Taken together, 75% of accused released by consent in Ontario were
required to be under the supervision of a surety or a bail program. When an
accused was released after a contested show cause hearing, 68.75% were
required by the justice to have a surety. In total, over half of those released on
bail were required to have a surety, and just under half of those were also
required to reside with their surety.147 Patterns in Yukon are similar: 57% of
thosereleased were required to have a surety, and 18% were released to bail
program supervision.
Figure 6: Form of Bail Release Order148
Same Bail
Surety
Bail Program
Own Recognizance
Undertaking
Cash
Overall
Yukon
Nova Scotia
Manitoba
British Columbia

147 A residential surety is
someone who agrees to
supervise the accused
(ensuring they return to court
and do not commit any further
offences) and have the
accused reside with them until
the resolution of the charges.
148 Same bail refers to accused
being re-released on the same
bail release order they were
subject to at the time of arrest.
In these circumstances the
original form of release and
any conditions attached to the
bail order are not generally
stated on the record.
// 36
Ontario
20%
Same Bail
Undertaking
40%
Surety
Cash
60%
Bail Program
80%
100%
Own Recognizance
The disproportionate reliance on sureties in Ontario aligns with previous

research. Previous work found that of all the releases observed, both with the
consent of the Crown and after a show cause hearing, 60.5% of accused were
required to find an appropriate surety to supervise their release.149 Indeed, the
Ontario governments expert report on bail confirms [i]t is common practice in
Ontario to require an accused person who is being released on bail to provide a
surety.150 A recent report on bail in Ontario recommends the government
move away from reliance on sureties as a condition for consent release.151
There is also judicial commentary disapproving of the overreliance on surety
forms of release.152 There is no evidence that this increased reliance on sureties
results in greater compliance with bail conditions. Indeed, despite dramatic
differences in the use of sureties in British Columbia and Ontario, the two
provinces have almost identical charge and conviction rates for failing to comply
with a bail order (see Figures 8 and 9).
There is no
evidence that
an increased
reliance on
sureties results
in greater
compliance with
bail conditions.
Ontario interview participants raised serious concerns with Ontarios heavy

reliance on sureties. Across the province counsel report, the Crowns default
position is a surety is required for the accused to secure release:
Very rarely do I ever see the Crown consenting to anything less than a surety
bail. . . . A majority of the surety bails [set] are residential surety bails. . . . The
ladder of bails as outlined in s. 515 is just completely non-existent.153
The situation at College Park courthouse in Toronto was described in
similar terms:
One main [concern] is the overreliance on sureties. Pretty much if you are
arrested and brought into custody, the Crown is likely going to insist on a
surety, regardless of the circumstances. We see people with no criminal
records, no outstanding charges, 40 to 50 years old having to have a residential
surety. And residential sureties are very common. That would most often
happen in domestics. It seems that there is a lack of a conversation going on
between the police and the Crown so the police say, well arrest them,
bring them into custody and let the Crown sort it out. And then the Crown
relies on the fact that the police brought the person into custody to say they
should be in custody or [they] should have a surety. Theres some issues in
the Crowns office about risk aversion. And young Crowns I dont blame
them, theyre not going to be supported, I dont think, by MAG [Ministry of
the Attorney General] if something goes wrong, and their contracts wont be
renewed and theyre under a lot of pressure. But that said, its become the
absolute practice at College Park anyways. There are some people released
on their own recognizance, or to bail program, but that seems few and far
between, and many bail program hearings are contested.154

Criminal Justice.
(2013) at 22.
151 John Howard Society of
Ontario, Reasonable Bail?
(Toronto: John Howard Society
of Ontario, 2013) at 9.
152 In Canada v Horvath, 2009
ONCA 732, the Court of Appeal
cited Martin L Friedland,
Criminal Justice in Canada
Revisited (2004) 48 CLQ 419
expressing criticism of the
overreliance on sureties in
Ontario. See also R v Cole,
[2002] OJ No 4662 (CJ) and
Shaw v Shaw, 2008 ONCJ 130.
// 37
04
Defence counsel across the province echoed these statements, with one
confirming that the vast majority of cases are requiring a surety155 and another
stating, I dont think Ive ever had a case where the person was released on an
appearance notice, never. . . . And I can only think of one case where someone
was released on a summons.156
Requiring a surety for release has particular consequences for vulnerable or
marginalized accused persons who might choose to be released to an abusive
surety rather than remain in jail. One defence counsel indicated that she had
particular concerns around young accused:
I would argue [abusive or inappropriate sureties] are particularly an issue
with children because they are often going back to homes where the parents
are like, now I have all these rules that I can play with, and it becomes
almost abusive in that the parents repeatedly pull the bail.157
Another Ontario duty counsel commented that she had concerns that female
accused are putting themselves in potentially dangerous situations when the
only surety available is one that is abusive, and then the surety has even more
power in the already abusive relationship as they can threaten to pull the bail if
the woman isnt compliant.158
Not only are sureties regularly presumed to be required for release in Ontario,
but it has also become a common practice to conduct an in-court examination
of the proposed surety to determine suitability.159 Previous research has found
that in Ontario, over a quarter of sureties for consent releases were required
to testify, a figure that rose to nearly 90% in show cause hearings.160 These
practices were confirmed by Ontario interviewees:

(2013) at 22.
Another Ontario defence
counsel similarly stated that
in St. Catharines [the surety
always has to testify]; rarely do
they do it any other way.
// 38
So you often see in Toronto consent releases, or bails that turn into consents
on minor matters, where a lot of court time is taken by having the surety
testifying about the plan and is it really necessary. So 1) it takes a lot of court
time and 2) it delays the process [because,] as a defence lawyer, you have to
interview the surety . . . and it shouldnt be necessary. . . . That logistical step
is time consuming. Certainly by making a surety sign a recognizance before
the [justice of the peace], its impressed upon them the seriousness of the
consequences of a breach, and that should be sufficient [since] theyre
pledging significant amounts of money. . . . Why that has to be under oath is
entirely unclear to me. . . . Its for the [justice of the peace] under the Criminal
Code to determine surety suitability and they can ask the surety any questions
in chambers. . . . Doing that all in open court just ties up court time.161
Appellate decisions in Ontario clearly state there is no legal obligation for

sureties to appear in court or formally testify, and a presumed insistence on
in-person appearances can amount to a violation of the right to reasonable bail
under the Charter.162 Although it has been recognized that the Crown has the
right to cross-examine a surety in some circumstances, this right is not absolute
and must be assessed on a case-by-case basis.163
Research participants were consistent in their view that the near universal
demand for a surety in Ontario is causing significant court delay. Appropriate
sureties must be located with the help of the accused, who no longer has access
to his or her cell phone to look up phone numbers, and in any case will frequently
not be allowed to make calls until they are returned to the provincial jail.
Defence counsel reported many accused only learn of the need to contact a
surety once they arrive at court. It is up to duty counsel to make inquiries on the
accuseds behalf. Even if duty counsel can locate a willing surety, it is unlikely that
he or she will be able attend court immediately. The consequence of this is the
accuseds bail hearing is adjourned and they are held in pre-trial custody until
their surety can attend court to secure their release.
Not only are

sureties regularly
presumed to
be required
for release in
Ontario, but it has
also become a
common practice
to conduct
an in-court
examination of
the proposed
surety to
determine
suitability.
The court observation data support interviewees perceptions that reliance on

sureties increases adjournment requests. In Yukon and Ontario, a significant
proportion of adjournment requests (where reasons were offered) were related
to surety requirements 19% and 20%, respectively. These types of requests
were rare in other jurisdictions.
Several Ontario cases have also referenced the connection between restrictive
Crown and court demands regarding sureties and chronic administrative delay.
Justice Hill, for example, states in R v Villota:
Restricting consideration of the sufficiency of sureties to the bail hearing
stage inevitably lengthens bail hearings and compounds the congestion
already existing in busy courts.164
Similarly, in R v Jevons the court was presented with evidence that
[a] major reason for the delay [in regional bail courts] is the practice of the
Crown, and the insistence of some Justices of the Peace, especially in cases of
domestic violence, to have potential sureties cross-examined even though
the Crown consents to the release of the defendant.165
The court found the practices of the Crown and some Justices of the Peace with
respect to sureties is contributing to the systemic delay in bail courts.166
162 R v Brooks, (2001) 153 CCC (3d)

533 (ON SC) at para 35.
163 R v Renaud, 2010 ONSC 5300.
164 R v Villota, 2002 CanLII 49650
(ON SC) at para 81.
165 R v Jevons, 2008 ONCJ 559 at
para 27.
// 39
04
All court participants are implicated in the overuse of sureties. Defence counsel
acknowledge they implicitly become part of the problem by suggesting the
[surety release] plan. 167 Indeed, in Ontario, where sureties are routinely
presumed to be required for release, it appears defence counsel will come
prepared with a surety to negotiate a consent release or to be examined during
the bail hearing. Defence counsel consistently reported it is very hard to contest
Crown requests for sureties. As explained by one defence counsel,
its very difficult to convince people to run a contested bail hearing when they
know the Crown is consenting to a residential surety. . . . It implicitly allows
the Crown to get away with asking for so much higher up the ladder than
they should be asking for.168
The situation observed in Ontario departs markedly from the other provinces.
Interviewees in other jurisdictions repeatedly stated sureties are reserved for
more serious cases or when the accused has a record for failing to comply with
a court order. When sureties are required the process is more informal,
something interviewees indicate is preferable to the Ontario model. As one
Manitoba counsel explained, if people had to start calling evidence here and
putting sureties on the stand, I think the system here would just crumble. 169
One BritishColumbia government representative with experience in both
jurisdictions confirms sureties are used much less frequently compared to
Ontario.170 Even Manitoba and Nova Scotia defence counsel, who report sureties
are used a ton or in all sorts of cases nonetheless reference more serious
charges, multiple failures to comply and the ladder approach when asked under
what circumstances sureties are required.171
Recommendation 4.1: Ontario must develop and implement a concrete
strategy for reducing delays in the bail system, including measures to
address and reverse the province-wide overreliance on sureties.

169 Defence counsel, Manitoba.
170 Interview with British
Columbia government
representatives. A British
Columbia defence counsel
stated that with serious
offences [sureties are used]
regularly [because] its an
effective way of getting a client
released on a serious offence,
but that they were usually not
required for less serious cases.
171 Multiple defence counsel in
Nova Scotia and Manitoba.
(2013) at 10.
// 40
Recommendation 4.2: Ontario and Yukons Crown Policy Manuals and

training materials should be revised to emphasize the presumption of
release and the ladder approach to the bail process. In Ontario, specific
policy guidance and court procedures should be put in place to reverse the
overreliance on sureties and the widespread practice of having sureties
testify in court. As recommended by the Bail Experts Round Table, witnesses
should not be called in consent release matters, except in the rarest of
circumstances. Relying on a read-in of allegations and affidavit of surety
(when a surety is necessary) should ordinarily be sufficient.172
Recommendation 4.3: Concrete measures should be taken to combat

institutional risk aversion. We endorse the recommendation adopted by
previous reports: Senior levels of all relevant organizations (including
the police, prosecution and the judiciary) should create an environment
conducive to the appropriate exercise of discretion by providing greater
public support, including in the media, for decision makers in the bail
process.173 Ontarios Crown Policy Manual and any associated training
material should be edited to reflect the appropriate level of institutional
support for individual decision-makers.
Recommendation 4.4: Experienced Crowns and duty counsel should be
assigned to bail court. Rotating counsel should be avoided to promote
workgroup consistency, encourage case ownership and preserve
institutional knowledge.
Recommendation 4.5: Where appropriate, adjudicators should question
the necessity and legality of requiring a surety in proposed consent releases.
Given the systemic overuse of sureties in some jurisdictions, adjudicators
should exercise their jurisdiction and decline to impose unnecessary surety
requirements even in circumstances when Crown and defence counsel might
agree to a surety requirement.
Sureties and Remote Communities
Surety requirements have a disproportional impact on accused from remote
communities. Fly-in Aboriginal communities often experience widespread
poverty, unemployment and substance abuse problems.174 On Aboriginal
reserves, few, if any, community members own property. This can be problematic
as bail orders generally have a financial component. Indeed, across the
observed courts, the amount of bail was set at a mean of $2,669 and a median
of $1,000.175 Finding a surety that is acceptable to the court under these
circumstances is particularly difficult, as sureties are required to demonstrate
sufficient assets to cover the amount of bail. Although Ontario has some bail
programs that will supervise individuals who do not have an appropriate surety,
the programs tend to operate out of larger centres where provincial courts are
located. Furthermore, there are some suggestions that these programs, like
sureties, can be required more often than is necessary.176
Interviews with counsel in northern Manitoba and Ontario also highlighted the
significant prejudice caused by court procedures that require sureties from
remote communities to fly in to appear in person before the court. In rural
Manitoba, for example, individuals who are not released by the police or at their
first bail appearance are flown to Thompson for processing. Even if a consent
surety release is approved, sureties are required to complete the paperwork
173 Re-inventing Criminal Justice:

Final Report, The Fourth
National Criminal Justice
Symposium (January 13/14,
2012); Justice on Target,
General, Bail Experts Table
Recommendations (2013) at 20.
174 The Supreme Court of Canada
instructs courts to take
judicial notice of such matters
as the history of colonialism,
displacement, and residential
schools and how that history
continues to translate into
lower educational attainment,
lower incomes, higher
unemployment, higher rates of
substance abuse and suicide,
and of course higher levels of
incarceration for Aboriginal
peoples. R v Ipeelee, 2012
SCC 13 at para 60.
176 A recent report on bail in
Ontario, for example, found
many instances where clients
under BVSP [Bail Verification
and Supervision Program]
supervision with minor
criminal charges still lived with
a parent . . . , were employed
and/or in school or noted that
they currently resided with
other extended family. John
Howard Society of Ontario,
Reasonable Bail? (Toronto: John
Howard Society of Ontario,
2013) at 8.
// 41
04
inperson before a court clerk. If the surety does not have the means to pay for a
flight, they can wait until circuit court is in their community to complete the bail
paperwork. The ability to fly in and out of these communities, however, depends
on weather conditions. Indeed, it may be several months before the court is able
to fly into the community. The difficulty is, until the bail paperwork is completed
and signed by the surety, the accused remains in custody. This problem was
recognized in the 2001 Final Report of the Manitoba Aboriginal Justice Inquiry:
During the course of our Inquiry, we heard countless stories of the hardships
that Aboriginal people encounter as they deal with a system which metes out
justice on a monthly basis. Percy and Irene Okimow told of the frustrations
they experienced following their daughters arrest for discharging a firearm,
break and enter, and mischief. Upon her arrest in Gods River, their daughter
was taken first to Gods Lake Narrows for court, where she was denied bail,
and then sent to Thompson. Her parents followed her to both communities,
attempting to arrange for her release. In the space of a week, the family
spent $1,200 on transportation and accommodation. Another youth who
had been arrested at the same time, whose parents had not been able to
travel to Thompson, was denied bail.177
Despite advances in technology and the ability to interview sureties remotely,
there continue to be significant barriers to just and timely access to justice in
remote communities.
Bail and Remote Communities
The facts of the case in R v Tommie Atlookan detail the delay in bail adjudication
often experienced by accused from remote communities. Mr Atlookan was from
Fort Hope, an isolated community 300 km north of Thunder Bay; in the summer
his community could only be reached by airplane. He was arrested in Fort Hope
on March 12, 2011 and flown to Thunder Bay to have his bail decided. He then
spent over 90 days in custody, waiting for his bail decision:
177 The Aboriginal Justice

Implementation Commission,
Aboriginal Justice Implementation
Commission: Final Report
(Winnipeg: June 2001), online:
The Aboriginal Justice
Implementation Commission
<http://www.ajic.mb.ca/
reports/final_ch06.html>.
// 42
March 14: the accused appeared before a justice of the peace, the Crown
objected to his release and the matter was put over one week for a bail
hearing. An interpreter was requested to assist Mr Atlookans mother,
who was going to be proposed as a surety.
March 21: the matter was adjourned as the mother had been unable to
raise the cash necessary for the flight to Thunder Bay.
March 23: the matter was adjourned again the mother still could
notattend.
April 1: the mother attended court, but the case could not proceed
because there was no interpreter.
April 6: the mother could not be present because of financial limitations.

The justice of the peace was asked to remand the accused to appear
before a judge sitting in Fort Hope to set a speedy trial date; that
request was denied as bail had not yet been settled.
April 21: the accused was remanded for an August 24 trial in Fort Hope.
On August 17, 2011 there was a mandatory 90-day bail review. Since his trial was
in a week, the judge refused to find systemic issues had contributed to his
detention or release the accused.
One area of particular concern highlighted by Ontario bail program workers was
the difficulties releasing youth from rural communities. Researchers were
informed that even when a youth had been approved for release, this would not
occur until a parent or guardian could travel to the base court. Although the
youths travel back to the home community would be paid for, parents had to
buy their own plane tickets. It is unclear how frequently this occurs or how many
youth could not be released because their parents could not afford to pick
themup.
A similar situation appears in some rural communities in Ontario. Interviewees
from one northern Ontario bail program report sureties from fly-in communities
can complete the paperwork from their home communities by attending their
local police detachment and conducting a remote interview with a justice of the
peace.178 A 2013 Ontario report on justice for fly-in communities, however,
suggests this practice is not universal:
The Working Group agreed that where an accused person must be flown out
for his or her bail hearing, the added burden of having to get sureties to the
base court for a bail hearing imposes a significant hardship. Technology
could assist in this regard if arrangements could be made for the surety to
appear in front of a justice of the peace presiding in a base court location by
video or telephone from the suretys homecommunity.179
Recommendation 4.6: The relevant recommendations of the Ontario Court
of Justice and Ministry of the Attorney General Joint Fly-In Court Working
Group should be adopted, including developing a protocol for sureties to
appear in front of a justice of the peace presiding in a base court location by
video or telephone from their home community. The judiciary receive
education regarding ss. 515(2.2) and (2.3) of the Criminal Code and the various
options to receive surety information, which include, but are not limited to, the
standard bail surety affidavit form. Standard procedures should be adopted
in courthouses that regularly serve remote communities to reinforce that
requiring sureties to testify is the exception, rather than the default.
178 Bail program worker, Ontario.

