tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42038606306223075012012-02-10T11:54:01.253-08:00Pardon Me, Canada, your source for information on criminal records and pardons in Canada. Stay up to date and informed on legislative changes and more with the Pardon Me, Canada Blog.Pardon Services Canadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704489369851185273noreply@blogger.comBlogger153125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203860630622307501.post-26099236628577131192012-01-17T11:49:00.000-08:002012-01-17T11:49:55.157-08:002012-01-17T11:49:55.157-08:00

Redemption Inc. is a new TV reality series that provides a chance-of-a-lifetime experience for former “guests” of Canadian correctional facilities – certainly controversial, perhaps disconcerting to some parts of the viewing audience. But these competitors have paid their debt to society and deserve a second chance. Each of the eight episodes will test ten ex-cons’ business acumen by placing them

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A cost-benefit analysis conducted by consulting firm RIAS Inc. for the Parole Board of Canada says operations have changed significantly since the legislative changes regarding pardon applications. The number of legitimate applicants for a criminal pardon is expected to plunge by almost half under stricter new rules. The law requires the Parole Board to assess the behaviour of applicants from the

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Furthering the freedoms and liberties of citizens should be a principal goal of government. However, the Tories are instead straying farther away from supporting the individual freedoms that are vital to the progress of society by inducing government control and restriction of human behaviour. Proposed legislation for a criminal pardon in Canada threatens to curtail such freedoms and liberties.

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In principle, an offender is presumed to be rehabilitated once his time has been served. However, the reality is that our prisons have an almost flawless record of failure in this area. Treatment and rehabilitation, more effective and less expensive recourses, are being superseded by the government’s choosing to impose harsher sentences for relatively benign crimes and making it increasingly

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Volunteers are being sought for the Dawson Creek Citizens on Patrol program, which provides a great deal of information that assists in RCMP investigations. All that is required of applicants is that they be at least 19 years old and submit a criminal record check. Such volunteer programs serve as excellent prerequisites for anyone interested in becoming an RCMP officer or for those who simply

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The consequences of a DUI conviction are severe. A drunk driving charge may lead to: A criminal record, which may impede future employment, travel abroad, and community status A revoked license, which could make commuting to work difficult A long-term hike on your car insurance premiums, which will make owning and operating a vehicle less affordable A number of heavy fines, which can have a

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An approach being considered for dealing with the Stanley Cup rioters is one that represents viewing conflict as an opportunity for a community to learn and grow, operating on the premise that conflict, even criminal conflict, inflicts harm. Individuals must accept responsibility for repairing that harm. Communities – family, peers, professionals – are empowered to choose their response to

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Out of the deep depths of misfortune comes bliss [Chinese proverb] – Something that will seem surprising to many is the fact that, for the last two years, Sir Richard Branson has been encouraging the managing directors of hundreds of Virgin companies to take on ex-offenders. Many people end up in prison because they’ve had bad luck, setbacks, and roadblocks in their lives. And when they try to

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Canada’s federal government’s “tough-on-crime” package is headed in the wrong direction. Researchers Alana Cook and Ronald Roesch of Simon Fraser University’s psychology department reviewed data from other jurisdictions that have already implemented some of the policies that Canada’s federal government is now pursuing relevant to cost, effect on crime rates, and impact on vulnerable populations.

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Peter McKnight’s November 5 article in the Vancouver Sun, “Ottawa seems determined to gut youth act,” adds an element of concern regarding the Conservative government’s omnibus crime bill. The Youth Criminal Justice Act was passed in 2002 when Canada had the highest rate of youth imprisonment in the Western world. The YCJA was designed specifically to remedy this problem, to decrease our reliance

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If you have a DUI conviction, you owe it to yourself and your loved ones to clear your record in order to move forward, rid yourself of the stigma, renew your self-respect. Albert was last charged with impaired driving in 2004. His business had failed primarily due to increasing fuel prices, and alcohol numbed the pain. Declaring bankruptcy was the only solution. This might sound like an easy

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Texas tried to do what Canada plans to do, and it failed. A state budget crush in 2005 forced Texas to take a hard look at its own justice policy. Texas had the highest incarceration rate in the US, with one in 20 of its adult residents behind bars or on parole or probation. Policy makers found that sending people to prison was costing ten times as much as putting them on probation, on parole, or

