News + Insights

On September 14, AGB lawyer Ana Qarri obtained intervener status for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association before the Court of Appeal for Ontario in R. v. McPherson, 2023 ONSC 232, a criminal appeal with wide-ranging implications for the constitutional right to be secure from unreasonable search and seizure.

The appeal arises from a complex law enforcement investigation of several criminal organizations. The underlying Section 8 Charter application was brought by 50 different accused persons awaiting trials on 22 separate indictments. The challenged investigations relied on various searches—some warrantless surveillance techniques and others with judicial warrants. Ana will represent the CCLA on its intervention at the appeal challenging the constitutionality of these searches. The CCLA will be seeking to protect the right to constitutional privacy, including by minimizing collateral privacy harm in cross-cutting, neighbourhood-based investigations. 

We are honoured to represent the CCLA in this significant appeal engaging core constitutional privacy rights.