// 43
04
Perceptions regarding the quality of bail adjudication

The jurisdictions studied differed in the type of judicial officer who presided over
bail matters. In British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Manitoba, provincial bail courts
are presided over by provincial court judges. In Yukon bail matters are heard by
a combination of judges and justices of the peace. In Ontario non-specialized
provincial bail courts are presided over by justices of the peace.
Individuals who are appointed to serve as justices of the peace in Ontario
generally do not have formal legal training.180 Although both Ontario and Yukon
highlight the importance of training and educating new justices of the peace,
justices of the peace generally have less legal education than the lawyers
appearing before them. In Ontario training consists of a nine-week intensive
course covering a wide range of topics, including bail, mentoring and ongoing
professional development;181 in Yukon, there does not appear to be a formal
education program.182
This study did not compare the quality of bail adjudication in different
jurisdictions. It is therefore not possible, based on our research, to come to any
firm conclusions regarding bail decisions made by justices of the peace relative
to those issued by judges. Nevertheless, the interviews we conducted revealed
a consistent concern about the quality of adjudication provided by justices of
the peace. In our view, the existence of this perception, regardless of how closely
it aligns with reality, threatens the proper administration of justice. For that
reason, this is an issue that needs to be addressed if the bail courts are to
operate, and be seen as operating, in a fair manner.
Counsel from both Yukon and Ontario repeatedly noted concern about the
quality of bail decisions being made by some justices of the peace. Both lawyers
and corrections personnel expressed frustration that the law of bail was not
being applied appropriately:
180 Ontario Courts, Judicial

Conduct: Justice of the Peace
Education Plan (April 2013),
ocj/jprc/education-plan/>.
181 Ibid.
182 The Judicial Councils web page
states that the Council has
supported the supervising
judge in his efforts to develop
a formal training process for
justices of the peace. Yukon
Courts, Judicial Council, online:
Yukon Courts <http://www.
yukoncourts.ca/courts/
territorial/judicialcouncil.html>.
// 44
I often bring case law to bail hearings and go through it in a detailed way, lay
out thegrounds for detention. It [court] will adjourn for 15 minutes or an
hour, and they[justices of the peace] come back, and theres some decision
thats completely unrelated to the primary, secondary or tertiary grounds
detaining your client. . . . The presumption of innocence isnt there; the
decision isnt rationally connected to those grounds. . . . Its extremely
frustrating that the decision that is perhaps the mostimportant in the
process is made by someone that very likely does not have anylegal training.
...
Bail hearings are conducted in front of justices of the peace who often dont
have legal training . . . [and] who often dont apply the law. . . . [They] simply
look at the allegations and make what often appears to be a fairly arbitrary
decision about detention or release . . . and their decisions often do not
reflect the presumption of innocence, so itll be youve done something
terrible young man! or something to that effect.183
Interview participants perceived significant differences in case outcomes
between matters presided over by judges and justices of the peace. For one
Ontario lawyer, the difference between a justice of the peace and a judge is
illustrated in the outcomes of contested bail hearings in front of a justice of the
peace, which he reported are very, very rarely . . . successful, and bail reviews
of the same cases in front of a judge just a few weeks later, which he rarely lost.184
Interview
participants
perceived
significant
differences in
case outcomes
between matters
presided over
by judges and
justices of the
peace.
Defence counsel believe the lack of legal training and confidence in decisionmaking leads some justices of the peace to defer to the Crowns interpretation
of the law. As stated by one duty counsel:
Many of the [justices of the peace] will just go with the Crown theres a lot
of deference to the Crown as opposed to the defence lawyers, and
particularly duty counsel[, who] are not thought of as real lawyers by the
JPs [justices of the peace]. . . . I find it shocking. Sometimes Im saying this is
what the [Criminal] Code says, its right here, and theres a lot of deference
to the Crown. And so in that sense, the Crown is guiding what is going on in
the bail courts, because they have all of the control over all of the
conditions of release. They have a lot of power that theyre not really aware
of. . . . [Unlike with plea bargaining,] with bail theres no negotiation; the
Crown suggests conditions and the accused agrees to them and the
JP [justice of the peace] says nothing and imposes them. That, to me, is
responsible for the inanity of the bailsystem.185
Defence counsel report the Crowns position on release changes depending on
whether they are before a justice of the peace or a judge:
I think sometimes maybe just sub-consciously or not intentionally I think
the Crowns take advantage of the fact that its justices of the peace as
opposed to judges. What they ask for, if something were to get traversed to a
judge, they all of a sudden dont ask for . . . or some of what they had
originally been asking for gets dropped. On the face of it, it would appear that
they know that what theyre asking for is pretty unreasonable, and it would
be more embarrassing to put that in front of a judge, . . . but they dont seem
to have the same concerns in front of justices of the peace.186

// 45
04
Similarly, another defence lawyer states:

I think the Crowns have an expectation of what the judges position will be
and know that its going to be difficult in many cases in the Superior Court of
Justice to justify the individuals detention. . . . Whereas if youre at 2201 [the
court at 2201 Finch Avenue in Toronto], or at some of the other courthouses,
and youre before a [justice of the peace], the Crowns know that it [detention]
is fairly likely. . . . I think the bench has a significant influence on the Crowns.187
Given pressures on defence counsel to accept the release conditions
proposed by the Crown to secure a bail release on consent, it is important that
judicial officers are firmly independent and knowledgeable about the law and
its application.
Recommendation 5.1: Given the fundamental importance of bail decisions,
conditions of release and the high possibility for constitutional rights
violations in the bail process, justices of the peace should be required to
have further specialized training prior to adjudicating bail matters.
Recommendation 5.2: Chief justices should establish programs to monitor
and evaluate the quality of adjudication provided by justices of the peace.
Where necessary, bail adjudication should be reallocated to judges.
Conditions of release: Setting people up to fail
The majority of conditions attached to release orders, even strict and onerous
conditions, are imposed with the consent of the accused. Interviewees
nevertheless brought up concerns about the imposition of inappropriate or
overly restrictive conditions of release. Defence counsel explain individuals
readily agree to very restrictive conditions in order to avoid more time in
pre-trial detention:
A person might agree to [certain conditions] rather than remain another day,
or even another half a day, in custody. Unfortunately, its kind of the nature of
the beast; I think thats very commonplace. And so in order to get out, or to
get out sooner, people agree to conditions with the intention of trying to do
something about them later whether they do or not.188

188 Defence counsel, Nova Scotia.
// 46
Some also report difficulty challenging overly restrictive conditions in the first
instance bail hearing:
Your first objective is to get them out of jail as quickly as possible, particularly
if its someone who hasnt been through the system before. These are violent
places the Don Jail, the West [Detention Centre] in Toronto, [or] any of the
remand centres so your objective is to get them out of there as quickly as
possible. So typically theyre being held for a bail hearing, [and] the Crown will
say, well, whats your plan? And if the Crown and you disagree about the
conditions, then you need to have a contested bail hearing. It is extremely
unlikely that you would be able to have a contested bail hearing on that first
day . . . so if you wanted to have that fight, youd have to put it over. The
Crowns position might then be, were going to seek their detention. But
even if the Crown said, nope, were prepared to release them, but its going
to be house arrest, your clients going to wait several days in that remand
centre to have that bail hearing.189
The chance
of having bail
denied altogether
pushes both
defence lawyers
and accused to
accept the release
plan proposed by
the Crown.
The chance of having bail denied altogether pushes both defence lawyers and
accused to accept the release plan the Crown consents to. Defence counsel
report they very rarely insist on a contested bail hearing over a few conditions,
preferring to secure their clients release and hope they can comply and, if
necessary, bring a bail review or bail variation at a later date.190 This, however,
means the accused has to live with overly restrictive conditions until some
indeterminate point in the future and bear the cost of bringing an additional
legal application.
Several specific themes around conditions of release emerged from the
interviews. First, there was a general view that too many conditions are being
imposed, and the conditions are often unrelated to the underlying offence or
the purposes of bail. Interview subjects are also concerned about accused with
addictions being ordered to abstain absolutely a condition many feel simply
sets people up for failure, further criminal charges and increased detention.
Conditions requiring individuals to seek or attend medical treatment or
addictions counselling, while used regularly in a few jurisdictions, are viewed as
inappropriate at the bail stage by other provincial governments. Moreover, while
some feel that a court-imposed order is useful in helping people access needed
services or to achieve temporary stability, many participants acknowledge that if
a person does not voluntarily attend treatment, a court order will not help the
situation. These themes are explored in more detail below.

190 Duty counsel, Toronto; defence
counsel, Manitoba.
// 47
04
Overuse of bail conditions

Conditions [are] a huge issue. . . . The terms are crazy. I remember when I
first went there, I was dizzy in court. There might have been a client with
FASD [Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder] and they were, like, reading out
the 20 terms and theyre like, do you understand, sir? and I was like,
I couldnt follow that like actually it was too confusing. Their bails, if
youve seen them, are huge and everyone is on an abstain. Everyone is
on an abstain it doesnt matter. I know sometimes for the secondary
grounds, its arguable, but everyones on it. . . . People were, until very
recently, all consenting to the blow on demand. . . . Theres house arrests
when I wouldnt think that would be necessary.
Yukon interviewee
The other thing thats very difficult to explain to a client especially if the
client has read the bail provisions of the Criminal Code is that the way
bail is supposed to work is that the Crown is supposed to justify any
conditions beyond releasing an accused on their own recognizance. But
when youre in a contested bail hearing, a good result is that your client
[will] be released on very strict conditions (say, house arrest). So for
whatever reason, even if the Crowns decision to oppose bail is completely
arbitrary and theres no way, of course, to review that your client is
looking at best at a very restrictive curfew [or] a surety bail with a
significant recognizance for that individual. [They are] very restrictive
extensive conditions if not house arrest, a curfew where the way the
bail system is supposed to work is youre supposed to climb the ladder
upwards, not downwards.
Toronto defence counsel
191 In total 196 releases were

observed; the number of
conditions imposed is
unknown in 23 cases.
192 Marie-Eve Sylvestre et al,
Libert dexpression et de
runion pacifique et tactiques
judiciares de contrle des
espaces publics, Confrence
Enjeux mergents en droit public
(22 May 2014).
// 48
The majority of research participants identified the number and type of conditions
imposed as a primary concern with the bail process. Court observations confirm
that it is common for multiple conditions to be imposed. Across the courts a
mean of 7.1 or a median of 6.5 conditions of release were imposed on accused.
Yukon is an outlier, routinely imposing close to twice as many release conditions
compared to the other jurisdictions (a mean of 12.71 and a median of 13). There
was also significant variation between individual cases, as the courts imposed a
low of 1 and a high of 34 conditions on the bail order. Of the 172 observed
released in which the number of conditions imposed was known, no one person
was released without any conditions.191 This is consistent with other academic
work on provincial bail courts in Quebec and British Columbia, where the
authors concluded that individuals who are detained by police are almost never
released unconditionally by bail courts, and that judicial actors simply assume
that if individuals are held for a bail appearance, it is because the police decided
it was not reasonable to release them.192
Court observations confirm a wide variety of conditions are routinely imposed.
Courts frequently imposed conditions prohibiting weapons possession (45.9%),
not to attend at particular addresses (usually the address of the alleged offence)
(30.2%), not to enter a boundary around an address or person (40.1%) and not
to contact any victim or witness (51.2%). Looking across all jurisdictions, it is
clear the courts are also concerned about where accused will live when they are
released on bail. Most accused (69.2%) were required to either reside with their
surety (26.2%) or at an address approved by their surety or the bail program
(43%); 44.2% of accused were required to report their residential address to
thepolice.
Despite the legal

presumption of
unconditional
release, out of
196 bail releases
observed, not a
single person was
released without
restrictive
conditions.
In nearly half of all observed cases (43%), the accused was required to keep the
peace and be of good behaviour, and in a quarter of cases, accused were
required to be amenable to the rules and discipline of the home (25.6%). Finally,
close to a third of all accused released on bail were required to attend treatment
or counselling (28.5%); abide by a curfew (23.8%); not purchase, possess or
consume drugs (25%) or alcohol (27.3%); and/or report to a program (27.2%).
Research suggests that the more conditions accused are subject to and the
longer they are required to comply with conditions, the more likely they are to
accumulate charges of failing to comply with a court order.193 Many interviewees
expressed the opinion that individuals are subject to too many conditions:
I think theyre probably over-conditioned; I think people are put on too many
conditions. I think theres some judges that would actually agree with that.
[Are the conditions tied to the secondary or primary grounds?] No, not
necessarily as much as it shouldnt be punitive, I think they [the conditions]
are.194
There was also a general perception that standard sets of conditions are being
requested by the Crown, regardless of the circumstances of the accused:
The conditions [imposed] are usually very standard. And frankly, in the last
few years that Ive been doing it, in bail court anyhow, Ive been seeing the
creeping in of more and more conditions that are usually [for] things that,
before, I had the ability to maybe persuade the judge that we dont want
and now even the more liberal judges are imposing them as a matter
of course.195

Conditions (2011) 53:4
// 49
04
Questions were also raised as to whether the conditions being imposed are
really warranted in light of the underlying charges:
Theres conditions like dont ride the TTC [Toronto Transit Commission],
curfews, house arrest on simple charges that I dont think warrant house
arrest, boundary conditions. We dont see a lot of [conditions ordering
people] not to possess cell phones, but that happens in almost every single
drug case.196
The perception that individuals are subject to too many conditions is supported
by other research. Previous reports raise concerns that bail supervision
programs, designed to reduce remand populations by providing supervision for
individuals who would otherwise be detained, are being relied on for the
supervision of low-risk clients who could reasonably be released on their own
recognizance. A recent report on bail in Ontario, for example, found many
instances where clients under BVSP [Bail Verification and Supervision Program]
supervision with minor criminal charges still lived with a parent[,] . . . were
employed and/or in school or noted that they currently resided with other
extended family. 197 Moreover, despite the prevalence of low-risk supervision,
all clients are subject to conditions above and beyond the usual requirements
to keep the peace and be of good behaviour (a problematic condition in itself,
since good behaviour is in the eyes of the beholder) and report to the bail
verification and supervision program. Numerous examples were identified
where conditions were unrelated to the purposes of bail and seemed to focus
on character modification or improvement.198 The report recommends
realigning Crown policy to ensure there is a true presumption of unsupervised
release for low-risk individuals and reserving bail program supervision for cases
that are facing probable detention.199
Recommendation 6.1: Crown policy manuals should be revised to
emphasize the presumption of unsupervised release for low-risk accused.

198 Ibid at 1112.
199 Ibid at 9.
// 50
Recommendation 6.2: Bail program supervision should be reserved for

cases that are facing probable detention; referrals to bail supervision should
not be routine. Regular reviews of bail program cases should be conducted
to ensure the purpose of bail programs to increase releases is not being
subverted by imposing unnecessarily strict conditions and supervision. Bail
supervision manuals should be revised to explicitly state that bail supervision
is not suitable for individuals who can be released on their own recognizance,
and standard bail supervision forms should allow bail program workers to
suggest that an individual is not suitable for bail program supervision for this
reason. Bail supervision manuals should also be revised to clearly reflect the
statutory presumption of unconditional release and minimal supervision
within the bail program. Standard checklists of conditions attached to bail

supervision programs should be avoided, and conditions should only be
recommended by bail programs where they are necessary to meet the
statutory requirements for release. In order to ensure that bail supervision
programs are reserved for those who would otherwise face probable detention, bail supervision manuals should specify that individuals with a history of
failure to comply charges are, in general, appropriate supervision candidates.
Although concerns about public safety may make an individual an inappropriate
candidate for bail supervision, a history of failure to comply alone should not
prevent an individual from participating in a bail supervision program.
Professionals in Yukon seemed particularly concerned about the issue of overly
intrusive and restrictive conditions, reporting additional restrictions are being
imposed based on previous individual knowledge of the accused and his or her
background. Interviewees note the small size of the community plays a role in
increasing the likelihood that conditions are imposed:
Conditions
are frequently
imposed that
have little or no
connection to
the underlying
offence and are
of questionable
relation to bail
concerns.
One of the factors [leading to the overuse of bail conditions] is that this is a
small community. The offenders in the territory are very well known. They
tend to be repeat offenders, and I think that . . . because people know the
offenders and know what some of their underlying problems are and what
some of their past behaviours have been, they try and use or create bail
conditions based on that knowledge rather than on the charges and the
Criminal Code. . . . Its like Mr Smith has committed a new theft under or
something, [and] because they know that hes an alcoholic because they
know that he does this, that and the other thing they impose conditions
based on that knowledge rather than on the risk that he actually presents
with respect to the Criminal Code and the conditions for bail.200
Interview participants in Yukon also expressed concern about the practice of
imposing a long list of very strict conditions and then giving discretion to the bail
supervisor to allow for exceptions where warranted. It is understandable why
the courts and prosecutors may view this as an attractive option, as it essentially
downloads the responsibility for crafting conditions and assessing the risk
posed by the accused to probation officers. The courts must impose reasonable
conditions that are tailored to the accuseds circumstances. Although it may be
useful to provide mechanisms to allow exceptions to bail conditions outside a
formal bail review process, this flexibility should not operate to increase the
number or restrictiveness of conditions imposed by the courts.
Counsel across all jurisdictions report conditions are frequently imposed that
have little or no connection to the underlying offence and are of questionable
relation to bail concerns of ensuring the accused returns to court, does not
// 51
04
201 Defence counsel, Ontario;
defence counsel, Manitoba;
defence counsel, Nova Scotia.
203 Marie-Eve Sylvestre,
Dominique Bernier & Cline
Bellot, Zone Restrictions
Orders in Canadian Courts and
the Reproduction of SocioEconomic Inequality (2014)
4:4 Onati Socio-Legal Series,
forthcoming; Marie-Eve
Sylvestre et al, Libert
dexpression et de runion
pacifique et tactiques
(22 May 2014).
(22 May 2014).
205 Marie-Eve Sylvestre,
Dominique Bernier & Cline
Bellot, Zone Restrictions
Orders in Canadian Courts and
the Reproduction of SocioEconomic Inequality, (2014)
4:4 Onati Socio-Legal Series,
forthcoming; Marie-Eve
Sylvestre et al, Spatial Tactics
in Criminal Courts: The Legal
Geography of Conditions of
Release (forthcoming).
(22 May 2014).
207 R v Anoussis, 2008 QCCQ 8100,
242 CCC (3d) at para 23.
208 Re Keenan and the Queen
(1979), 57 CCC (2d) 267, 12 CR
(3d) 135 (Que CA).
209 R v DA, [2014] ONCS 2166.
// 52
threaten public safety by committing further offences and does not interfere
with the administration of justice. Curfews, for example, are regularly imposed
regardless of the time or nature of the offence.201 In one case, a justice of the
peace required a youth bail order to include a condition that at all music on
personal music devices [has] to be vetted by the surety for inappropriate
music.. . . The justice of the peace said in her decision that there is a clear link
between violence and rap music.202
Ongoing research is also highlighting the way in which broad, overlapping or
variable bail conditions can combine to result in highly restrictive, and at times
unconstitutional, legal prohibitions.203 Standard bail conditions can significantly
impair basic constitutional and statutory rights, including mobility rights; the
right to life, liberty and security of the person; the right to equality; the right to
dignity; and certain social and economic rights protected by the Quebec
Charter.204 These conditions have particularly dramatic impacts on marginalized
individuals, who may find themselves legally prohibited from accessing the
basic welfare services they need in order to survive as a result of overlapping,
stringent restrictions on location, contact and movement.205
Bail conditions may also have significant impacts on freedom of expression,
association and democratic participation, in particular for individuals arrested
during major Canadian demonstrations. Recent work identifies numerous
problematic bail conditions, with interviewees reporting bail conditions
fundamentally interfered with their personal and professional lives, impacting
relationships with their families and friends and causing job loss and economic
insecurity, marginalization and physical and mental health problems.206
Conditions prohibiting demonstration, communication or association, and
geographical exclusion orders, had a particularly devastating impact on
individuals participation in democratic life and political activism.
Any restriction on an accuseds liberty while he or she is on bail must be
reasonable.207 The Criminal Code and the Charter require bail conditions be
directed towards concerns on the primary or secondary grounds that may have
otherwise provided a basis for the accuseds detention.208 Bail conditions are
not remedial, they cannot be used to enhance the rehabilitation of the accused
and they must be related to the circumstances of the offence. Restrictive bail
conditions are likely experienced by accused as punishment. Imposing
conditions unrelated to the purposes of bail is unconstitutional and takes the
process further towards punishment and behaviour modification rather than
the legally permissible purposes of conditions of release.
Indeed, imposing unconstitutional, arbitrary or unrelated bail conditions brings
the administration of justice into disrepute. In R v DA209 the Ontario Superior
Court upheld the decision of a justice of the peace who refused to release the
accused on the conditions jointly proposed by the Crown and Defence Counsel,
and instead released the accused without conditions. The Court ruled that the
extensive joint conditions proposed by counsel would have been unlawful and
brought the administration of justice into disrepute as they were not related to
apurpose which would otherwise justify the accuseds detention and were
overly broad when viewed in relation to the known allegations. As stated by
Justice Sonsa:
the terms imposed on bail release must have a related purpose which
justifies their imposition. Without a purpose, the terms are unreasonable and
thus arbitrary. Imposing unreasonable or arbitrary terms would bring the
administration of justice into disrepute.210
The Court also ruled that the proposed terms, and in particular the requirement
to sign all releases allowing a Childrens Aid Society worker to fully communicate
the charges and ongoing proceedings to the youths college, violated the
accuseds privacy and risked ostracizing him while he is presumed innocent.
Finally, the proposed terms also risked violating the accuseds rights under s
11(d) of the Charter:
The more
conditions
accused are
subject to and
the longer they
are required to
comply with
conditions, the
more likely they
are to accumulate
charges of failing
to comply with a
court order.
Read as a whole, the suggested joint conditions are akin to conditions often
imposed . . . after convictions. . . . Under Section 11(d) of the Charter, the
respondent has the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. Imposing
bail release conditions that are virtually identical to terms a court may impose
under Section 161(1) after conviction for the prescribed offences are release
terms that are both punitive and violate of the respondents Charter rights.211
Rejecting joint submissions regarding bail release conditions should not be done
lightly. Where, however, the proposed conditions are unlawful, unconstitutional
and punitive, judges and justices of the peace should exercise their powers to
reject such proposals.
Finally, as described above, bail conditions may also be unconstitutional by
virtue of the impact they have on other Charter rights, including freedom of
expression and association, equality, and the right to life, liberty and security of
the person. Unfortunately, however, constitutional rights are rarely, if ever,
raised as relevant in the course of a bail decision. In fact, a forthcoming study
that interviewed a wide variety of court actors, including judges and prosecutors,
found that all interviewees expressed surprise when researchers raised the
possibility that bail conditions impact fundamental rights.212 Only two interviewees
noted a connection between a condition not to demonstrate and freedom of
expression and peaceful assembly, and both were of the view that such
restrictions would be justified under s 1 of the Charter.
210 Ibid.
211 Ibid.
(22 May 2014).
// 53
04
Recommendation 6.3: Bail conditions must be clearly related to the

purposes of the bail system and the specific facts of the case.
Recommendation 6.4: Bail courts must be more attuned to the ways in
which bail conditions in particular, no-contact orders, curfews and
movement restrictions or zone exclusion orders can fundamentally and
unjustifiably impair a wide range of constitutional rights.
Recommendation 6.5: Judges and justices of the peace should use their
authority to reject a joint submission on bail release conditions where
the proposed terms of release are either unlawful or would bring the
administration of justice into disrepute. Proposed conditions that are
unrelated to the purpose of bail are unreasonable and arbitrary, and bring
the administration of justice into disrepute.
Recommendation 6.6: For those jurisdictions where inappropriate, unlawful
or unconstitutional bail conditions are frequently imposed, a purposive,
targeted, rapid bail review procedure should be implemented to ensure
timely access to effective review of conditions by a judge who can offer
remedies, establish precedents and stimulate improved decision-making at
first instance. Defence representation for these purposes should be funded
by legal aid or targeted provincial/territorial funds.
Even where conditions may be nominally related to the facts of the case and the
purposes of bail, they should be utilized only when absolutely necessary; the law
requires that conditions of release, like incarceration, be imposed with restraint.
Conditions related to ensuring the accused appears for a court date should not
be imposed where other administrative methods would likely be effective.
213 R v Morales, [1992] 3 SCR 711 at