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Bill C-10, the Conservative government’s omnibus crime legislation, the Safe Streets and Communities Act, blends nine previous bills that did not pass before last spring’s election. Late September’s debate on the bill was limited by the Conservatives at the same time as BC’s top trial judge was raising concerns about its consequences. BC Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Bauman is concerned in

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The Conservative government wants to quadruple the cost of applying for a pardon, increasing the cost from the current $150 to $631. Critics say this will have many negative consequences. Last spring’s public consultation process overwhelmingly rejected the fee increase. A report on the consultations was released mid-August. An impressive body of discerning groups, including prison advocates,

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Under current legislation, the duration of the waiting period prior to your being eligible to submit your application for a pardon to the Parole Board of Canada depends on the nature of the offense, as follows:  A summary non-sexual offense carries a 3-year waiting period. An indictable non-sexual offense or a summary sexual offense carries a 5-year waiting period. An indictable sexual offense

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Restorative justice emphasizes repairing the harm caused by crime. When victims, offenders, and community members meet to decide how to do that, the results can be transformational. It is viewed as a process that improves upon the traditional criminal justice in that it has significant benefits: • Rather than defining crime only as lawbreaking, it recognizes that offenders harm victims,

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The benefits of counseling, along with the support of family, cannot be fully realized and appreciated until a person needs to seek help. Larry currently lives in Red Deer, Alberta, with his wife and teenage son. He strives each day to be a strong, positive influence in his son’s life. He owns his own home and has had steady employment for over 20 years. Now, with the prospect of retiring soon

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When a prospective employer requests a criminal record check through the Canadian Police Information Centre’s database, information about a pardoned conviction cannot be released. Only one exception requires such disclosure, that being convictions for violent sexual or personal injury offences. These are “flagged” for vulnerable sector background checks. A vulnerable sector check will be

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Debt is like any other trap, easy enough to get into, but hard enough to get out of [Henry Wheeler Shaw] – With significant debt and credit obligations, “John” became burdened with an enormous debt load as he was inexperienced with managing his financial commitments. Having multiple creditors and feeling powerless and fearful, he made the fateful decision to bilk his employer to try to make the

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The Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC), an office of the RCMP, maintains criminal records in a database accessible for criminal record checks. However, a pardoned criminal record is removed from that database and will not show up on background checks. Except for the few offences that carry a life or indeterminate sentence, all Canadian criminal offences can be pardoned. But, if a person

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Numerous complaints have been expressed about the Conservative government’s proposal to increase the user fee for pardon applications. The proposed increase is viewed as dramatic and prohibitive, stemming “from a purely economic logic without regard for the needs of pardon applicants or the community.” As well, “it would discourage people with a criminal record from applying,” and “will only

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A conviction can follow a person throughout his or her life, preventing the individual from moving forward, reintegrating into society. Obtaining a pardon is the only way to eliminate the stigma of having a criminal record. A criminal record remains on file in Canada but it can be purged, allowing a person to pursue employment or promotion, to volunteer, to adopt, to rent an apartment, to further

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How long must a person endure the mantle of a criminal record, after having served his sentence and atoned for past mistakes? Unfortunately, a criminal record continues to “follow” a person by remaining accessible through a criminal record check or a background check, frequently done nowadays by such concerns as potential employers, rental agencies, and banks. This procedure is done in order

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Better shun the bait than struggle in the snare [John Dryden] – Here is the story about how one young man has overcome a most unfortunate introduction to life in Canada. As a recent immigrant to Canada in the mid-eighties, having settled in Lethbridge, Alberta, he got his first job as a delivery driver for a local pizza parlor. He found a credit card in the parking lot of a nearby convenience

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Drinking and driving: there are stupider things, but it's a very short list. [Author Unknown] Whatever you call it, the charge is the same – it involves operation of a motor vehicle while intoxicated by alcohol or drugs. It could be as “simple” as an over-the-counter cold or flu medicine but the bottom line is: if you are Driving Under the Influence, you are breaking the law. No one would

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