737, 77 CCC (3d) 91.
214 It appears that simple
reminders to those charged
with criminal offences,
combined with educational
material about the consequences of failing to appear
for court, can significantly
reduce the rate of failures to
appear. See David I Rosenbaum et al, Court Date
Reminder Cards (2012) 95:4
Judicature 177.
215 The case law is not clear what
behaviour will constitute a
breach of the condition to
keep the peace and be of good
behaviour. Some courts have
indicated that the behaviour
must breach a substantive law:
R v Grey (1993), 19 CR (4th) 363
// 54
Moreover, in our view, many courts are taking too broad an interpretation of the
secondary grounds. The Supreme Court premised the constitutionality of this
bail provision on a narrow interpretation of when detention is justified:
I am satisfied that the scope of the public safety component of s. 515(10)(b) is
sufficiently narrow to satisfy the first requirement under s. 11(e). Bail is not
denied for all individuals who pose a risk of committing an offence or
interfering with the administration of justice while on bail. Bail is denied only
for those who pose a substantial likelihood of committing an offence or
interfering with the administration of justice, and only where this substantial
likelihood endangers the protection or safety of the public. Moreover,
detention is justified only when it is necessary for public safety. It is not
justified where detention would merely be convenient or advantageous.213
Not every potential Criminal Code offence or bail condition violation will engage
public safety particularly if this phrase is taken at face value to primarily refer to
the physical safety of others. The fact that an individual has, in the past, violated
bail conditions does not necessarily make a person a threat to public safety.
Recommendation 6.7: Conditions of release must be imposed with
significant restraint. Where appropriate, adjudicators should question the
necessity and legality of the conditions proposed in consent releases. When
necessary, adjudicators should exercise their jurisdiction and decline to
impose unnecessary conditions.
Recommendation 6.8: Conditions related to ensuring the accused appears
for court should not be imposed where other administrative methods such
as a phone call to remind the person of an upcoming appearance are likely
to beeffective.214
Recommendation 6.9: Conditions relating to the secondary grounds should
be reserved for cases where the underlying offence is a violent one with
ongoing risk to public safety, or the circumstances give rise to specific
concerns regarding future violent acts. Non-violent accused should not be
placed under strict bail conditions justified on the grounds of public safety.
Many regularly imposed bail conditions are vague, making it difficult for accused
to comply and putting a significant amount of discretion in the hands of sureties
and the police. The requirement to keep the peace and be of good behaviour
or be amenable to the rules and discipline of the home can ostensibly encompass
a wide range of behaviours. An accused person is unlikely to know what
behaviours will contravene these conditions,215 and both restrictions are unlikely
to be related to the offences before the court or the enumerated grounds for
detention.216 Overly broad or vague criminal provisions violate s 7 of the Charter.217
Courts have found that conditions such as be amenable to the rules of the
house and other similarly vague directions are unconstitutional.218 Individuals
will often not have the means to challenge these conditions independently, and
courts have ruled that many conditions may not be legally challenged at trial
due to the rule against collateral attack on judicial orders.219 The condition to
keep the peace and be of good behaviour must be very narrowly interpreted in
order to withstand Charter scrutiny such that it largely applies to acts already
prohibited by law.220
From a policy perspective, these conditions download court responsibility to
craft reasonable bail restrictions onto sureties, who may then make their own
rules the accused has to comply with, or to the police who assess what constitutes
a breach of the peace. Surety-controlled conditions create particularly dangerous
(Ont Ct (Prov Div)) and R v D(R),

[1999] NJ No 228, 138 CCC (3d)
405 (CA). Others have found a
breach where no substantive
law was contravened: R v Stone
(1985) 22 CCC (3d) 249 (Nfld
CA); R v Jefferson, 2012 NSPC 3;
R v S(S), [1999] NJ No 230,
138CCC (3d) 430 (CA). Being
charged with breaching the
bail condition to keep the
peace and be of good
behaviour can trigger the
reverse onus provisions in
s 515(6)(c) as well as potentially
result in a revocation of bail
under s 524. As a result, a
charge for breach of this term
can have serious consequences.
In R v S(S), a youth was
convicted of a breach of this
probation condition as a result
of his disruptive behaviour in
his classroom at school. In R v
Grey, substantive law was
defined as a contravention of a
federal, criminal, provincial, or
municipal law. On a literal
reading, this would encompass
behaviour such as jay walking.
The notion that these kinds of
behaviours could lead to
breach charges, and could
result in a reverse onus, s 524
bail proceeding where an
accused would be at risk of
being detained pending trial,
raises constitutional concerns.
216 Keep the peace and be of
good behaviour was not
imposed as a condition of bail
for this reason in R v K(S),
[1998] SJ No 863 (Prov Ct) and
R v B(AD), 2009 SKPC 120. See
also Justice Gary T Trotter, The
Law of Bail in Canada, 3d ed
(loose-leaf) (Toronto: Carswell,
2010) at 641.
217 R v Levkovic, 2013 SCC 25.
218 R v CCH, [1994] NSJ No 334
(NS Fam Ct); R v D (JA), 1999
SKQB 262; R v F(A) (1990), 74 OR
(2d) 107.
219 See, for example, R v Reed
(1994), 91 CCC (3d) 481 (BCCA);
R v Lee, 1999 CanLII 2341 (ON
CA). The rule applies even
where the challenge to the
validity of a court order takes
on a constitutional flavor: R v
Domm (1996), 111 CCC (3d) 449
(Ont CA) at 458 (leave to
appeal refused [1997] SCCA
No 78 (QL)).
220 R v R (D), 1999 CanLII 13903
(NL CA).
// 55
04
situations for youth and women in abusive relationships who may name an
abusive partner or parent as surety simply to be released from detention.
Recommendation 6.10: The requirements to keep the peace and be of
good behaviour or be amenable to the rules and discipline of the home are
constitutionally questionable, open to abuse, of limited legal utility and
frequently immune from challenge at the prosecution stage. They should not
be imposed.
Abstain conditions
Abstinence clauses not to drink alcohol: well, the reason hes been
arrested is because he was intoxicated because hes an alcoholic. Those
kinds of conditions, the guy, hes going to breach right away.
British Columbia defence counsel
I dont think they [the courts] are sensitive to that [imposing abstention
conditions where the accused is an alcoholic], and sometimes they do say
they are, but they usually arent. I do see that as a problem, especially the
no drinking one. . . . Even if the drinking is rationally connected to the
allegations, theyre still innocent until proven guilty, and furthermore, they
probably have an issue with booze. Its just setting them up for breaches.
Halifax defence counsel
In-court observations, as well as interviews with justice system participants,
reveal that bail release orders frequently require individuals to abstain from
consuming drugs, alcohol or both. Across all courts, a quarter of releases
required the accused to not purchase, possess or consume any non-medically
prescribed drugs, and 27.3% of releases required accused to abstain absolutely
from the purchase, possession or consumption of alcohol. These conditions
were most commonly required in Manitoba (40.9% for drugs, 45.5% for alcohol),
Nova Scotia (45.2% for drugs, 45.2% for alcohol) and Yukon (71.4% for drugs, 85.7%
for alcohol). Manitoba and Yukon also commonly imposed the conditionthat
accused are not to enter any establishment whose primary source ofrevenue is
generated through the sale of alcohol (22.7% and 71.4%, respectively).

222 Ibid.
// 56
In Ontario, close to 20% of releases included a condition prohibiting alcohol

consumption. A 2013 report on Ontarios bail system found that a large number
of abstention conditions were imposed on bail program releases. Over 80% of
clients who reported ongoing problems with alcohol were released on a
condition that they not consume alcohol.221 Similarly, over 81% of accused
who reported drug use problems were specifically required to abstain from
consuming drugs while on bail.222
Interviewees raised particular concerns about accused with addictions being

ordered to abstain absolutely a condition many felt set people up for failure.
Researchers were told that abstention conditions are almost automatically
imposed when the allegations are in any way related to alcohol,223 and many
Crowns and judges will not modify the conditions even if a person suffers from
alcohol or addiction problems. According to one Ontario study, the imposition of
abstention conditions is positively correlated with subsequent breaches.224 For
individuals with substance addictions, abstinence conditions often do little more
than set the person up for a subsequent breach charge, more pre-trial detention
and a longer criminal record.
In Yukon, abstinence conditions are placed on individuals regardless of whether
the underlying charge is connected to alcohol. One defence counsels strong
assertion that everyone is on an abstain regardless of the nature of the alleged
conduct was supported by others working in the Yukon bail system:
For me . . . putting any condition on a bail like that [alcohol abstention] . . . is
not appropriate because the person is innocent. We are [also] putting
conditions that are not connected to the allegations before the court.225
Interview subjects from other jurisdictions reported the courts are sometimes
sensitive to problems that arise from imposing abstinence conditions on
addicts, and craft more tailored conditions that allow a person to continue
drinking inside their house or drink as long as they are not in contact with
specific people.226 The response, however, ultimately depends on which Crown
or judge is assigned to the case:
[Whether the jurist is sensitive to abstinence conditions] all depends on the
judge, to be honest with you it really does, and I think it depends on the
judge . . . and it depends on the prosecutor. . . . A lot of prosecutors out here
are about 23 years of age with no life experience; they know nothing about
human behaviour except their own middle-class existence. Im hugely
over-generalizing here, but theres a significant number of people who dont
know anything about addictions, or the cycle of addictions, all those kinds of
things; that takes life experience, and a lot of them dont have it.227
While interview subjects recognized abstention conditions present problems,
there was also acknowledgment that some individuals really do present a
danger when intoxicated. At times, the choice an individual will face is either to
be released with an abstention condition or to remain in detention. Participants
agree these are difficult cases, and there is no clear consensus as to how to deal
with this group of addicted individuals who are facing pre-trial detention.
Ordering an
alcoholic not
to drink is
tantamount
to ordering
the clinically
depressed to just
cheer up. This
type of condition
has been
characterized
by some courts
(at least in the
context of a
probation order)
as not entirely
realistic. . . . It
has been found
to have set the
accused up for
failure.
R v Omeasoo,
2013 ABPC 328
223 Duty counsel, Toronto
(Oftentimes when the
allegations have anything to
do with alcohol, the Crown is
asking for an absolute
abstention condition. They
would ask for it for an alcoholic
or a non-alcoholic. Thats
something thats not so much
a blanket imposition. Some
justices have different views
on it; theres some conflicting
case law on it.)
226 Duty counsel, Nova Scotia.
Columbia; defence counsel,
Manitoba.
// 57
04
A recent Alberta case, R v Omeasoo,228 addresses police-imposed abstinence

conditions for those with alcohol addictions. The court found that while [t]here
are circumstances where individuals can be expected to comply with bail
conditions merely because they are pronounced by a person in authority and
will result in penal sanctions if breached, this is seldom the case with alcoholics
subjected to abstention clauses. 229 The court continues:
Ordering an alcoholic not to drink is tantamount to ordering the clinically
depressed to just cheer up. This type of condition has been characterized
by some courts (at least in the context of a probation order) as not entirely
realistic. . . . It has been found to have set the accused up for failure.230
The court urges that, where an accused may be an alcoholic, a police officer
who is releasing a person must consider (i) whether the detainee is reasonably
capable of complying with an abstinence clause; (ii) if so, under what
circumstances; and (iii) whether those circumstances are themselves
reasonable.231 The court cautions police officers to be wary of the detainees
pro forma agreement to abide by an abstinence clause (whether realistic
or wholly unrealistic) simply to secure his or her immediate release from
custody.232 The judge also notes that [t]he absence of an abstention clause
from an order for judicial interim release does not place the community in
any greater danger than release of an offender on an undertaking with an
abstention clause that (s)he will not comply with.233 The difference, however, is
that an abstention clause in a bail order puts the alcoholic suspect in the
position of becoming a criminal if he or she has a drink.
The John Howard Society of Ontario recommends a moratorium on all abstinence conditions. There is significant merit to this position. The court is not in a
position to assess addiction status at the bail stage, nor is it capable of
determining whether there is a link between drinking and committing criminal
acts. Accused are often unwilling to admit to substance abuse issues particularly
if required to do so on the record, in open court, when there are pending
charges against them. Against the threat of further detention, individuals often
feel pressure to agree to any condition the Crown requests, regardless of
whether they believe they can comply. Imposing a condition that an individual
cannot comply with violates the Charter and provides no benefit to public safety,
the bail system or the administration of justice. Overall, it is our belief that the
prejudice caused by abstinence conditions far outweighs any benefit obtained.
228 R v Omeasoo, 2013 ABPC 328.

// 58
At a minimum, the approach in R v Omeasoo should be adapted to inform the

imposition of abstention conditions by courts. At the bail stage, the Crown,
defence counsel, justices of the peace and judges must turn their minds to
whether an individual is an alcoholic. Not all abstention conditions will be
unreasonable; such an order may be appropriate if alcohol is, with this accused,
related to the offence and the accused is not suffering from alcoholism or can
comply with a more narrowly tailored condition (e.g., no public consumption of
alcohol). Given the prevalence of addictions issues, however, Crown counsel
should not ask for these conditions as a matter of routine. Consent releases
containing abstinence conditions should be critically examined by the presiding
judicial officer, and declarations from the accused that they have no addictions
issues, or are capable of complying with abstention orders, need not be accepted
at face value. Where there is serious concern for public safety, and no other
alternative measure ameliorates these concerns, detention may be justified.
However, when the courts are satisfied to release a person with an abstention
condition, knowing it almost certainly will not be followed, they should also be
satisfied to release that person without the unrealistic condition attached.
Recommendation 6.11: Given the prevalence of addictions, the difficulties
accused persons will have openly admitting to addictions and the low
likelihood of abstention conditions contributing to public safety or the
administration of justice, there should be a moratorium on abstention
conditions at the bail stage.
Conditions
requiring
individuals
to seek or
attend medical
treatment or
addictions
counselling,
while used
regularly in a
few jurisdictions,
are viewed as
inappropriate
at the bail
stage by other
jurisdictions.
Treatment conditions
Persons released on bail have not undergone a trial determining guilt;
therefore interventions do not include requirements for risk assessment,
programming ortreatment.
British Columbia government234
Almost every single bail, both male and female, [includes conditions
around counselling and treatment]. Theres bails where you have to
attend at your doctors within seven days of your release and sign any
[medical] releases. . . . And theres this one take any medical treatment
and dont discontinue without your doctors express permission which
is crazy . . .
Ontario duty counsel235
Interviews revealed that conditions requiring individuals to seek or attend
medical treatment or addictions counselling, while used regularly in a few
jurisdictions, are viewed as inappropriate at the bail stage by other jurisdictions.
These views are supported by the court observation data. Treatment conditions
at the bail stage appear to be largely an Ontario phenomenon, with 57.3% of all
observed releases requiring accused to attend treatment or counselling. Treatment
conditions were rarely directly imposed in British Columbia and Manitoba and
234 British Columbia Corrections,

Remand and Bail Supervision
in British Columbia,
Powerpoint presentation to
authors (30 September 2013).
// 59
04
were never imposed in Nova Scotia or Yukon. That said, a significant proportion
of accused in British Columbia (54.1%), Manitoba (22.7%) and Yukon (100%) were
required to report to a bail program within a specified period of time; treatment
requirements could conceivably be imposed in the course of bail supervision.
British Columbia is the only jurisdiction that appears to have a clear policy
against imposing treatment conditions at the bail stage.236
These patterns were reflected in interviewees views on the appropriateness of
treatment conditions. In British Columbia, for example, correctional staff reported
individuals on bail do not generally have treatment conditions imposed, as they
have not yet been convicted.237 A probation officer supervising a person on bail
might identify drug or alcohol issues and attempt to connect a person with the
appropriate community services; however, court-mandated treatment is reserved
for sentenced offenders. Similarly, counsel in Nova Scotia indicate treatment
conditions are more a probationary condition as opposed to a bail condition238
and are reserved for times when defence is desperate and where going into a
treatment program with both the structure and supervision that the programs
involve sort of replaces the need for a stable place of residence and asurety.239
Interviewees from Ontario, in contrast, state alcohol, drug and medical treatment
conditions are regularly imposed at the bail stage. One defence counsel reported
concerns about conditions like go to a family doctor within 24 hours of release . . .
and sign releases to the surety [so the surety can monitor the accuseds
treatment progress] but found it hard to contest these conditions when the
Crown insisted their consent to the accuseds release was contingent on their
imposition.240 Similarly, counsel from Manitoba felt that a treatment condition is
a condition thats over-imposed. Itll be like, oh, alcohol was associated
with the offence. Okay, were going to put him on an abstain go to AFM
[Addictions Foundation Manitoba], take the first available appointment, take
any and all counselling as recommended before theres even been a
finding of guilt.241
Nonetheless, at times it may be that the accuseds only other option is detention.
One defence counsel describes these scenarios, where

237 Government representative,
British Columbia.
238 Defence counsel, Halifax.
// 60
theres some kind of serious issue going on, and you know theres no way a
judge is going to let them out without the comfort of knowing theres some
kind of intervention going on, especially where its a borderline case where
you think, hmm, maybe this is the kind of client that needs to go into a
residential program. I mean, theres just been such a history of alleged
re-involvement; theres a record, but you dont want the client waiting for four
or five months in custody for a residential treatment program . . . so it kind of
is that middle ground between no conditions or a lengthier detention.242
Recommendation 6.12: Conditions requiring accused to access medical

treatment or take medications are unconstitutional and should not
be imposed.243
Conditions to seek substance abuse treatment are arguably less coercive, but
nonetheless raise similar concerns and should generally be reserved for sentencing
once guilt has been determined. While some interviewees felt court-imposed
substance abuse treatment orders help people access needed services, many
acknowledged that if a person does not voluntarily attend treatment, a court
order will not help the situation. Like abstinence conditions, treatment conditions
can present difficulties at the bail stage, as the court is generally not in a position
to assess addiction status, and requiring an accused to admit to addiction in
court may undermine the right to silence and prejudice their case. Since accused
often feel pressure to agree to abide by any conditions the Crown requests
instead of facing further detention, they may agree to conditions they are unable
to comply with. Interviewees also recounted cases where clients experienced
minor setbacks while attending court-mandated treatment services and this
resulted in further criminal charges and their detention, even when on the whole
the person was doing well and was still engaged in the treatment process.
Although it may be desirable to encourage an accused to access treatment,
wherever possible, courts should avoid criminalizing the failure to seek treatment
or the setbacks that commonly occur during the recovery process.
Since accused
often feel
pressure to agree
to abide by any
conditions the
Crown requests
instead of facing
further detention,
they may agree to
conditions they
are unable to
comply with.
Recommendation 6.13: Substance abuse treatment conditions are coercive

and should not be imposed at the bail stage absent exceptional circumstances.
Recommendation 6.14: Governments should study the claimed benefits of
bail-related treatment conditions and the relative utility of providing access
to community-based treatment options without making it a formal bail
condition.
4.3 The Revolving Door of Pre-trial Detention: Breach of Conditions
Most of the [breaches] Ive seen in my practice are pretty trivial ones so
theres a curfew and someones an hour late, or theres a no drugs or
alcohol [condition] and theyve got an addiction issue and theres a
relapse. . . . So the secondary ground relates to, you know, is this person
a threat to society or are they going to interfere with the administration
of justice? And quite frankly, I cant think of a situation in my practice
where someones either been released and breached, or has come to me
with a breach where they had actually done something to interfere with
the administration of justice, or where theyve done something dangerous.
The breaches that you do see tend to be trivial.
243 R v Rogers [1990], 61 CCC (3d)

481 (BCCA); Fleming v Reid
[1991], 4 OR (3d) 74 (ONCA).
Ontario defence counsel
// 61
04
We are denying too many people bail for breaching court orders when
the conditions themselves probably never should have been imposed in
the first place. Everybody gets revoked bail if they breach in Manitoba.
Theres a Crown policy that everyone is to be revoked, and the law in the
Criminal Code is that a person shall be revoked. . . . Even for the silliest
breaches, people find themselves in custody because Manitoba is taking
a zero tolerance approach towards breaching bail conditions.
...
Were also taking a hammer approach rather than a blanket approach to
putting people out on bail. What I mean by that is we have people with all
kinds of issues, we dont offer a whole lot of support, we dont correct the
issues or identify the issues when we release them we just expect them
to change overnight because we gave them a piece of paper and we
hammer them when they dont respect that piece of paper . . .
Manitoba defence counsel
The cost to the justice system with the increase in administration of
justice charges and processes, clogging up the jails, clogging up the
courts and all of that is a huge burden. I have no idea what this bail
phenomenon results in in terms of costs to the taxpayer, but I bet its
significant.
...
I have seen people with criminal records that go back years and years
and years, and the majority of that is breach charges . . . because of the
bail conditions. . . . Its a ridiculous phenomenon where someones
charged with a relatively minor charge and continues to breach and
breach and breach so that theyre incarcerated, and then they get in
trouble in jail, and its like this downward spiral for them where, if they
had been dealt with in a reasonable manner in the first place, their
criminal record would have shown one charge and its dealt with and its
over. I just think its an awful situation.
Interviewee, Yukon

Table 2520053.
// 62
Those who breach a bail condition can be charged with the criminal offence of
failure to comply with a court order. Statistics show Canadian courts are being
inundated with a large number these charges. Between 2006 and 2012, the
number of charges of failing to comply with a bail order increased from 131,841
to 167,291 an increase of 27%.244 As depicted in Figure 7 below, the charge
rate for administration of justice offences has generally been increasing (see
Total admin); however, this increase is largely driven by increases in charges of

failing to comply with a (bail) order (see FTC order [bail]). This increase in failure
to comply charges has significant implications for the bail system because, once
there is a failure to comply charge, the Crown no longer has to prove why a
specific individual should be detained; instead, the accused has to demonstrate
why he or she should be released into the community again. As explained by
one defence counsel, once youve been breached, of course getting bail that
second time, or if youre ever charged again, it doesnt matter what the nature
ofthe breach is. It is extremely difficult because youre labelled as someone
whobreached.245
Between 2006
and 2012, the
number of
charges of failing
to comply with
a bail order
increased 27%.
Figure 7: Administration of Justice Charges in Canada,

Rate per 100,000 Residents (Over the Age of 12), 19982012246
500
500
400
400
Total Admin
300
300
FTC Order (Bail)
200
100
200
Breach Probation
100
Total Admin
FTA
FTC Order (Bail)

Breach Probation
Escape Custody
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
FTA
Other Admin
Unlawfully at Large
Escape Custody
Unlawfully at Large
Other Admin

Table 2520051.
// 63
04
Figure 8 below depicts the charge rate per 100,000 residents for each of the
jurisdictions. While all jurisdictions show an overall increase in the rate of
charges for this offence, there were large differences in the size of the increase
as well as the overall prevalence of these charges. In 2012, for example, British
Columbia laid 169 charges per 100,000 residents and Yukon laid 1,099 charges
per 100,000 residents.247
Figure 8: Charges of Failing to Comply with a (Bail) Order,
Rate per 100,000 Residents (Over the Age of 12), 19982012*
1,600
700
1,400
600
1,200
500
1,000
Yukon
400
Manitoba
800
300
Canada
200
600
Ontario
BC
200
100
Canada
Ontario
BC
Manitoba
Nova Scotia
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
Nova Scotia
1998
400
1600.000
Yukon
* Note: Yukon uses the scale on the right.
The rate of conviction for charges of failing to comply with a bail order has
remained relatively stable across time and jurisdiction. While there clearly is
some variability, in 2012 the jurisdictions ranged from a low of 39% in Nova
Scotia and Yukon to a high of 47% for Canada as a whole. This means less than
half of charges of failing to comply with a bail order result in a conviction for
theoffence.248

Table 2520051.
Table 2520053.
// 64
1371.428
1142.857
914.285
685.714
457.142
228.571
0.000
Figure 9: Percentage of Charges of Failing to Comply

with a Finding of Guilt, 19952012
60
55
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
Nova Scotia
50
Canada
45 Ontario
40
Manitoba
BC
Yukon
35
30
Canada
Ontario
BC
Manitoba
Nova Scotia
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
20
1995
25
Bail conditions
generally
criminalize
behaviour that
is not otherwise
prohibited under
the Criminal
Code.
Yukon
The amount of court resources expended processing charges of failure to

comply is concerning. Bail conditions generally criminalize behaviour that is not
otherwise prohibited under the Criminal Code. Failing to comply with a condition
of bail is taken seriously by the court, as it may be seen as demonstrating a
disrespect for the courts authority or a threat to public safety. Interviewees,
however, suggest that in the vast majority of cases, the targeted conduct
curfew breaches, abstention violations, failure to reside at a required address,
and no-contact violations pursuant to a minor underlying charge is not in itself
a crime and does not reflect a risk to public safety. This was emphasized by a
defence counsel recounting the following example:
I remember one accused person in particular who, on his entire record he
was about 38 to 39 [and] hed been in and out of the system since he was
about 16 or 17 he had no substantive convictions on his record. His record
was six to seven pages long, he had probably 2530 convictions not one
was substantive. There were no substantive offences that hed been convicted
for. But every time he got arrested and thered either been a discharge, or he
was acquitted, or the charges were stayed, he would get three or four
breaches in between. The man had substance abuse problems, and when
you give somebody with a chemical addiction an abstain condition . . . and
when the police know these people, because its the same people getting
picked up all the time, the police are going to look for the guy, find him of
course drunk because thats what he does . . . he ends up getting three
convictions for breaching his bail, landing in jail for a couple of weeks at a
time. The mans never actually been convicted of what I would call an actual
offence. I mean, obviously breaching court orders is serious, but there has to
be some kind of balance and I dont think we have it.249
// 65
04
Not all countries criminalize failure to comply with court-ordered conditions in

the bail process. There are numerous common law jurisdictions that do not
have criminal provisions directed at such conduct, and instead use other
methods to supervise and enforce compliance with bail conditions.250
Recommendation 7.1: The government should study whether decriminalizing
failure to comply with bail conditions would have any negative impact on the
justice system or public safety. If criminalization is maintained, a more narrow
provision targeting public safety risks may be sufficient.
The reverse onus provisions in the Criminal Code require an accused to
demonstrate why he or she should be re-released on bail when they are facing a
charge of failing to comply with previous release conditions. While all of the
reverse onus provisions are, in our view, problematic, reversing the onus on
allegations of failing to comply is of particular concern. The reverse onus provision
legally reinforces the cycle of increasingly restrictive release conditions,
accumulation of more breach charges and ultimately further pre-trial detention.
In light of the non-criminal nature of the conduct underlying administration of
justice charges and the justice system participants perceptions that most
breach conduct presents no threat to public safety, there is little justification for
the reverse onus provisions. The reverse onus provisions on any drug trafficking
offence no matter how small the amount or minor the offence is also a
disproportionate burden to place on accused in light of the potentially wide
range of underlying offences.
Recommendation 7.2: The reverse onus bail provisions in ss 515(6)(c) and
(d) of the Criminal Code should be repealed.
British Columbia
Of the jurisdictions studied, British Columbia had the lowest charge and
conviction rate for failing to comply with a bail order.251 Defence counsel from
British Columbia reported breaches of bail conditions are dealt with with an
increasing level of enlightenment:
250 A summary of several common

law jurisdictions is provided in
Northern Ireland Law
Commission, Consultation
Paper: Bail in Criminal
Proceedings (2010) at 100102,
online: Northern Ireland Law
Commission <http://www.
nilawcommission.gov.uk/
nilc7__2010__consultation_
paper_bail_in_criminal_
proceedings.pdf>.
Table 2520053.
// 66
At one point 60% of charges in BC were what we describe as administrative

offences, breaches of court orders. [Now] it depends on the nature of the
accused: if the conditions are in place because the persons been shown to
be a prolific offender so hes breaking into cars all the time, hes shoplifting
all the time, and the police have identified 20 or 30 people like that in
Vancouver, 20 or 30 people like that in Victoria then I would say that the
breaches are dealt with very quickly because the police or probation officers
recognize that theyre breaching their conditions probably because of

re-offending. But in other cases, probation officers are showing a significant
degree of discretion; and then in BC you see the charges are done by the
Crown, [providing] that extra level of discretion, and I would say by and large
prosecutors show quite a degree of discretion.252
Ontario
Ontario also has a relatively low and stable rate of failure to comply charges
and convictions. The provincial Bail Verification and Supervision Program policy
gives individual bail programs considerable discretion to determine when
failures to comply will be reported as breaches. Various Ontario bail supervision
interviewees affirmed there was flexibility with regards to reporting breaches.
Two bail programs stated missed appointments do not automatically result in
breach reports and, after the first missed appointment, the individual is sent a
reminder letter. Multiple missed appointments or a failure to reside at the
required location generally resulted in a breach report and a subsequent
charge. Practices in other areas of non-compliance varied between different
programs. One bail program professional could not think of a time a client had
been reported for breach of an abstinence condition. Another bail program
interviewee explained the process in her jurisdiction as follows:
Where it can be a little bit more of a grey area can be . . . the alcohol condition.
You know, if they come in here and they maybe [are] under the influence, I can
report that to an officer. And then if I were to say to them, . . . he is in . . . under
the influence, but what were working on is trying to get him into this program.
At that point theyll just monitor it and wont do anything . . .
...
And then the issue with the school thing its looking, I think, at the grand
scheme of things. Is this something where you really want to have a breach
someone . . . not attending school . . .
...
If we have information, like especially in domestic assault cases, we wont put
in a formal report, but we will contact the investigating officer if we have any
information that the accused has [had] contact with the victim or anything like
that, so that we notify them right away and they take it from there.253
Columbia.
253 Bail supervision program
interviewee, Ontario.
// 67
04
Nova Scotia
Yukon, Manitoba and Nova Scotia all have relatively high, and rising, rates of
failure to comply charges and convictions. In Nova Scotia counsel report
individuals are frequently charged with breaching their bail conditions. One
lawyer said that while some of his clients would say a specific police officer had
overlooked a breach, in his opinion that would be pretty rare.254 Another
lawyer echoes these sentiments:
Unfortunately [people are brought in on breaches of their bail] very
frequently. The local police created a few years ago a breach squad, so that
they go out on shifts and all they do is they go around and check compliance
with things like curfew, house arrest the whole shift, its what they do. . . . It
is a large use of resources and there was no specific incident that prompted
it. I guess they philosophically think theres too much bail.255
Yukon
Yukon has, by far, the highest rate of failure to comply charges and convictions
of the jurisdictions studied. Researchers were told probation officers are using a
significant amount of discretion when deciding what behaviour is reported as a
breach. The RCMP, however, reportedly take a much stricter approach. As
related by one interviewee:
Our policy states that if its something like the person hasnt come in and
you know theyre not engaging in any of the high-risk behaviours, like
breaching the no-contact order in a domestic violence case, then its just
up to the bail supervisor. . . . When its things like the person didnt show up
but now theyve shown up again, then discretion is with the bail supervisor.
When it comes down to things that put individuals or the public at risk, then
its a conversation with me and its noted in their case notes as to why or
why not. Curfew breaches are the same thing.
254 Defence counsel, Nova Scotia.

// 68
The RCMP do the curfew check and a lot of our bails have that on it, so the
bail supervisor will have a conversation with the individual to find out why.
Sometimes its because the individual has been sleeping and they can
prove that, or its been that the person has been working and we forgot to
tell the RCMP. So were able to not breach all the time if we feel that there
are circumstances surrounding it that could actually mitigate that. We had
one individual who was living in a home and he had a curfew and it started
to get volatile, so he left. He left a message for us, which we didnt get til
the next day. The RCMP tried to breach him and when the RCMP found out
about this message then there wasnt a breach done. Normally, it would
have been a breach automatically, but were trying to be careful to do it so
that its something that is really needed. . . . But the counter to that is that
we get back to the issue that its a small town, and the RCMP will breach. We
try to exercise discretion and do so wisely, but the RCMP have a different
orientation than we do.256
Participants from Yukon also consistently highlighted the clear connection
drawn between mental health and addictions issues, strict bail conditions and
charges for failure to comply:
I can tell you one thing [that is contributing to the rise in the remand
population]: its the breach of conditions. Theres no doubt in my mind that
that is absolutely correlated, particularly here. When you have somebody
with 19 conditions that has a mental health problem or is FASD [Fetal Alcohol
Spectrum Disorder], theyre not going to meet them. Its a set-up to fail. They
breach them and they put them in jail.257
Participants
highlighted the
clear connection
between mental
health and
addictions
issues, strict
bail conditions
and charges for
failure to comply.
Similar comments are made by another interviewee, who focuses on the

impact of releasing alcoholics on abstention conditions with no social or
housing support:
We also have chronic alcoholics who have never been sober. And we put on
an abstain and be sober clause [its] guaranteed that person is going to
go through withdrawal, but theyre also going to drink again cause its
[abstaining] not something they even want to do. . . . If were making a
decision for an adult that were going to put you in the community, not
going to give you any support, not going to give you the housing, and say,
dont hang around with all the people you hang around with who drink,
thats a set-up for failure because theyre going to breach.258
Manitoba
The situation in Manitoba also merits particular attention. In contrast to the
discretion exercised by bail supervision programs across the country, all interview
participants from Winnipeg report there is zero tolerance towards any breach of
conditions. Government officials confirm all breaches are automatically reported
to the police, but were unable to explain the rationale for this policy or how long
it has been in place. The result is that a single missed appointment after months
of perfect attendance or one late arrival automatically leads to criminal charges:
If you miss appointments with your probation officer, even though its there
to assist you with your rehabilitation, youre breached and a lot of times you
go to jail for missing appointments with your probation officer. As opposed
to saying, what were going to do is we are going to charge you, but were

// 69
04
going to divert it, and if you make your next three appointments, well stay
the charges, for example. That would make sense to me you know, you
missed some appointments. What was going on? Okay, youre back on
track, so instead of reporting once a month, you gotta report once a week
for the next month, and well be back on track and youll get the message.
You otherwise have been compliant in following the spirit of the order.
[With the current set-up,] a probation [officer] who wants to build trust with
an individual and work with an individual, they become a police officer to
someone theyre supposed to help rehabilitate. Its counterintuitive. Theres
no fiscal or social prudence here its all driven by perceptions of being
hard on crime.259
Another defence counsel related almost precisely the same information,
confirming that if a client had been signing in for nine months straight, and then
they miss a day, . . . a warrant will go.260
Defence counsel report these charges are frequently fully pursued by the
Crown. One counsel said that if her client is late to an appointment and notifies
her right away with an extenuating circumstance, she phones the Crown
immediately and most of them will agree to withdraw the charge but not
always.261 Another defence lawyer, when asked about Crowns exercising
discretion not to prosecute breaches, simply laughed: we have a lot of junior
Crowns who even try to prosecute KPBGB [keep the peace and be of good
behaviour] breaches. . . . Theyve never heard of Kineapple.262 The Crown policy
documents posted on the Manitoba Justice website do not directly address
Crown discretion to prosecute bail condition breaches.263
Recommendation 7.3: Bail supervisors should exercise discretion in the
decision to report a bail condition violation to the police. The Manitoba
government should craft explicit policy directing bail supervisors to exercise
this discretion.
Recommendation 7.4: Police should exercise discretion in the decision to
formally charge an accused with failing to comply with a court order.

263 Manitoba Justice, Manitoba
Prosecution Service: Prosecution
Policies, online: Manitoba
Justice <http://www.gov.mb.
ca/justice/prosecutions/
policy/index.html>.
// 70
Recommendation 7.5: Governments should examine the purposes and

effectiveness of police bail compliance units. Proactive police supervision of
bail compliance should be strictly reserved for cases where the police and
Crown jointly determine there is an elevated risk of physical violence.
Recommendation 7.6: Prosecutors should also exercise considerable
discretion when deciding whether to pursue failure to comply charges.
Crown Policy Manuals should provide explicit guidance to prosecutors
regarding failure to comply charges. British Columbias Crown Policy Manual,
which explicitly directs prosecutors to consider whether prosecution of a
failure to comply charge is in the public interest, may serve as a model in this
regard.264 Where the underlying charge is dismissed or withdrawn, there
should be a presumption that any failure to comply charges should also be
withdrawn.
264 British Columbia Ministry of

Justice, Crown Counsel Policy
Manual: Bail Breaches, online:
British Columbia Ministry of
Justice <http://www.ag.gov.
bc.ca/prosecution-service/
policy-man/pdf/BAI1.1BailBreaches.pdf>; British
Columbia Ministry of Justice,
Crown Policy Manual: Charge
Assessment Guidelines, online:
Justice <http://www.ag.gov.
bc.ca/prosecution-service/
policy-man/pdf/CHA1_
ChargeAssessmentGuidelines.
pdf>.
// 71
05
Systemic Discrimination
and Bail
Im not saying its a class-based system, . . . and Im not saying its
prejudicial, but if youre more middle class and you have money, a house,
a job and attachments here, youre a lot more likely to get bail.
Halifax defence counsel
Income makes a huge difference. . . . Even though the amount of the
recognizance is supposed to be something that is meaningful for the
person, you look much more compelling if you can pledge $100,000,
$250,000, $500,000 recognizance than if you can pledge $2, even if $2 is
all the money that you have. So wealth makes a huge difference.
Toronto defence counsel
The revolving door of pre-trial detention arrest, release with conditions,
re-arrest for breach of conditions has its most devastating impact on individuals
with marginal social support, who are already struggling with addiction, health
problems, poverty and discrimination.
5.1 Addiction and Mental Health
Those living with addictions or mental health issues often have difficulty securing
release on bail. Although some jurisdictions may have a mental health court,
these services are not universally available at the bail stage, and some individuals
with mental health problems may not qualify to have their cases transferred.
Similarly, drug treatment courts are generally not available at the bail stage, as
individuals must plead guilty as a condition of entry into the drug treatment
court. Individuals with mental health and addictions issues may also be unlikely
to have a support network that can assist in preparing a bail release plan. The
lack of social support presents a particular problem in jurisdictions where
sureties are routinely required.
Interviewees suggest that if these individuals are released, they face significant
difficulties abiding by the conditions of release. One defence counsel describes
the difficulty of even representing such clients on the underlying charges
because of all the breaches that keep occurring:
// 72
The problem is for people who are kind of erratic because of addiction issues
or mental health issues. Strict conditions just mean that theyre likely to
breach, and so you never really get to focus on their case cause theyre
constantly phoning because theyve been breached.265
The cycle of addiction and detention is reinforced by conditions of release
requiring those with addiction issues to abstain absolutely. In these cases, the
condition criminalizes the accuseds addiction and sets them up to be re-arrested
and charged with failing to comply.
On average the
amount of bail
is set at a mean
of $2,669 and a
median of $1,000.
Interview participants from Yukon stated the court was grappling with how to
best structure bail and craft manageable conditions for those suffering from
cognitive impairment, mental illness or Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. It was
reported that justices of the peace and judges are at times being creative and
issuing more flexible conditions along the lines of f youre able, report to your
bail supervisor or try not to contact the victim, and if you do, make sure shes
not drinking.266
Recommendation 8.1: The courts should refrain from imposing bail
conditions that are likely to criminalize the symptoms of an underlying mental
health or substance abuse problem.
Recommendation 8.2: A history of failure to comply should be given significantly less weight where these prior incidents are tied to poverty oraddiction.
5.2 Socio-economic Status
Money also seems to play a role in determining the likelihood of release. On
average the amount of bail is set at a mean of $2,669 and a median of $1,000.267
Despite a long-standing recognition that people should not be able to buy their
way out of detention, in some jurisdictions lawyers report the courts are not
scaling the recognizance of bail amounts to accuseds financial means. Even
where the courts are sensitive to these issues, defence counsel still find it easier
to secure the release of clients who have money because a solid release plan
can be pulled together and presented to the Crown and the court:
Its so biased. . . . For clients who are [privately] retaining you, its easier to
find sureties. For clients on legal aid, its a lot harder. In Manitoba the
over-incarceration rates for Aboriginal people and Aboriginal people being in
custody [are high] . . . typically [there are] socio-economic factors that go
along with that [trend]. If theyre on assistance, chances are their family
members are on assistance too, so it can make it hard to find sureties or to
find sureties that would qualify for the amount the court would want.268

Columbia.
// 73
05
Individuals without a job, property, strong family support or ties to middle-class

social networks often struggle to find a suitable surety and stable housing.
Individuals without stable housing have particular difficulties securing bail. In
Yukon, for example, housing for vulnerable individuals is a major concern:
The lack of housing up here for people who have FASD [Fetal Alcohol
Spectrum Disorder] is one of the biggest problems we have. . . . Its incredibly
difficult to find secure housing I mean housing where theyre safe, where
theyre not going to be put at risk by the people around them. Its our biggest
challenge, theres no question. . . . Its a huge, huge gap.269
The housing crisis has a direct impact on the bail system, as adjudicators are
unwilling to release individuals without a fixed address. One defence counsel
stated they have never seen someone released who didnt have a home and
that women trying to get bail will put themselves in an unsafe housing situation
just so they can get out [of custody].270
In 1972 with the Bail Reform Act, Canada made a concerted effort to move away
from requiring cash deposits at the bail stage based on the principle that
individuals should not be able to buy their freedom. Despite a general
recognition that the amount of recognizance should be tied to an accuseds
means, other factors closely associated with poverty can work to systematically
prevent an individuals release on bail. Relevant considerations often include
whether the accused has a job, whether he or she has a reliable network of
family and friends that can act as sureties, and whether there is a criminal
record in particular, a record of failures to comply a factor which may be
inflated by an individuals history of mental health or addictions issues. Despite
the move away from cash deposits, the bail system still presents systemic and
discriminatory barriers. More recognition of the interaction between conditions,
sureties, poverty, mental health and addictions is necessary to ameliorate
ongoing discrimination in the bail system.
Recommendation 8.3: Courts should refrain from requiring accused to
provide a fixed address or imposing residency conditions where the
individual is homeless or has transitory living arrangements.
Recommendation 8.4: Given the disproportionate barriers imposed by
surety requirements, requests for surety releases should be made with
restraint, and the Crown and judiciary should be more flexible when
determining whether a proposed surety is appropriate.

// 74
5.3 Aboriginal People

I think systemic racism plays a big role in the justice system in the Yukon.
Most of the clients are vulnerable citizens with a recent residential school
history, and theres intergenerational residential school stuff going on.
That plays out in the whole justice system and the bail system.
Interviewee, Yukon
I walked into bail court, waiting to do a bail, and there was this poor
Aboriginal woman on the screen. She had a terrible record for shoplifting
stuff, and breaches, and she was on another shoplifting charge and a
breach. You know she had a bit of an explanation and a lot of Gladue
factors, but the judge denied her bail. The next guy is this white guy, in
custody on a conditional sentence order for drug offences, now charged
with a home invasion with a group of others, where they go into a house.
One of them had some kind of weapon, either a tire iron or a firearm or
something. Mom is there to sign a $1,000 surety, [and] the judge lets him
out! This poor Aboriginal woman who couldnt find a surety to save her
life but really, whats she gonna do, shoplift? She gets detained and this
other guy gets out.
The bail system

operates in a
manner that
disadvantages
individuals
living in poverty
and those with
mental health or
addictions issues.
Manitoba defence counsel

There is a general recognition that the bail system operates in a manner that
disadvantages individuals living in poverty and those with mental health or
addictions issues. Aboriginal people, who are disproportionately impacted by
substance abuse issues, poverty, lower educational attainment, social isolation
and other forms of marginalization, are being systematically disadvantaged
asresult.
Aboriginal people are drastically overrepresented at every stage of the criminal
justice system. The over-imposition of conditions of release and subsequent
breaches are identified as major contributors to the over-arrest and incarceration
of Aboriginal people. A number of interview participants highlighted the many
barriers faced by Aboriginal accused and the intersecting issues of poverty and
addiction. Interviewees identified abstention conditions on release orders as
severely detrimental to Aboriginal accused struggling with alcoholism:
Often [police officers on reserves are] okay with giving someone a promise to
appear or a release with an undertaking at the first instance. But then theyll
be put on a probation order and theyll be caught breaching and often the
police will make a note of it and release them, or maybe not arrest them. But
if they do arrest them, theyll put them on a separate undertaking so now
// 75
05
the person has a probation order with conditions and an undertaking with
basically overlapping conditions. So the next time they get caught drinking
because substance abuse is a huge issue in these communities basically
the ledge is built up, and Ill get someone in [a cell] with 24 breaches. Its
awfully hard to argue that they should be released on a recognizance with
24 breaches. A lot of breaches will get dropped if they plead to some of them,
but now their criminal record is inflated because of all these breaches.271
The systemic barriers faced by those living on remote Aboriginal reserves
appear particularly difficult to overcome. The combination of high levels of
unemployment, a lack of property ownership and long distances to base courts
creates significant hardship for accused persons from these communities:
The problem here in Thompson is that the surety has to be someone with a
job, and most people dont have jobs in these communities; most people are
on social assistance. If they do have a job, its hard to get away from their job
to fly into Thompson to get approved as sureties. Another issue that we have
is that you need real property to be a surety in some situations, so where
these people are on reserve, they dont have real property in that sense. So
finding a surety is a major problem. . . . Often the Crown and the judges know
the financial situation here, so you get a pretty low suretyof $500 to $1,000,
but to someone who is working on reserve, $500 is a lot of money. . . . If the
person does breach, they will collect on it.272
Counsel in northern Manitoba also report the distance and difficulties arranging
for transportation result in accused who are arrested from reserves spending
up to eight days in custody before they can make their first appearance in bail
court or place a phone call to start setting up a release plan.
Gladue
Although most participants had some awareness that Gladue principles should
operate at the bail stage, it is unclear exactly how often or in what manner
Gladue principles are being incorporated into the bail process.

Manitoba.
Manitoba.
// 76
With the exception of Manitoba, where one government official stated Gladue
was only applicable at the sentencing stage, all interviewees agreed Gladue
factors should impact bail proceedings. Many interview participants across the
jurisdictions, however, indicated the principles are not being raised or are not
being raised in a consistent or meaningful way. Where there are high
concentrations of Aboriginal communities, it appears that Gladue is often
implied rather than explicitly addressed. A Manitoba defence counsel who works
predominantly with Aboriginal clients in remote areas said, it almost goes
without saying . . . all you need to say is Gladue.273 Interviewees in Yukon echoed
these statements, reporting, its almost as if were all just doing Gladue so its not
spoken about. . . . Its not talked about at the bail stage at all that Ive heard.274
Other lawyers indicated that although Gladue may be explicitly argued at the bail
stage, the impact of those arguments is limited: I [raise Gladue] quite often,
whenever I have an opportunity. . . . I find its done quite a bit, but I find that
some people arent aware of it. I find when I bring it up, some justices are quite
irritated with me.275 Similarly, an Ontario defence counsel stated, theres a limit
to how it can be raised in the sense that theres very little programming available
and we dont have an Aboriginal court worker.276
Another interview participant explained there is limited room for Gladue factors
at the bail stage because any detention or conditions must be necessary for
public safety or to ensure subsequent court appearances arguably leaving
very little room for discretion or leniency.
The weight of
judicial authority
confirms that
the principles
in Gladue
and Ipeelee
must be taken
into account
whenever an
Aboriginal
accuseds liberty
is at stake
including at the
bail stage.
Nearly every issue highlighted in this report over-policing, routine adjournments, the overuse of numerous bail conditions, abstention and treatment
conditions, difficulties with surety requirements, and the particular challenges
faced by individuals detained in remote communities disproportionately
impacts Aboriginal people. The weight of judicial authority confirms that the
principles in Gladue and Ipeelee must be taken into account whenever an
Aboriginal accuseds liberty is at stake including at the bail stage. In judicial
interim release, Gladue must be raised and considered in a meaningful way by
defence counsel, having regard to the systemic barriers faced by the individual
Aboriginal accused as well as the ways in which judicial interim release may
disproportionately impact Aboriginal people.
This does not necessarily mean bail courts should require extensive background
information about the individual accuseds circumstances as is required in most
sentencing cases in the form of Gladue reports. Rather, the broad principles
articulated in Gladue and reiterated in Ipeelee must be used as a social context
lens through which judges are to view the entire process of bail, including the
interaction with police in the arrest and charging of the accused, the granting
of adjournments, the review of evidence presented at the bail hearing, the form
and terms of release, and the quantum of bail. The recommendations found
throughout this report are underscored by an obligation to take into account
thereality that these issues systemically and disproportionately impact
Aboriginalpeople.

Manitoba.
// 77
05
277 Jillian Rogin, Forthcoming LLM

thesis (University of Toronto:
2014).
278 R v Silversmith, [2008] OJ
No4646 (SCJ).
279 R v Ipeelee, 2012 SCC 13 at
paras 8687.
280 R v Gladue, [1999] 1 SCR 688;
R v Ipeelee, 2012 SCC 13; R v
Brant, [2008] OJ No 5375 (SCJ).
281 Over-policing and over-charging
were discussed in Bridging the
Cultural Divide as well as the
Manitoba Public Inquiry into
the Administration of Justice
and Aboriginal People.
Report of the Aboriginal Justice
Inquiry of Manitoba: The Justice
System and Aboriginal
People, Aboriginal OverRepresentation and
Manitoba Courts: Criminal
Court Process, Release from
Custody (Winnipeg: The
Inquiry, 1991).
282 Institutional bias and systemic
discrimination in the criminal
justice system was noted in
R v Gladue, [1999] 1 SCR 688 at
para 65, as factors contributing
to injustices experienced by
Aboriginal people. Although
sentencing justices may not be
able to address systemic bias
due to the nature of sentencing
proceedings, justices presiding
over bail proceedings can
appropriately consider these
factors in assessing the arrest,
detention and prior criminal
antecedents of the Aboriginal
accused before thecourt.
// 78
Recommendation 8.5: When dealing with an Aboriginal accused, the

recommendations found throughout this report for example, to refrain
from imposing abstention conditions; to increase unconditional releases; to
carefully tie any conditions to the purposes of bail and actual threats to
public safety; to curtail over-policing of bail compliance; and to exercise
significant discretion in reporting, charging and prosecuting failure to comply
charges must be applied while also taking into consideration systemic
discrimination against Aboriginal people.
It is not enough for courts and defence counsel to passively recognize that
Gladue should have an impact. The fact that bail courts are regularly imposing
too many conditions that are unconnected to the purposes of bail shows there
is room for more nuanced decision-making. Courts should strive to provide
jurisprudential guidance for how to meaningfully apply Gladue in the bail
context. The following principles, taken from case law and a plain reading of
Gladue and Ipeelee, provide a potential starting point to guide the application
of Gladue to judicial interim release:277
Gladue must be applied in all bail proceedings in a meaningful way that
recognizes the unique circumstances of Aboriginal peoples in Canada,
and failure to do so is an error of law.278
Gladue necessitates a unique method of analysis which is to be
employed in every case, regardless of the seriousness of the offence for
which the accused is charged.279
The disproportionate impact of detention on Aboriginal people,
including over-incarceration, must be considered.280
Courts must consider the potential for institutional bias in the arrest
and charging of the accused, including the possibility of over-policing
and overcharging281 both in the assessment of the charges before the
court and in examining any prior criminal antecedents.282 Charges and
convictions of failure to comply, in particular, should be viewed in
thislight.
Any convictions prior to 1999 should be given reduced weight as the
accused would not have had the benefit of Gladue in the determination
of sentence.
To the extent that the accuseds criminal record is attributable to
systemic factors such as poverty or substance abuse, courts should
view prior convictions as systemically motivated rather than as
intentional disregard for the law, particularly in relation to prior breaches
of court orders.
The necessity of a surety must be scrutinized carefully as securing a
suitable surety may be disproportionately difficult for Aboriginal
accused.
Surety suitability should be determined in a culturally competent

manner, having regard to the systemic barriers facing Aboriginal people
that may otherwise render a person ineligible.283
The quantum of bail must be determined having regard to the
disproportionate poverty and, where applicable, lack of private
ownership of land faced by Aboriginal people.
The imposition of conditions must be approached with restraint having
regard to the ability of the Aboriginal accused to comply a condition
that the accused is not capable of complying with is not reasonable.284
Requests for the adjournment of bail proceedings must be determined
having regard to the over-incarceration of Aboriginal peoples routine
adjournments as a result of a lack of institutional resources should
bedenied.
Recommendation 8.6: Courts must develop ways to incorporate Gladue
considerations into the bail process. Courts must have regard to the systemic
barriers Aboriginal people face in the process of arrest and judicial interim
release, and properly consider these in the determination of release.
283 R v Brant, [2008] OJ No 5375

(SCJ) and R v Silversmith, [2008]
OJ No 4646 (SCJ). See also
R v Pitawanakwat, 2003 CanLII
12645 where the sureties were
approved notwithstanding the
fact that they themselves had
prior interactions with the
criminal justice system.
284 R v Omeasoo, 2013 ABPC 328.
// 79
06
Conclusion and
Recommendations
I think we need a big revamp of the entire structure of bail as its
undertaken now; I think the judiciary needs to be involved, and the
defence bar, and the Crowns. And there needs to be some strong
evidence about what the impacts of this are on peoples lives and the
justice system. Im kind of hopeful . . . that your research may push us in
a different direction. Ive raised this . . . a couple of times, and while there
may be some acknowledgment of the problem, nobody seems keen on
tackling it. We can try to make change at our level policies, education
but really, unless the entire justice system is on board with this, you just
run into walls. . . . The entire justice system needs to look at whether this
is an appropriate use of bail and what the unanticipated outcomes of the
current practices are.
Interviewee, Yukon
Occasionally, a case comes before the court that is emblematic of the larger
issues. In December 2013, Justice Rosborough of the Provincial Court of Alberta
released his ruling in R v Omeasoo, sentencing Jennifer Iris Omeasoo and Ryan
Cody Okeynan for the crime of being found drunk contrary to their policeimposed conditions of release. Both Omeasoo and Okeynan are Aboriginal, both
had difficult childhoods, both were alcoholics from an early age and both had
lengthy histories of incarceration related to their drinking. Okeynan, who was 26
and grew up in foster care, had a record with 44 convictions, all in relation to his
alcohol consumption. Of his 19 youth court offences, 18 related to breaching
some form of a court order. Over his life, he had already spent 992 days in jail.
Omeasoo, whose parents had been alcoholics, also became an alcoholic at a very
young age. After remaining sober for nine years for her children, she relapsed at
the age of 27. In separate incidents in early 2013, Okeynan and Omeasoo were
arrested on minor charges and released by the police with a condition that they
abstain from consuming alcohol. They were subsequently found intoxicated, in
contravention of their release order. They were both re-arrested and charged
with breaching their conditions, to which they both pled guilty.
Omeasoo and Okeynan are just two of the thousands of Canadians that, on any
given day, are legally innocent and detained in overcrowded jails, waiting for
their release on bail or trial. They represent just two of the thousands of
individuals each year who are arrested, released on conditions, re-arrested and
incarcerated. And they are just two of the hundreds that, every day last year,
// 80
were found guilty of crimes based on actions that would not, outside of their
bail conditions, constitute criminal offences.
The signs of a broken pre-trial system are visible in Canadian criminal justice
statistics. Crime in our communities is down, but for the past 20 years, the
number of people held in pre-trial detention has steadily increased. Today, there
are more people in our provincial jails who are legally innocent than there are
convicted and sentenced offenders. Many remand detention centres are at
double, triple or quadruple their original intended capacity. Dozens of cases
from across the country describe violent, overcrowded institutions, where
people sleep on the floor, where programming is non-existent and where fresh
air is limited to 20 minutes a day. Even a few days in pre-trial detention can
mean lost income, a missed rent payment, emergency child care and lapses in
medication. The pressure on individuals to agree to any proposed condition in
order to be released, or simply plead guilty to get it all over with, is enormous.
The entire
justice system
needs to look at
whether this is
an appropriate
use of bail
and what the
unanticipated
outcomes of the
current practices
are.
Interviewee,
Yukon
Our bail system is setting people up to fail. Canadian bail courts frequently
impose abstinence on alcoholics and drug addicts, residency conditions on the
homeless, strict check-in requirements for those who are struggling to make
ends meet, no-contact conditions between family members, and strict curfews
that interfere with jobs and other essential components of adult life. Court
observations in Yukon saw individuals released with a median of 13 conditions.
One person observed in Ontario was released with 34 conditions. Every breach
of a condition can lead to another criminal charge and statistics show that
breaches occur frequently. There is little hope than an alcoholic will be able to
abstain from drinking simply because of a court order. But even individuals with
significant family support and a steady income find it extremely difficult to live
under severely restrictive bail conditions for the months or years that it
usually takes to resolve criminal charges. Even when the original substantive
charge is withdrawn or dismissed, the Crown will still frequently pursue a
conviction for the failure to comply.
All of this could theoretically be justified if it were necessary for public safety or
to ensure an accused person who is released will return to court to face the
charges. Research suggests, however, that the conditions being imposed are
frequently unnecessary and, at times, completely unrelated to the purposes of
bail. In Yukon, for example, interviewees reported many of the accused were
known on a personal level, and the courts would impose conditions unrelated to
the underlying offence that aimed at behaviour modification and veered towards
punishment. Ontario courts were observed imposing unconstitutional
conditions to take medication. And across the jurisdictions, interviewees reported
they thought individuals were simply being subject to too many conditions. The
jurisdictions also varied in how breaches of bail conditions were dealt with. In
// 81
06
Manitoba, for example, being a few minutes late to an appointment with your
bail supervisor will result in a breach charge.
Most of the bail courts observed showed signs of inefficiency, adjourning a large
proportion of cases on a daily basis and spending only a fraction of open court
time actively addressing bail matters. Ontario, however, is experiencing unique
problems of systemic delay: in numerous cases individuals were returned to jail
simply because the courts ran out of time to process their cases. Ontario is also
an outlier in its reliance on sureties. The cost of requiring surety releases for
most cases and, moreover, demanding that sureties testify in court prior to
release is significant. Accused spend more time in detention trying to put a
release plan together. Families and friends must take time off work, pledge their
money and act as jailors in the community. This practice disproportionately
impacts those with few resources and little social support, and individuals from
remote communities. Even consent releases become lengthy, contested affairs,
as sureties are cross-examined in open court. British Columbia, in contrast,
processes the vast majority of bail cases without resorting to surety requirements
at all. This suggests that the significant personal, systemic and financial costs of
Ontarios default position are unnecessary.
The research also revealed how individuals from remote communities are being
uniquely prejudiced by the bail system. Most individuals, unless released directly
by the police, are flown to the nearest provincial detention centre to have their
bail processed. Arranging for transportation can take a significant amount of
time, and some accused are spending over a week in detention just waiting for
their first appearance in bail court. Once removed from their communities, they
are frequently cut off from social support networks and do not have access to
the phone numbers they need to try to secure their release. If a surety is
required, friends or family frequently must spend hundreds of dollars on flights
to testify or simply sign the required papers in person at court. Counsel in
northern Manitoba report that their Aboriginal clients regularly spend more
time in pre-trial detention than they would if they were just sentenced for the
crime, and will frequently plead guilty just to be released and return home.
Nearly every issue highlighted in this report over-policing, routine adjournments,
overuse of numerous conditions, abstention and treatment conditions, difficulties
with surety requirements, and the particular challenges faced by individuals
detained in remote communities disproportionately impacts Aboriginal people.
The weight of judicial authority confirms that the principles enunciated by the
Supreme Court of Canada in Gladue and Ipeelee, which are aimed at addressing
the drastic overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in our criminal justice
system, must be taken into account whenever an Aboriginal accuseds liberty is
at stake. Unfortunately, our research suggests that in areas with the highest
// 82
concentrations of Aboriginal people, Gladue is rarely explicitly raised. Even when

Gladue is argued by counsel, the practical impact this has on the bail process
isuncertain.
The law governing bail aims to uphold individual liberty, the presumption of
innocence and the right to a fair trial by emphasizing a strong presumption of
release, and only imposing restrictions on liberty where absolutely necessary.
The Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees not only our right to liberty, but
specifically enshrines a constitutional right to reasonable bail. In many courts
across this country, however, the bail system is broken. Our system puts
accused, who are to be presumed innocent, into a slow, risk-averse bail process
that disproportionately penalizes and frequently criminalizes poverty,
addiction and mental illness. Those who are innocent are being pressured into
pleading guilty just to escape the bail system. Others who insist on their right to
a fair trial are living under highly restrictive conditions that criminalize a wide
range of non-criminal behaviour. Individuals Charter rights to reasonable bail are
being violated, at times on a systemic scale, without meaningful remedy. Our
courts are bogged down with administration of justice charges stemming from
breaching conditions that were often unnecessary and should not have been
imposed in the first place.
Our system puts

accused, who are
to be presumed
innocent, into a
slow, risk-averse
bail process that
disproportionately
penalizes
and frequently
criminalizes
poverty, addiction
and mental
illness.
Bail and pre-trial detention are complex. Police, prosecutors, defence counsel,
justices of the peace, judges, bail supervisors and the correctional system all
play key roles. Reform must be approached with all these actors at the table. The
individual, societal, human and financial costs of the status quo are unsustainable.
In 1972, Canada passed comprehensive bail reform legislation in response to
studies that showed vast numbers of people were being unnecessarily detained
in custody prior to trial. In our view, we have once again reached a point where
concrete action is necessary to ensure the bail system upholds rather than
undermines public safety, fundamental rights and the administration of justice.
6.1 Consolidated Recommendations
Recommendation 1.1: The RCMP and other police services operating in rural
detachments should review the conditions of confinement in police holding
cells, recognizing that individuals may be detained there for multiple days while
they await transportation to provincial correctional centres.
Recommendation 1.2: Police should make increased use of their power to
release, and ensure that any conditions imposed are constitutional and legally
permissible under the Criminal Code.
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06
Recommendation 1.3: Individuals released from police custody should be

proactively informed of the procedures that can be used to vary police-imposed
conditions under ss 499(3) and 503(2) of the Criminal Code.
Recommendation 2.1: Provincial and territorial governments should implement
the recommendation of the Ontario Court of Justice and Ministry of the Attorney
General Joint Fly-In Court Working Group that, [w]here appropriate, northern
police should exercise their discretion to release the accused person into the
fly-in community. Police should consult with the Crown whenever detention is
contemplated, northern police services and Crown Offices should review, and
adopt if appropriate, a bail consultation process as a best practice to ensure
that accused persons are not taken out of the community where the Crown will
consent to release.
Recommendation 2.2: In line with the recommendation of the Ontario Court of
Justice and Ministry of the Attorney General Joint Fly-In Court Working Group,
s516(1) of the Criminal Code should be studied further, particularly in light of the
requirement that no adjournment be for more than three clear days except with
the consent of the accused. If s 516(1) does clearly prevent an accused from
staying in police custody after the first bail appearance, the federal government
should study amending the provision to permit an accused person, with his or
her consent, to be remanded to somewhere other than custody in prison
(i.e., police custody) before or during a bail hearing. Such an amendment could
potentially allow an accused person to remain in the community for his or her
bail hearing.
Recommendation 3.1: All justice participants should ensure only meaningful
adjournments are requested. Where it is found that an adjournment would
violate s 516(1), or the accuseds Charter rights, the justice should release the
accused on an undertaking with no conditions.
Recommendation 3.2: All justice participants should state on the record who is
requesting the adjournment and the reason for the request. Adjudicators
should, where appropriate, question the necessity of the adjournment prior to
granting or denying the request.
Recommendation 3.3: Governments should establish mechanisms to track the
reasons for adjournments. Where adjournments are frequently requested in
order to facilitate administrative needs (for example, to get access to a phone to
contact potential sureties or gather court paperwork), initiatives should be
explored to address the underlying causes of delay. This may help identify the
specific resources and procedures that need to be put in place in a particular
location to enable earlier bail decisions.
// 84
Recommendation 3.4: All steps of the pre-trial process should facilitate the
individuals release from custody as soon as possible. Procedures should be
explored to allow defence counsel, including duty counsel, to speak to accused
individuals before the first bail appearance (e.g., Brydges counsel) to assist the
accused in preparing for bail release. Phone access should be provided both in
police custody and in court so accused may prepare for release by contacting
potential sureties and retaining private counsel.
Recommendation 3.5: The Ontario government must take immediate and
concrete steps to end ongoing unconstitutional adjournments in bail court. As a
starting point, policies should ensure that the courts have the resources to
remain open until individuals who are ready to have their bail hearing have been
addressed.
Recommendation 3.6: Regularly refusing to hold cases down so as to allow for
consultations with lawyers, case preparation and the attendance of sureties
violates the right to be free from arbitrary detention. Cases that are not ready to
proceed in the morning should be held down until later in the day rather than
immediately adjourned to another day. All hold down requests that are intended
to facilitate the timely release of the accused should be granted by the presiding
justice. It should be presumed that all cases will be dealt with to the fullest
extent possible each day.
Recommendation 3.7: Yukon government should examine the frequent
practice of remanding individuals in order to obtain a bail supervision report
from probation. The practice is costly for both accused and probation services.
Recommendation 3.8: Yukon justice system participants should consider
whether regular adjournments for a bail supervision report are warranted.
Recommendation 4.1: Ontario must develop and implement a concrete
strategy for reducing delays in the bail system, including measures to address
and reverse the province-wide overreliance on sureties.
Recommendation 4.2: Ontario and Yukons Crown Policy Manuals and training
materials should be revised to emphasize the presumption of release and the
ladder approach to the bail process. In Ontario, specific policy guidance and
court procedures should be put in place to reverse the over-reliance on sureties
and the widespread practice of having sureties testify in court. As recommended
by the Bail Experts Round Table, witnesses should not be called in consent
release matters, except in the rarest of circumstances. Relying on a read-in of
allegations and affidavit of surety (when a surety is necessary) should ordinarily
be sufficient.
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06
Recommendation 4.3: Concrete measures should be taken to combat

institutional risk aversion. We endorse the recommendation adopted by previous
reports: Senior levels of all relevant organizations (including the police,
prosecution and the judiciary) should create an environment conducive to the
appropriate exercise of discretion by providing greater public support, including
in the media, for decision makers in the bail process. Ontarios Crown Policy
Manual and any associated training material should be edited to reflect the
appropriate level of institutional support for individual decision-makers.
Recommendation 4.4: Experienced Crowns and duty counsel should be
assigned to bail court. Rotating counsel should be avoided to promote workgroup consistency, encourage case ownership and preserve institutional
knowledge.
Recommendation 4.5: Where appropriate, adjudicators should question the
necessity and legality of requiring a surety in proposed consent releases. Given
the systemic overuse of sureties in some jurisdictions, adjudicators should
exercise their jurisdiction and decline to impose unnecessary surety requirements
even in circumstances when Crown and defence counsel might agree to a
surety requirement.
Recommendation 4.6: The relevant recommendations of the Ontario Court of
Justice and Ministry of the Attorney General Joint Fly-In Court Working Group
should be adopted, including developing a protocol for sureties to appear in
front of a justice of the peace presiding in a base court location by video or
telephone from their home community. The judiciary receive education
regarding ss. 515(2.2) and (2.3) of the Criminal Code and the various options to
receive surety information, which include, but are not limited to, the standard
bail surety affidavit form. Standard procedures should be adopted in
courthouses that regularly serve remote communities to reinforce that requiring
sureties to testify is the exception, rather than the default.
Recommendation 5.1: Given the fundamental importance of bail decisions,
conditions of release and the high possibility for constitutional rights violations
in the bail process, justices of the peace should be required to have further
specialized training prior to adjudicating bail matters.
Recommendation 5.2: Chief Justices should establish programs to monitor and
evaluate the quality of adjudication provided by justices of the peace. Where
necessary, bail adjudication should be reallocated to judges.
Recommendation 6.1: Crown policy manuals should be revised to emphasize
the presumption of unsupervised release for low-risk accused.
// 86
Recommendation 6.2: Bail program supervision should be reserved for cases

that are facing probable detention; referrals to bail supervision should not be
routine. Regular reviews of bail program cases should be conducted to ensure
the purpose of bail programs to increase releases is not being subverted by
imposing unnecessarily strict conditions and supervision. Bail supervision
manuals should be revised to explicitly state that bail supervision is not suitable
for individuals who can be released on their own recognizance, and standard
bail supervision forms should allow bail program workers to suggest that an
individual is not suitable for bail program supervision for this reason. Bail
supervision manuals should also be revised to clearly reflect the statutory
presumption of unconditional release and minimal supervision within the bail
program. Standard checklists of conditions attached to bail supervision programs should be avoided, and conditions should only be recommended by bail
programs where they are necessary to meet the statutory requirements for
release. In order to ensure that bail supervision programs are reserved for those
who would otherwise face probable detention, bail supervision manuals should
specify that individuals with a history of failure to comply charges are, in general,
appropriate supervision candidates. Although concerns about public safety may
make an individual an inappropriate candidate for bail supervision, a history of
failure to comply alone should not prevent an individual from participating in a
bail supervision program.
Recommendation 6.3: Bail conditions must be clearly related to the purposes
of the bail system and the specific facts of the case.
Recommendation 6.4: Bail courts must be more attuned to the ways in which
bail conditions in particular, no-contact orders, curfews and movement
restrictions or zone exclusion orders can fundamentally and unjustifiably
impair a wide range of constitutional rights.
Recommendation 6.5: Judges and justices of the peace should use their authority
to reject a joint submission on bail release conditions where the proposed terms
of release are either unlawful or would bring the administration of justice into
disrepute. Proposed conditions that are unrelated to the purpose of bail are
unreasonable and arbitrary, and bring the administration of justice into disrepute.
Recommendation 6.6: For those jurisdictions where inappropriate, unlawful or
unconstitutional bail conditions are frequently imposed, a purposive, targeted,
rapid bail review procedure should be implemented to ensure timely access to
effective review of conditions by a judge who can offer remedies, establish
precedents and stimulate improved decision-making at first instance. Defence
representation for these purposes should be funded by legal aid or targeted
provincial/territorial funds.
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06
Recommendation 6.7: Conditions of release must be imposed with significant

restraint. Where appropriate, adjudicators should question the necessity
and legality of the conditions proposed in consent releases. When necessary,
adjudicators should exercise their jurisdiction and decline to impose
unnecessary conditions.
Recommendation 6.8: Conditions related to ensuring the accused appears
forcourt should not be imposed where other administrative methods such
asa phone call to remind the person of an upcoming appearance are likely to
be effective.
Recommendation 6.9: Conditions relating to the secondary grounds should be
reserved for cases where the underlying offence is a violent one with ongoing
risk to public safety, or the circumstances give rise to specific concerns
regarding future violent acts. Non-violent accused should not be placed under
strict bail conditions justified on the grounds of public safety.
Recommendation 6.10: The requirements to keep the peace and be of good
behaviour or be amenable to the rules and discipline of the home are
constitutionally questionable, open to abuse, of limited legal utility and frequently
immune from challenge at the prosecution stage. They should not be imposed.
Recommendation 6.11: Given the prevalence of addictions, the difficulties
accused persons will have openly admitting to addictions and the low likelihood
of abstention conditions contributing to public safety or the administration of
justice, there should be a moratorium on abstention conditions at the bail stage.
Recommendation 6.12: Conditions requiring accused to access medical
treatment or take medications are unconstitutional and should not be imposed.
Recommendation 6.13: Substance abuse treatment conditions are coercive
and should not be imposed at the bail stage absent exceptional circumstances.
Recommendation 6.14: Governments should study the claimed benefits of
bail-related treatment conditions and the relative utility of providing access to
community-based treatment options without making it a formal bail condition.
Recommendation 7.1: The government should study whether decriminalizing
failure to comply with bail conditions would have any negative impact on the
justice system or public safety. If criminalization is maintained, a more narrow
provision targeting public safety risks may be sufficient.
// 88
Recommendation 7.2: The reverse onus bail provisions in ss 515(6)(c) and (d) of
the Criminal Code should be repealed.
Recommendation 7.3: Bail supervisors should exercise discretion in the decision
to report a bail condition violation to the police. The Manitoba government
should craft explicit policy directing bail supervisors to exercise this discretion.
Recommendation 7.4: Police should exercise discretion in the decision to
formally charge an accused with failing to comply with a court order.
Recommendation 7.5: Governments should examine the purposes and
effectiveness of police bail compliance units. Proactive police supervision of bail
compliance should be strictly reserved for cases where the police and Crown
jointly determine there is an elevated risk of physical violence.
Recommendation 7.6: Prosecutors should also exercise considerable discretion
when deciding whether to pursue failure to comply charges. Crown Policy
Manuals should provide explicit guidance to prosecutors regarding failure to
comply charges. British Columbias Crown Policy Manual, which explicitly directs
prosecutors to consider whether prosecution of a failure to comply charge is in
the public interest, may serve as a model in this regard. Where the underlying
charge is dismissed or withdrawn, there should be a presumption that any
failure to comply charges should also be withdrawn.
Recommendation 8.1: The courts should refrain from imposing bail conditions
that are likely to criminalize the symptoms of an underlying mental health or
substance abuse problem.
Recommendation 8.2: A history of failure to comply should be given significantly
less weight where these prior incidents are tied to poverty or addiction.
Recommendation 8.3: Courts should refrain from requiring accused to provide
a fixed address or imposing residency conditions where the individual is homeless
or has transitory living arrangements.
Recommendation 8.4: Given the disproportionate barriers imposed by surety
requirements, requests for surety releases should be made with restraint, and
the Crown and judiciary should be more flexible when determining whether a
proposed surety is appropriate.
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06
Recommendation 8.5: When dealing with an Aboriginal accused, the

recommendations found throughout this report for example, to refrain from
imposing abstention conditions; to increase unconditional releases; to carefully
tie any conditions to the purposes of bail and actual threats to public safety; to
curtail over-policing of bail compliance; and to exercise significant discretion in
reporting, charging and prosecuting failure to comply charges must be
applied while also taking into consideration systemic discrimination against
Aboriginal people.
Recommendation 8.6: Courts must develop ways to incorporate Gladue
considerations into the bail process. Courts must have regard to the systemic
barriers Aboriginal people face in the process of arrest and judicial interim
release, and properly consider these in the determination of release.
// 90
Appendix A:
Methodology
07
In an effort to achieve regional representation, five provinces/territories were

selected for examination: British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario and
Yukon. This study used both in-court observations of bail court and interviews
with criminal justice professionals.
7.1 Court Observation
Observational bail court data was collected from British Columbia, Manitoba,
Nova Scotia, Ontario and Yukon. Two complementary types of data were collected
in an effort to capture not only the way cases were processed in court but the
manner in which time was used and the relationships amongst court actors.
Notes were taken on the use of time specifically, when court started and
finished; the timing, length and reason for court recesses; and time spent
waiting for accused to appear in court.
A uniform data sheet was used for routine administrative data collection and for
individual case information. Data were collected for each individual accused and
included information on how each case was discussed and the manner in which
each case was disposed; for example, the type of counsel present, the onus, the
details of the charges and criminal record as discussed in open court, and the
case outcome for the day. For cases in which the accused was released, either
as the result of a release with the consent of the Crown Attorney or after a show
cause hearing, the number and type of conditions were noted. We also collected
data on the form of release (e.g., was the accused released with or without a
surety). Any comments made by the Crown, defence counsel or justice of the
peace justifying the imposition of these conditions was documented.
For all locations the data collected comprised only that which was read aloud in
open court; this may or may not include the information listed above. The
authors acknowledge the importance of the charges before the court and the
impact a criminal record has on the bail decision and type of conditions imposed.
Having access to this data would have allowed for further analyses and would
have strengthened the conclusions drawn from this research. Despite this
limitation, when a consent release or show cause hearing was conducted, the
Crown would generally list the charges, read in the allegations and discuss
the presence or absence of a criminal record. While this is not perfect, the
information presented by the Crown in court is largely the information that
formed the basis for the justice to accept the proposed release (including the
// 91
07
conditions of release) or to release after a show cause hearing. The details of the
criminal record were only available to the researchers to the extent it was
discussed in court. Ultimately, whether the release is by consent of the Crown or
as a result of a contested show cause hearing, the justice is expected to be
satisfied that the conditions of release are appropriate.
7.2 Interviews with Criminal Justice Professionals
Semi-structured face-to-face and/or phone interviews were conducted with
criminal justice professionals with knowledge of and experience with the bail
system in each jurisdiction. Legal professionals were contacted through
professional e-mail lists and pre-existing professional contacts of the Canadian
Civil Liberties Association. The call for participation was posted on CCLAs
website and e-mailed to a list of professional contacts that had already indicated
to the CCLA that they were interested in the issue of bail and/or pre-trial
detention. These professional contacts were asked to share the call for
participation with other professionals who may have been interested. It was
also distributed to various professional body listservs and e-mail groups that
have membership from the criminal defence and prosecutorial bars. We also
distributed the call for participation to members of the CCLA Board who are
involved in the criminal justice system, and asked that they pass it on to other
colleagues who may be interested. Finally, we contacted directly the responsible
government ministries to request the participation and official views of
government representatives.
Semi-structured interviews allowed the researcher to guide the interview,
while giving participants room to steer the conversation to their particular
experiences. Participants were asked about their thoughts and experiences with
the bail process. Questions explored perceived challenges with the current
operation of the bail system and use of pre-trial detention. Participants were
also asked their perspectives on how to best address the challenges with the
system and what would make the bail system operate more effectively. These
data were used to supplement and provide more qualitative personal narratives
to the more quantitative data that was collected from in-court observations.
Participants were asked if they were comfortable with quotes being attributed
to their general occupational category/organization (e.g., defence counsel
or Crown Attorney). If participants indicated they would prefer not to have
their interview accredited to their specific job title, all information was
usedanonymously.
// 92
Repeated efforts were made to solicit interviews from each jurisdiction and each
profession involved in the bail process. These included private defence counsel;
duty counsel; Crown counsel; professional service providers such as bail program
staff, John Howard Society staff and Native Courtworkers; and government
officials. Unfortunately, some professions and jurisdictions are overrepresented.
This imbalance of representation makes generalizations difficult; however, the
interviews shed light on a number of issues that have been seen across the
country. These interviews offer important insight into the jurisdictional variation
seen across Canada. Indeed, despite a single Criminal Code, what is clear is
courts develop their own local practices. The practices in one location are not
necessarily the same in another location. Interview participants were able to
provide valuable insight into local practices and challenges. This resulted in a
deeper understanding of how each court operates and helped identify a number
of issues that require further attention.
Interviews were conducted with the following:
Jurisdiction Interviewees Total
British Columbia
2 government representatives, 2 defence counsel
Manitoba
3 defence counsel (urban), 2 defence counsel (rural),
3 government representatives
Nova Scotia
2 defence counsel (urban), 1 defence counsel (rural)
Ontario
4 bail program workers, 1 Native inmate liaison officer,
1 civil society bail policy researcher, 6 defence counsel
(urban and rural)
Yukon
2 defence counsel, 4 government representatives and
employees, 2 First Nations court workers. Due to the small
size of the legal community in Yukon, all Yukon interview
participants quoted in the report are identified simply
as Interviewee.
Total
12
8
35
Note: government representatives included both ministry contacts as well as Crown Attorneys.
// 93
08
Appendix B: Data
8.1 Descriptive Statistics
The bail courts were observed for a total of 44 days between June and November
2013. Each jurisdiction was observed for a minimum of five and maximum of
14days. Some of the jurisdictions are overrepresented in the dataset. Analyses
are presented for individual courts and are then aggregated across the
courthouses. The findings of this study are limited to the courts observed in
each jurisdiction. The authors caution against generalizing these findings to all
courts in the province/territory or elsewhere in Canada as this study only
provides a snapshot of the daily court observation.
Manitoba presents unique challenges; the Winnipeg bail court does not operate
the same way as other jurisdictions. As described in Appendix C, Winnipegs
consent releases are generally not spoken to in open court. It was therefore not
possible to collect data on a significant proportion of bail cases, and those cases
that were spoken to in open court are disproportionately contested matters.
Data from Manitoba should be considered with this in mind.
Over 44 days of bail court observation, 718 bail cases were seen. Not all of
thesecases were unique as some accused were seen on more than one day.
Aswould be expected, the daily caseloads in the bail court varied by the size of
the jurisdiction. Overall, on average, each court heard 17.5 bail matters; the
larger jurisdictions heard closer to an average of 21 bail matters a day and the
smaller jurisdictions average closer to eight cases a day.
Ontario is the only jurisdiction in our sample where all observed cases are
presided over by justices of the peace. In British Columbia, Manitoba and Nova
Scotia, all bail matters are addressed before a provincial court judge. Yukon uses
both justices of the peace and judges. Manitoba appears to utilize more video
technology at the bail stage than any other jurisdiction studied.
// 94
Table 1: Descriptive Statistics

Days of
observation
Cases Average
observed
daily cases
Judge
presides
% Women Video
accused
appearance
British Columbia
10
224
22.7
100%
17% (38)
13.80%
Manitoba
88
22.8
100%
36.4% (32)
69.30%
Nova Scotia
10
102
9.1
100%
16.7% (18)
1.00%
Ontario
14
269
20.5
0%
4.1% (11)
0%
5.7% (2)
Yukon
35
60%
Overall
44
718
17.5
63.60% 14.1%
0%
13%
8.2 Court Use of Time

The bail courts opened for the day between 9:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. depending
on the jurisdiction. The courts closed for the day between 3:00 p.m. and
4:00p.m. On average the court was open for operation for five hours and
22minutes on any given day. Time spent on recess calculates the total amount
of time the court was on recess or lunch break; on average two hours and nine
minutes each day was spent on recess. There is, however, significant variability,
with Yukon and Manitoba spending much less time on recesses than the other
jurisdictions. No one in court calculates the total amount of time when the
court was open for operation, but nothing was actively happening in court; on
average this consumed 23 minutes of court time each day. This measure does
not refer to time when counsel were speaking with each other; rather, this is
time when the court is sitting, waiting for accused to be brought in from the
holding cells. Total dead time includes both time spent on recesses and any
time when nothing is happening in court; it refers to the total time the court is
open but not actively addressing bail matters.
Table 2: Court Use of Time
Time on No one Total dead Total Proportion

Start time End time Time open
recess
in court
time
time used
of time used
British Columbia
9:33
15:31
5:57
3:01
0:11
3:12
2:45
46.20%
Manitoba
10:07
15:19
5:12
0:57
0:15
1:24
3:49
73.40%
Nova Scotia
9:42
15:20
5:40
2:34
0:42
3:17
2:15
39.70%
Ontario
9:57
16:08
6:11
2:21
0:23
2:35
3:36
58.20%
Yukon
13:20
14:56
1:35
0:16
0:15
0:31
1:04
67.40%
Overall
10:13
15:34
5:22
2:09
0:23
2:31
2:51
53.10%
// 95
08
On average there was two hours and 31 minutes of dead time each day. Total
time used subtracts total dead time from time open. Across all bail courts,
each day on average two hours and 51 minutes was used actively addressing
bail matters. When this is converted into a percentage to reflect the proportion
of the court day that was spent addressing matters, we see that overall courts
spent 53% of their opening hours dealing with cases. There was, however,
significant variation, with Nova Scotia actively using a low of 39.7% of open court
time and Manitoba using 73.4% of open court time addressing cases.
8.3 Legal Representation
Overall, 46.9% of observed accused retained counsel285 and 47.2% used the
services of duty counsel.
Table 3: Type of Legal Representation
Counsel

retained

by accused Duty counsel
Unrepresented
Unknown Total
British Columbia
50.0% (112)
40.6% (91)
2.2% (5)
7.1% (16)
100% (224)
Manitoba
87.5% (77)
11.4% (10)
1.1% (1)
0%
100% (88)
Nova Scotia
25.5% (26)
64.7% (66)
0%
9.8% (10)
100% (102)
Ontario
44.2% (119)
52.8% (142)
0.4% (11)
2.6% (7)
100% (269)
Yukon
8.6% (3)
85.7% (30)
0%
5.7% (2)
100% (35)
Overall
46.9% (337) 47.2% (339) 1% (7)
4.9% (35)
100% (718)
There is significant jurisdictional variation in the type of legal representation used

by accused at the bail stage. In Manitoba, most (79.5%) accused appeared to have
private counsel. This may be higher than other jurisdictions because cases in bail
court were cases the Crown was not consenting to and thus there would be a
contested show cause hearing. Conversely, duty counsel services were almost
solely relied upon in Yukon (85.7%); very few accused retained private counsel.
8.4 Daily Case Outcome
Looking at the average daily outcome for each accused observed overall, few
(8.8%) accused were formally denied their bail. Although it appears Manitoba
formally detains a greater proportion of accused, it should be remembered this
court hears primarily contested bail matters; most matters deemed appropriate
for release by the Crown were addressed outside of court.
285 Retained counsel includes
those who may have had a
legal aid certificate; this is due
to the difficulty of determining
if an accused has retained
defence counsel privately or
through a legal aid certificate.
// 96
On an average day, 27.3% of accused across all courts observed were released
on bail. This means that in 36% of cases in the bail court, a bail decision was
made on the day observed. The proportion of cases with a bail release order on
an average day ranged from 20% in British Columbia to 38% in Nova Scotia.
Table 4: Case Outcome

Detain
Release
Adjourn
Traverse
Plea/sentence
Miscellaneous
Total
British Columbia
12.1% (27)
20.1% (45)
61.2% (137)
2.2% (5)
2.7% (6)
1.8% (4)
100% (224)
Manitoba
22.7% (20)
28.4% (35)
30.7% (27)
1.1% (1)
15.9% (14)
1.1% (1)
100% (88)
Nova Scotia
3.9% (4)
38.2% (39)
42.2% (43)
2.0% (2)
5.9% (6)
7.8% (8)
100% (102)
Ontario
3.3% (9)
29.7% (80)
58.7% (158)
6.3% (17)
1.1% (3)
0.7% (2)
100% (269)
Yukon
8.6% (3)
20% (7)
68.6% (24)
2.9% (1)
0%
0%
100% (35)
Overall
8.8% (63)
27.3% (196)
54.2% (389)
3.6% (26)
4% (29)
2.1% (15)
100% (718)
On average, each day 54.2% of all cases were adjourned to another day. The
frequency of adjournments varies considerably; in Manitoba 31% of bail matters
were adjourned, and in Yukon 69% of cases were adjourned each day.
8.5 Adjournments
Consistent with previous research, most (70.4%) requests for an adjournment of
a bail hearing came from defence counsel or the accused. Across jurisdictions,
defence counsel were responsible for the majority of adjournment requests. In
9.5% of adjournment requests, the Crown was asking for the adjournment and a
further 6.7% came from the presiding justice.
Table 5: Who Requests the Adjournment
Defence/

Crown
accused
Justice
Unknown Total
British Columbia
8.8% (12)
70.6% (96)
4.4% (6)
16.2% (22)
100% (136)
Manitoba
11.1% (3)
77.8% (21)
11.1% (3)
0%
100% (27)
Nova Scotia
16.3% (7)
74.4% (32)
2.3% (1)
7.0% (3)
100% (43)
Ontario
7.6% (12)
68.8% (104)
9.5% (15)
10% (27)
100% (158)
Yukon
12.5% (3)
83.3% (20)
4.2% (1)
0%
100% (24)
Overall
9.5% (37)
70.4% (273) 6.7% (26)
13.4% (52)
100% (388)
Over half of all cases in bail court each day were adjourned. With the exception
of Yukon, close to a third of all adjournments were granted without any
justification being provided to the court. In Ontario, 19% of adjournment
requests were for the purposes of finding an appropriate surety for release.
// 97
08
Table 6: Reason Case Was Adjourned
Paperwork/
524/
Court No reason
further
service/
Release
Court out
provided/
Miscellane
Surety
Counsel
investigation admin
plan
of time
unknown
ous Total
British Columbia
0.7% (1)
29.2% (40) 6.6% (9)
4.4% (6)
4.4% (6)
0%
33.6% (46) 21.2% (29) 100% (136)
Manitoba
7.4% (2)
11.1% (3)
3.7% (1)
7.4% (2)
0%
33.3% (9)
Nova Scotia
2.3% (1)
27.9% (12) 7% (3)
2.3% (4)
9.3% (4)
0%
34.9% (15) 16.3% (7)
Ontario
19% (30)
17.1% (27)
12% (19)
7% (11)
4.4% (7)
12.7% (20) 25.3% (40) 2.5% (4)
100% (158)
Yukon
20.8% (5)
0%
29.2% (7)
29.2% (7)
8.3% (2)
4.2% (1)
0%
100% (24)
Overall
10% (39)
21.1% (82) 12.1% (47) 6.7% (26)
5.4% (21)
5.4% (21)
28.3% (110) 11.2% (43) 100% (388)
33.3% (9)
3.7% (1)
8.3% (2)
100% (27)
100% (43)
The most common reason across the courts for an adjournment request, when
a reason was provided, was for the purposes of counsel (for accused to retain
private counsel or for private counsel to attend court). Despite the small
numbers, in Yukon most adjournments were for the purpose of a court service
or court administration.
Twenty accused in Ontario had their bail hearing adjourned because the court
ran out of time to hear any more matters.
8.6 Release on Bail
Most accused are ultimately released on bail, though in light of the high number
of adjournments in all jurisdictions, it may take several appearances to arrive at
this outcome. Most accused who were released were released with the consent
of the Crown. Across the courts, each day an average of 20.5% of cases were
released via consent. There was, however, significant variation, with Yukons
Crown consenting to the release of 8.6% of the daily caseload and Nova Scotias
Crown consenting to the release of 39.2% of the daily caseload.
// 98
Table 7: Crown Consents to the Accuseds Release

Yes No Total
British Columbia
13.4% (30)
86.6% (194)
100% (224)
Manitoba
11.4% (10)
88.6% (78)
100% (88)
Nova Scotia
39.2% (40)
60.8% (62)
100% (102)
Ontario
23.8% (64)
76.2% (205)
100% (269)
Yukon
8.6% (3)
91.4% (32)
100% (35)
Overall
20.5% (147)
79.5% (571)
100% (718)
The bail courts hold very few contested show cause hearings. Overall, 2.4 show
cause hearings were held each day in each bail court. Manitoba was anomalous
with seven show cause hearings a day. Again, this is a reflection of Manitobas
unique bail processes. When Manitoba is removed, the average number of daily
show cause hearings per day across the courts falls to 1.5.
Table 8: Show Cause Hearing

Yes No Total Daily average
British Columbia
15.2% (34)
84.8% (190)
100% (224)
3.4
Manitoba
39.8% (35)
60.2% (53)
100% (88)
Nova Scotia
2.9% (3)
97.1% (99)
100% (102)
0.3
Ontario
8.9% (24)
91.1% (245)
100% (269)
0.6
Yukon
25.7% (9)
74.3% (26)
100% (35)
1.8
Overall
14.6% (105)
85.4% (613)
100% (718)
2.4
Across the courts about half of the accused who had a full show cause hearing
were released. Although there does appear to be some regional variation, the
low number of show cause hearings observed in each jurisdiction makes it
difficult to assess trends.
Table 9: Result of Show Cause Hearing
Total show

Detain
Release
Adjourn
cause hearings
British Columbia
55.9% (19)
41.2% (14)
2.9% (1)
100% (34)
Manitoba
51.4% (18)
42.9% (15)
5.7% (2)
100% (35)
Nova Scotia
100% (3)
0%
0%
100% (3)
Ontario
29.1% (7)
66.7% (16)
4.2% (1)
100% (24)
Yukon
33.3% (3)
44.4% (4)
22.2% (2)
100% (9)
Overall
47.6% (50)
46.7% (49)
5.7% (6)
100% (105)
// 99
8.7 Form of Release
08
There are some important differences across the jurisdictions in terms of the
forms of release. It is clear that Ontario is anomalous in its heavy reliance on
sureties. In 53.1% of all consent releases, the accused was required to have a
surety. In addition to this, 21.9% of consent releases in Ontario were with bail
program supervision, a kind of quasi-surety. Taken together, 75% of accused
released on consent in Ontario were required to be under the supervision of a
surety or a bail program.
Table 10: Form of Bail Order after Crown Consents to Release

Own
Cash
Undertaking
recognizance
Bail program
Surety
Same bail
British Columbia
0%
6.7% (2)
50% (15)
20% (6)
0%
23.3% (7)
100% (30)
Manitoba
0%
0%
90% (9)
10% (1)
0%
0%
100% (10)
Nova Scotia
0%
0%
55% (22)
0%
25% (10)
17.5% (7)
100% (40)*
Ontario
4.7% (3)
1.6% (1)
15.6% (10)
21.9% (14)
53.1% (34)
3.1% (2)
100% (64)
Yukon
0%
33.3% (1)
0%
33.3% (1)
33.3% (1)
0%
100% (3)
Overall
2.0% (3)
2.7% (4)
38.1% (56)
15% (22)
30.6% (45)
10.9% (16)
100% (146)
286
Total
* Note: one unknown type of release in Nova Scotia.
Indeed, it is interesting to note that British Columbia and Manitoba never

required a surety for release on consent of the Crown; instead, there is a much
higher use of release on the accuseds own recognizance.
Release orders after a show cause hearing followed a similar pattern. Despite
the likelihood that contested cases are more serious cases, British Columbia and
Manitoba still did not require surety supervision. Ontario, on the other hand,
required sureties even more in contested cases, with 68.75% of contested
releases requiring a surety.
286 Same bail means the accused

was already subject to a bail
release order, was subsequently
charged or otherwise brought
before the court, and is now
being re-released on the same
bail that they were previously
released on. This generally
means there was little, if any,
in-court discussion of the
original form of release or
any conditions that may be
attached to it.
// 100
Across all the courts, the most common form of release when the Crown
consents to the accuseds release was on the accuseds own recognizance
(38.1%) an acknowledged indebtedness to the Crown and a promise to return
to court and comply with any condition the court imposes. A release with surety
supervision was the next most common form of release at 30.6%.
Table 11: Form of Bail when Released after a Show Cause Hearing
Own

recognizance
Bail program
Surety
Same bail Total releases
British Columbia
35.7% (5)
50% (7)
0%
14.28% (2)
100% (14)
Manitoba
80% (12)
13.3% (2)
0%
6.7% (1)
100% (15)
Nova Scotia
0%
0%
0%
0%
0% (0)
Ontario
0%
25% (4)
68.75% (11)
6.25% (1)
100% (16)
Yukon
25% (1)
0%
75% (3)
0%
100% (4)
Overall
36.7% (18)
26.5% (13)
28.6% (14)
8.2% (4)
100% (49)
Looking at all releases together, whether the Crown consented to the accuseds
release or the accused was released by the justice after a show cause hearing,
most accused outside of Ontario and Yukon were released on their own
recognizance. While Ontario and Yukon required sureties regularly, British
Columbia and Manitoba never used them. That said, when looking at surety and
bail supervision together, close to 50% of accused released across all the courts
were required to be under some form of supervision.
Table 12: Form of Bail Release for All Released Accused
Own

Cash
Undertaking
recognizance
Bail program
Surety
Same bail Total
British Columbia
0%
4.5% (2)
45.45% (20)
29.5% (13)
0%
20.45% (9)
100% (44)
Manitoba
0%
0%
84% (21)
12% (3)
0%
4% (1)
100% (25)
Nova Scotia
0%
0%
55% (22)
0%
25% (10)
17.5% (7)
100% (40)*
Ontario
3.75% (3)
1.25% (1)
12.5% (10)
22.5% (18)
56.25% (45)
3.75% (3)
100% (80)
Yukon
0%
14.3% (1)
14.3% (1)
14.3% (1)
57.1% (4)
0%
100% (7)
Overall
1.5% (3)
2% (4)
37.75% (74)
17.9% (35)
30.1% (59)
10.2% (20)
100% (196)
* Note: one unknown form of release in Nova Scotia.
8.8 Amount of Bail

The quantum of bail required was known in 133 of the 196 releases. Overall, the
amount of bail was a mean of $2,669 and a median of $1,000.
// 101
08
Table 13: Amount of Bail

Mean
Median Range
British Columbia
$1,159
$1,000
$250$2,000
Manitoba
$2,142
$2,000
$250$10,000
Nova Scotia
$3,124
$2,000
$100$25,000
Ontario
$3,004
$1,000
$0$20,000
Yukon
$1,192
$750
$250$2,500
Overall
$2,669.17
$1,000
$0$25,000
8.9 Conditions of Release

Across the courts, a mean of 7.1, or a median of 6.5, conditions of release were
imposed on accused. There is, however, significant variation in the number of
conditions, with a range of one to 34 conditions being attached to the bail order.
There is considerable consistency across the jurisdictions, with the exception of
Yukon. In Yukon, the court routinely imposed close to twice as many release
conditions (a mean of 12.71 and a median of 13).
Table 14: Number of Conditions of Release

Mean
Median
Range
British Columbia
6.26
120
Manitoba
7.38
112
Nova Scotia
6.97
213
Ontario
6.99
6.5
134
Yukon
12.71
13
816
6.5
134
Overall 7.1
*Note: Number of conditions of release known in 175 of 196 releases.
A total of 196 releases were observed across the courts. In 24 of these cases, all
of the conditions imposed were unknown. The percentages below are calculated
on the basis of the 172 cases in which the conditions were known.
A wide variety of conditions were routinely imposed on release orders. Across
the courts, conditions prohibiting the possession of weapons (45.9%), not to
attend particular addresses (usually including the address of the alleged offence)
(30.2%), not to enter a boundary around an address or person (40.1%) and not
to contact any victim or witness (51.2%) were most common.
// 102
Looking across all jurisdictions, it is clear the court is concerned about where
accused live when they are released on bail. Most accused (69.2%) were
required to reside with their surety (26.2%) or at an address approved by their
surety or the bail program (43%); 44.2% were required to report their residential
address to the police.
Looking at individual jurisdictions, however, it is clear that there are local
perspectives on the appropriateness of certain conditions of release. Consistent
with Ontario and Yukons requirement of sureties for release, close to half of
accused in Ontario (42.7%) and in Yukon (42.9%) were required to reside with
their surety.
In nearly half of all cases (43%), the accused was required to keep the peace
and be of good behaviour and in a quarter of cases accused were required to
be amenable to the rules and discipline of the home (25.6%). In Ontario 42.7%
and in Yukon 57.1% were required to comply with any rule the surety imposed in
their home.
Close to a third of all accused released on bail were required to attend treatment
or counselling (28.5%); abide by a curfew (23.8%); not purchase, possess or
consume drugs (25%) or alcohol (27.3%); and/or report to a program (27.2%).
Treatment conditions at the bail stage, however, appear to be largely an Ontario
phenomenon, with 57.3% of all releases requiring accused to attend treatment
or counselling. Treatment conditions were rarely imposed in British Columbia or
Manitoba and were never imposed in Nova Scotia or Yukon. That said, 21.2% in
Ontario, 54.1% in British Columbia, 22.7% in Manitoba and 100% in Yukon were
required to report to a program within a specified period of time.
Abstaining absolutely from the purchase, possession or consumption of alcohol
or non-medically prescribed drugs was commonly required in Manitoba, Nova
Scotia and Yukon. Manitoba and Yukon also commonly imposed the condition
that accused are not to enter any establishment whose primary source of
revenue is generated through the sale of alcohol (more commonly, not enter
any bars).
// 103
08
Table 15: Conditions of Release287

Reside with

surety
Reside at
approved
Report address
Be amenable
address
to police
to rules of home
Keep the peace

and be of Not possess No gun
good behaviour
any weapons
licence (FAC)
British Columbia
2.7% (1)
24.3% (9)
37.8% (14)
16.2% (6)
78.4% (29)
24.3% (9)
8.1% (3)
Manitoba
13.6% (3)
72.7% (16)
72.7% (16)
4.5% (1)
50% (11)
45.5% (10)
13.6% (3)
Nova Scotia
19.4% (6)
35.5% (11)
35.5% (11)
3.2% (1)
90.3% (28)
41.9% (13)
0%
Ontario
42.7% (32)
45.3% (34)
38.7% (29)
42.7% (32)
2.7% (2)
61.3% (46)
14.7% (11)
Yukon
42.9% (3)
57.1% (4)
85.7% (6)
57.1% (4)
57.1% (4)
14.3% (1)
0%
Overall
26.2% (45)
43% (74)
44.2% (76)
25.6% (44)
43% (74)
45.9% (79)
9.9% (17)
Not contact Not be at Not enter

victim or witness address
boundary
Remain in Present self at door

province
Curfew House arrest
on police request
British Columbia
37.8% (14)
40.5% (15)
18.9% (7)
0%
13.5% (5)
0%
5.4% (2)
Manitoba
45.5% (10)
27.3% (6)
13.6% (3)
0%
54.5% (12)
4.5% (1)
0%
Nova Scotia
51.6% (16)
25.8% (8)
45.2% (14)
19.4% (6)
19.4% (6)
16.1% (5)
16.1% (5)
Ontario
56% (42)
29.3% (22)
52% (39)
4% (3)
20% (15)
12% (9)
0%
Yukon
85.7% (6)
14.3% (1)
85.7% (6)
57.1% (4)
42.9% (3)
0%
0%
Overall
51.2% (88)
30.2% (52)
40.1% (69)
7.6% (13)
23.8% (41)
8.7% (15)
4.1% (7)

Report to
Attend treatment/ program within

counselling
specified time
Co-operate
with
health worker
Take medicine
No drugs
No alcohol
Not enter any bars
British Columbia
8.1% (3)
54.1% (20)
0%
0%
16.2% (6)
10.8% (4)
2.7% (1)
Manitoba
13.6% (3)
22.7% (5)
4.5% (1)
0%
40.9% (9)
45.5% (10)
22.7% (5)
Nova Scotia
0%
0%
0%
0%
45.2% (14)
45.2% (14)
3.2% (1)
Ontario
57.3% (43)
21.3% (16)
8% (6)
4% (3)
12% (9)
17.3% (13)
8% (6)
Yukon
0%
100% (7)
0%
0%
71.4% (5)
85.7% (6)
71.4% (5)
Overall
28.5% (49)
27.9% (48)
4.1% (7)
1.7% (3)
25% (43)
27.3% (47)
10.5% (18)
287 Note: the percentages are of

the cases in which people were
released and the particular
condition was imposed; totals
will add up to more than 100%.
// 104
No contact with
Attend work/
Restrict
anyone with Not operate
Attend court
school
Report to police
internet/e-com
criminal record
vehicle
Conditional
access to own child
British Columbia
16.2% (6)
0%
2.7% (1)
5.4% (2)
0%
0%
0%
Manitoba
40.9% (9)
0%
0%
9.1% (2)
0%
9.1% (2)
0%
Nova Scotia
83.9% (26)
0%
9.7% (3)
0%
0%
0%
0%
Ontario
4% (3)
8% (6)
6.7% (5)
4% (3)
2.7% (2)
2.7% (2)
5.3% (4)
Yukon
100% (7)
42.9% (3)
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
Overall
29.7% (51)
5.2% (9)
5.2% (9)
4.1% (7)
1.1% (2)
2.3% (4)
2.3% (4)
Reside in Not be with Not possess

weapon-free Not be in public
minors under
Surrender
documents not Not possess
home
with minors
age 16
passport
in own name
forging instruments
British Columbia
0%
2.7% (1)
2.7% (1)
0%
2.7% (1)
13.5% (5)
Manitoba
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
Nova Scotia
0%
0%
3.2% (1)
6.5% (2)
0%
0%
Ontario
1.3% (1)
1.3% (1)
1.3% (1)
2.7% (2)
4% (3)
1.3% (1)
Yukon
0%
0%
14.3% (1)
0%
0%
0%
Overall
0.6% (1)
1.1% (2)
2.3% (4)
2.3% (4)
2.3% (4)
3.5% (6)
// 105
09
Appendix C:
The Practice of Bail
Manitoba, Nova Scotia,
Ontario and Yukon
9.1 Bail in British Columbia
Weekday bail proceedings in British Columbia are usually conducted before
provincial court judges. Individual accused may appear in court either in person
or via video, and the Crown and duty counsel are available at the courthouse.
Some remote sites have neither a local courthouse nor video conferencing
technology. In these instances, counsel/accused call the Justice Centre in
Burnaby, which is staffed with Judicial Justices288 almost 24 hours a day to allow
for remote bail hearings.
288 Judicial Justices are appointed

under s 30.2 of the Provincial
Court Act and are assigned
judicial duties by the Chief
Judge. To be eligible for
appointment applicants must
have practiced law for a
minimum of five years.
289 Video conferencing technology
for court hearings is available
in a small number of police
detachments, including Surrey,
Delta, The Peace District (Fort
St. John, Fort Nelson and
Dawson Creek), Vancouver and
Williams Lake. There are
approximately 70,000 bail
appearances in the province
annually, with 12,000 being
remote bail appearances with
the Justice Centre, and the
majority of these occurring
bytelephone.
Justice, Bail Reform Project,
online: British Columbia
Ministry of Justice <http://www.
criminaljusticereform.gov.bc.ca/
en/justice_reform_projects/
bail_reform/index.html>.
// 106
Weekend and after-hours bail matters are also conducted through the Burnaby
Justice Centre via tele-bail and video bail.289 In these cases counsel is not usually
involved; police officers regularly act as prosecutors and the accused is generally
unrepresented. In some police detachments, there are designated officers or
civilian court liaisons who conduct bail hearings. Officers can seek advice from
local Crown counsel during office hours and, where necessary, after hours;
accused have access to legal advice through the Brydges line, which provides
24-hour telephone access to a lawyer for individuals who have been detained or
arrested. The only exceptions are Vancouver and Surrey, the two largest urban
centres in British Columbia, where Crown counsel is available on weekends to
conduct bail hearings via telephone or video conferencing. In Vancouver, Crown
counsel is also available on weekday evenings.
At least one recent reform project has attempted to address delays associated
with processing bail in remote communities. In 2006 a review of British Columbias
provincial court statistics found that out of approximately 107,000 bail
appearances, almost 40,000 did not result in a bail order being made.290 In 2007
the province launched a bail reform pilot project aimed to make bail hearings
more effective and allow them to be heard outside of regular court hearings.291
While the urban reform pilot had little impact on the outcome of bail cases, the
bail reforms in the rural area studied were more successful.292 First appearances,
even during weekdays, took place remotely via video link with the Judicial
Centre.293 Video conferencing facilities were installed in police detachments and
courthouses to allow the accused, defence counsel, Crown, and required court
and judicial officers to communicate with each other. These changes increased
the strain on police resources, as they had to transport accused between cells
inside the station to facilitate the video link. Otherwise the project reportedly
resulted in a number of improvements:
Police made more release decisions;
Bail decisions were made earlier in the process, with fewer appearances,
and with more consent releases;
Provincial court judges conducted fewer bail hearings and made fewer
bail decisions; and
Resources allocated to prisoner transfer were significantly reduced.294
Ultimately, the pilot was not continued due to increased resource strain on the
police. It should be noted, however, that the RCMP suggested additional staff
should have been provided to facilitate the video conferencing.295
British Columbia employs bail supervisors, whose job is to manage and supervise
accused and to ensure the accused abides by bail conditions and appears in
court.296 Bail supervision in British Columbia dates back to 1974, when it was
implemented in response to the Bail Reform Act passed in 1972.297 Bail supervisors
are probation officers who work out of community corrections offices; these
offices also supervise adult offenders serving community sentences and those
in pre-trial diversionary programs.298 It is unclear whether every community
corrections office offers bail supervision services, but there are more than
40offices located throughout the province.299 Bail supervisors, who receive
specialized training with a focus on domestic violence and sexual offences, develop
a case supervision plan and a reporting schedule, and provide supervision for
accused released on bail.
291 Ibid.
292 Malatest Program Evaluation &
Market Research, Evaluation of
the Bail Reform Pilot Project
Peace Region and Surrey: Final
Evaluation Report (31 March
2010), online: British Columbia
Ministry of Justice <http://
www.criminaljusticereform.
gov.bc.ca/en/justice_reform_
projects/bail_reform/docs/
brp_evaluation.pdf>.
293 Ibid.
294 Ibid.
295 Ibid.
296 Justice British Columbia, Bail
Supervision, Criminal Justice
Information and Support,
online: Justice British Columbia
<http://www.justicebc.ca/en/
cjis/you/accused/bail/
supervision.html>.
297 Solicitor General of Canada,
International Conference on
Alternatives to Imprisonment
Report (Ottawa: Minister of
Supply and Services Canada,
1982), online: National
Criminal Justice Reference
Service <https://www.ncjrs.
gov/pdffiles1/
Digitization/89021NCJRS.pdf>
at 36.
298 Auditor General of British
Columbia, Effectiveness of BC
Community Corrections
(Victoria: AudGen British
Columbia, Dec 2011), online:
Auditor General of British
Columbia <http://www.
bcauditor.com/files/publications/2011/report_10/report/
OAGBC-BC-CommunityCorrections.pdf> at 12. This
2011 report refers to the
responsible government
department as the Community
Corrections and Corporate
Programs (CCCP) division of
the Ministry of Public Safety
and Solicitor General, but
these offices now appear to be
structured within the BC
Corrections division of the
Ministry of Justice. British
Columbia Ministry of Justice,
BC Corrections, online: British
Columbia Ministry of Justice
<http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/
corrections/>.
Justice, Community Corrections
Offices, online: British
Columbia Ministry of Justice
<http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/
corrections/contact/cco.htm>.
// 107
09
According to British Columbia Corrections, [p]ersons released on bail have not

undergone a trial determining guilt; therefore interventions do not include
requirements for risk assessment, programming or treatment.300 Bail supervisors
do verify compliance with conditions of bail by contacting third parties such as
the police, other service providing agencies and ministries, employers, family,
co-residents, victims and landlords. Where court-ordered conditions authorize,
bail supervisors conduct home visits for residency approval purposes. In rural
locations where there are no dedicated bail supervisors, supervision duties can
be assigned to the RCMP.
Bail supervisors have the legal authority to enforce bail conditions. The decision
to report that an accused has violated a condition of their release is left to the
discretion of the bail supervisor, who will decide the appropriate course of
action based on an assessment of the charges and the individuals criminal
history and personal circumstances. Bail supervisors can assist in having bail
conditions reviewed in court or negotiating with Crown counsel. Reporting a
failure to comply with a condition may result in the accused being re-arrested
and returned to bail court to have their release reviewed.301

301 Ibid.
302 Corrections Branch, British
Columbia Ministry of Justice, A
Profile of B.C. Corrections:
Protect Communities, Reduce
Reoffending (Oct 2013), online:
Justice <http://www.pssg.gov.
bc.ca/corrections/docs/
BCCorrectionsProfile.pdf>
at18.
303 Ibid.
304 Provincial Court of Manitoba,
Pre-trial Coordination Protocol:
Adult Charges (Winnipeg:
Provincial Court, 4 January
2013), online: Provincial Court
of Manitoba <http://www.
manitobacourts.mb.ca/pdf/
pretrial_ jan2013.pdf>.
305 Ibid.
// 108
A 2013 Auditor Generals report on community corrections in British Columbia

shows that bail supervision has consistently represented the second largest
category of community supervision orders handled by community corrections
offices.302 In 2012/13 bail supervision accounted for 34% of the total caseload,
eclipsed only by the supervision of probation orders (50%), and far exceeding
the other categories of supervision conditional sentences, recognizance
orders (peace bonds) and alternative measures (diversion programs) none of
which exceeded 9% of the total caseload.303
9.2 Bail in Manitoba
Most bail matters in Manitoba are adjudicated before judges. The Winnipeg
court uses an administrative triage system to streamline the bail process.304 All
bail matters first appear on the bail triage docket at 9:30 a.m. Defence counsel
generally arrive having already conferred with their clients at the detention
centre, and multiple Crowns are present to process any consent releases or
adjournments. The necessary paperwork is processed before the justice of the
peace without the attendance of the accused or their sureties. From 10:30 a.m.
to 11:00 a.m., two of the Crowns argue any contested matters before the
provincial court judges in bail court. Any matters that are outstanding after
11:30 a.m. must be addressed in bail court.305 For those in remote communities,
a first appearance may be heard via telephone before a justice of the peace. If
an individual is not released, he or she will be flown to a provincial detention
facility to have bail processed before the provincial court.
The Manitoba Ministry of Corrections provides bail supervision through the

probation services office. Additional bail supervision programs are provided by
the John Howard Society of Manitoba and the Elizabeth Fry Society of Manitoba,
which are focused on accused who would otherwise not receive bail release.
The John Howard Society, for example, directs its supervision capacity towards
adult men in custody on remand who have a criminal history and/or history of
non-compliance, a lack of community stability or support, and addictions
issues.306 In order to be eligible for the John Howard Society supervision,
accused persons must not have gang ties nor any sex-related convictions or
current charges, and they cannot be first-time offenders.
9.3 Bail in Nova Scotia
In Nova Scotia judges deal with most bail matters. Accused who are detained
late on Friday or over the weekend have access to tele-bail: bail hearings
conducted by telephone with one of the presiding justices of the peace working
at or through the Justice of the Peace Centre in Dartmouth.
Nova Scotia does not currently have any form of adult bail supervision program.
A pilot Adult Bail Supervision Program was implemented in the Halifax region in
October 2008307 involving more intensive supervision, including electronic
monitoring and computerized voice verification308. The program was eliminated
after the new provincial government conducted a review and found it to be
basically . . . ineffective.309
Although youth bail programs were not directly addressed in this study, it should
be noted that youth bail supervision in Nova Scotia has recently undergone
significant changes. The Nunn Commission of Inquiry was convened by the
Nova Scotia government to investigate the circumstances surrounding a youth
who was released on bail, and two days later killed a woman after crashing into
her car while high on drugs and driving a stolen vehicle.310 The Commission
ultimately recommended the creation of a fully funded bail supervision
program for youth in Halifax, with efforts to expand the program to other areas
of the province, and to include a focus on both compliance with bail conditions
and identification of proactive supports and services for the young persons in
the program.311 In January 2007 the Nova Scotia government announced that a
bail supervision program for youth would open in Halifax.312 The government
planned to expand the Youth Bail Supervision Program to Cape Breton and the
Annapolis Valley; however, a provincial election intervened in 2009, and after
an internal evaluation of the program in 2010, the program was cancelled due
to budget constraints[,] . . . limited use of the program, and concerns over
effectiveness.313

Manitoba, Bail Assessment,
Support & Supervision Program,
online: John Howard Society of
Manitoba <http://www.
lawsociety.mb.ca/publications/
other-publications/Bail_
Assessment_Support_
Supervision_Program.pdf/at_
download/file>.
307 Nova Scotia Department of
Justice, Annual Accountability
Report for the Fiscal Year
20072008, online: Nova Scotia
Department of Justice <http://
www.gov.ns.ca/just/global_
docs/DOJ%20Accountability%20Report%202007-08.
pdf> at 17.
308 Canadian Press, N.S. judge to
rule next week on bail for
accused killer of Jennifer
Horne, The Canadian Press
(19March 2010), online: The
News <http://www.ngnews.ca/
News/Canada-World/2010-03-19/article930356/N.S.-judge-to-rulenext-week-on-bail-foraccused-killer-of-JenniferHorne/1>.
309 Nova Scotia Legislature,
Subcommittee of the Whole
House on Supply (28 April 2011),
online: Nova Scotia Legislature
<http://nslegislature.ca/index.
php/committees/committee_
hansard/C13/subsupply_
apr28>. A detailed overview of
the adult bail supervision
program as it existed in July
2009 is available in an archived
version of the Department of
Justice Correctional Services
Policy & Procedures document:
Nova Scotia Department of
Justice, Correctional Services
Policy & Procedures, Subject No.
23.03.00, Current Revision Date:
July 27, 2009 (Adult Bail
Supervision Program), online:
Justice <http://novascotia.ca/
just/Corrections/policy_
procedures/Correctional_
Services_Policies_Procedures.
pdf>.
310 Nunn Commission of Inquiry,
Spiralling out of Control: Lessons
Learned from a Boy in Trouble
(December 2006), online: Nova
Scotia Department of Justice
<http://novascotia.ca/just/
nunn_commission/_docs/
Report_Nunn_Final.pdf>.
311 Ibid.
// 109
09
312 Nova Scotia, Helping Kids,
Protecting Communities:
Response to the Nunn
Commission (January 2007) at
6, online: Nova Scotia
Department of Justice <http://
www.novascotia.ca/just/
nunn_commission/_docs/
NunnResponse.pdf>. A
detailed overview of the Youth
Bail Supervision Program as it
existed in July 2009 is available
in an archived version of the
Department of Justice
Correctional Services Policy &
Procedures document: Nova
Scotia Department of Justice,
Correctional Services Policy &
Procedures, Subject No.
23.02.00, Current Revision Date:
July 27, 2009 (Youth Bail
Supervision Program), online:
Justice <http://novascotia.ca/
just/Corrections/policy_
procedures/Correctional_
Services_Policies_Procedures.
pdf>.
313 Nova Scotia Auditor General,
Report of the Auditor General
(2011) at 74, online: Nova
Scotia Auditor General <http://
oag-ns.ca/index.php/
publications?task=document.
viewdoc&id=817>.
315 Ibid.
316 Ibid.
317 Cameron Brown, Toronto Bail
Program, online: Centro de
Estudios de Justicia de las
Amricas <http://www.
cejamericas.org/manualsaj/
Toronto_BailProgram.pdf>.
318 Ibid.
319 Ibid.
// 110
9.4 Bail in Ontario

The vast majority of Ontario bail decisions are made by justices of the peace.
During the week, accused appear in person or via video link from the police
station or correctional centre. There are also several weekend and statutory
holiday (WASH) courts that provide in-person and video bail hearings.
Individuals who are arrested in remote communities are flown to provincial
correctional institutions in larger-population centres to have their bail
processed.314 While consent releases on the first appearance can be addressed
over the telephone without having the accused fly out of the community, if a
person is not released within 24 hours of arrest, they will be transported to a
correctional centre.315 Although the Ontario Court of Justice rotates through
29Aboriginal fly-in communities, the court does not sit frequently enough in any
one of the communities to provide timely bail hearings.316
Ontario also has a long history of offering bail supervision programs as an
alternative to traditional forms of pre-trial release (such as cash bail, own
recognizance and surety releases), with a six-month pilot project in two courts
dating back to 1979.317 In contrast to British Columbia and Alberta, where bail
supervision is provided through existing probation services, the initiative in
Ontario was launched with the partnership of the John Howard Society, the
Elizabeth Fry Society and the Salvation Army.318 The use of bail supervision was
motivated in part by economic concerns namely, the costs of incarcerating
individuals previously unable to secure bail as well as the philosophical
objection to an unnecessarily large number of legally innocent individuals being
held in custody while awaiting trial.319
The Ministry of the Attorney Generals website describes the purpose of the
Bail Verification and Supervision Program as enabling the pre-trial release of
individuals who are not a threat to the community [but] do not have the finances
or social ties to meet bail conditions. 320 The three functions of the program are
to identify the availability of a surety; provide verified, neutral and factual
information about an accused person at judicial interim release proceedings;
and provide supervisory, counseling and referral services for people who
are released from custody by the courts where supervision is directed as a
condition of release.321 The verification process involves gathering information
regarding an accuseds community and family ties, employment and educational
status, medical and addiction issues, and past history of failure to comply with
court orders, and ultimately sharing these findings with police, the Crown,
defence counsel and the court.322
Although Ontarios bail supervision programs are delivered by different community

service agencies, each program operates according to a province-wide
standards and procedures manual from the Attorney General.323 In order to be
eligible for supervision, an individual must have no appropriate surety. The bail
program must also be convinced that adequate supervision can be provided,
taking into account:
the verified information regarding the accused;
a pattern of previous failures to appear and failures to comply (each local
program may develop its own specific criteria);
previous response to community sanctions;
ability to comprehend legal obligations and expectations;
willingness and ability to comply with suggested conditions of release;
and
conditions necessary for effective supervision.324
The presence of admission requirements for acceptance into bail supervision
programs means that publicly funded bail programs can reject applications;
denying supervision in the community means the accused is likely to be
detained in custody.
9.5 Bail in Yukon
Bail court in Yukon is mostly presided over by a justice of the peace. The
court sits permanently in Whitehorse and travels on a circuit to 14 smaller
communities,325 hearing matters for one to three days every two months.326
Bail matters are generally heard in Whitehorse, during business hours, by the
permanently sitting territorial court. Both duty counsel and Crown prosecutors
are present. Prior to proceeding with a bail hearing, it is customary for the
accused to be adjourned in order to facilitate a bail supervision assessment,
which is completed by a probation officer. The report verifies the information
reported by the accused, including their criminal record, employment status,
and availability of a surety; it is not used to create a comprehensive release plan.
Accused who are released on bail are generally required to report to and be
supervised by one of 10 probation officers, who are part of the Offender
Supervision and Services branch of Corrections.327 In 2008 and 2009, an average
of 219 individuals per day were subject to bail supervision328 and overall bail
orders accounted for roughly half of all the community supervision orders
overseen by Offender Supervision and Services.329
320 Ontario Ministry of the

Attorney General, Published
Results-Based Plan 200910,
online: Ontario Ministry of the
Attorney General <http://
www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.
on.ca/english/about/pubs/
mag_annual/rbp_2009_10.
asp>.
Attorney General, Bail
Verification and Supervision
Program: Standards and
Procedures Manual (revised
April 2009).
322 Cameron Brown, Toronto Bail
Program, online: Centro de
Estudios de Justicia de las
Amricas <http://www.
cejamericas.org/manualsaj/
Toronto_BailProgram.pdf>.
Attorney General, Bail
Verification and Supervision
Program: Standards and
Procedures Manual (revised
April 2009).
324 Ibid.
325 Yukon Courts, Territorial Court,
online: Yukon Courts <http://
www.yukoncourts.ca/courts/
territorial.html>.
326 Yukon Courts, Territorial Court
Sittings, online: Yukon Courts
<http://www.yukoncourts.ca/
pdf/CIRCUIT_CALENDAR_-_2014_Aug_28_13.pdf>.
327 Yukon Department of Justice,
Community Supervision, online:
Yukon Department of Justice
<http://www.justice.gov.yk.ca/
prog/cor/community_
supervision.html>.
328 Statistics Canada, Trends in the
Use of Remand in Canada
(Ottawa: StatCan, 2011),
online: StatCan <http://www.
statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/
2011001/article/11440-eng.
htm>.
329 From 2004-2010, bail
supervision comprised a
plurality of community
supervision orders, with 46.6%
of all supervision orders
compared with 42.6% for
probation supervision. Yukon
Department of Justice,
Department of Justice Facts 2011,
online: Yukon Department of
Justice <http://www.justice.
gov.yk.ca/pdf/Factsbook_2011_
web.pdf> at19.
// 111

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JULY 2014

Set Up to Fail: Bail and the Revolving Door of Pre-trial Detention

About the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and Education Trust

Set Up to Fail: Bail and the Revolving Door of Pre-trial Detention

The Law and Practice of Bail 14

Set Up to Fail: Bail and the Revolving Door of Pre-trial Detention

05 Systemic Discrimination and Bail

06 Conclusion and Recommendations

09 Appendix C: The Practice of Bail in British Columbia,

Set Up to Fail: Bail and the Revolving Door of Pre-trial Detention

1 Statistics Canada, CANSIM Table

Set Up to Fail: Bail and the Revolving Door of Pre-trial Detention

7 Public Safety Canada, Corrections

Set Up to Fail: Bail and the Revolving Door of Pre-trial Detention

requiring sureties to testify in court prior to release are significant. Accused

12 Ontario spends an average of

Set Up to Fail: Bail and the Revolving Door of Pre-trial Detention

13 Bail Reform Act, SC 1970-71-72,

Set Up to Fail: Bail and the Revolving Door of Pre-trial Detention

It is clear Canada as a whole has a pre-trial detention problem. Provincial

14 Statistics Canada, CANSIM

Set Up to Fail: Bail and the Revolving Door of Pre-trial Detention

Figure 2: Remand Rate per 100,000 Residents, 2012/2013

The proportion of the provincial/territorial custodial population on remand also

Set Up to Fail: Bail and the Revolving Door of Pre-trial Detention

Figure 3: Percent of Provincial/Territorial Prisoners on Remand, 2012/2013

The 2012 crime

16 Samuel Perreault, Statistics

Set Up to Fail: Bail and the Revolving Door of Pre-trial Detention

19 See CM Webster, AN Doob & NM

Figure 4: Total Police-Reported Crime Rate per 100,000 Residents for

Set Up to Fail: Bail and the Revolving Door of Pre-trial Detention

23 In these cases, the onus is

Set Up to Fail: Bail and the Revolving Door of Pre-trial Detention

Set Up to Fail: Bail and the Revolving Door of Pre-trial Detention

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (the Charter) constitutionally

11Oct 2012), online: Statistics

Set Up to Fail: Bail and the Revolving Door of Pre-trial Detention

The Human Impact of Pre-trial Detention

Set Up to Fail: Bail and the Revolving Door of Pre-trial Detention

Conditions in Provincial Jails

Set Up to Fail: Bail and the Revolving Door of Pre-trial Detention

The Law and

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abstain from possessing a firearm;

The legal reforms

3.2 Judicial Interim Release

47 It should be noted that police

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In order to withstand constitutional scrutiny, the amount of money required

54 Ibid at para 57.

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Set Up to Fail: Bail and the Revolving Door of Pre-trial Detention

64 Criminal Code, RSC 1985, c C-46,

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Canadian courts have affirmed an accuseds Aboriginal status must be taken

76 See for example R v Robinson,

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09 Appendix C: The Practice of Bail in British Columbia,

April 6: the mother could not be present because of financial limitations.