North York Defence Lawyers
A Team of Experienced Criminal Defence Lawyers Serving North York and The Surrounding Area
Have you been charged with a criminal offence and are required to attend Court in North York? We can help! Our full-service criminal law firm handles all types of criminal and regulatory charges from Mischief to Murder, with a particularly strong focus on Impaired Driving, Assault, and Domestic Violence charges.
- Assault
- Threats; Confinement; Kidnapping
- Sexual Assault; Child Sexual Assault; Child Pornography; Voyeurism; Trespass
- Theft and Fraud; False Pretences; Forged Documents
- Property Crimes, Break and Enter; Robbery; Possession of Stolen Property
- Impaired Driving; Over 80/.08; Refusal; DUI; Care or Control
- Dangerous Driving; Disqualified Driving; Prohibited Driving; Flight from Police
- Improper Storage of Firearms; Concealed Weapon; Discharge Firearms
- Drug Offences, Drug Possession; Drug Trafficking; Drug Import/Export; Drug Grow/Production
- Youth Offences
- Traffic Offences; Careless Driving; Hit and Run; Speeding; No Insurance
- Breach or Probation/CSO/Release/EPO; Fail to Appear for Court
With centralized offices in downtown Toronto, we frequently travel to North York to represent our clients. The North York court house is located at 1000 Finch Avenue West Toronto. Although virtually all substantive law is the same across Ontario, there are some key differences that you should be aware of. Below are some of the main distinctions, but for specifics about your case, it’s important that you contact one of our criminal defence lawyers directly so you get the right advice.
The Investigation
North York is policed by the Toronto Police Service. For all intents and purposes, their powers of investigation, detention, and arrest are the same as other police departments across Ontario. However, their training policies, techniques, and oversight is quite different. 32 Division of the Toronto Police Service covers North York, the 32 Division detachment is located at 30 Ellerslie Ave Toronto, and the phone number for the main line is 416-808-3200. This is where you will be housed until your bail hearing, and this is where you will have to attend to give your fingerprints (if they are not taken at the time of your initial release).
The Bail/Release Process
Often times, the Toronto Police Service will release individuals on an “undertaking” (a type of promise) with conditions which may include: refraining from communicating with certain people, refraining from attending certain addresses, refraining from possessing and consuming alcohol and drugs, refraining from possessing weapons, etc.
If your charges are determined to be more serious by the police, the Toronto Police Service may require that a bail hearing be held either with a Judge or a Justice of the Peace before an individual is released. Unfortunately, this process can take upto 24 hours, so you or your loved one could be sitting in a jail cell for a very long time just because of the police policy.
If you are reading this before you are charged, it is very important that you ask for the first available court date. The reason for this is that the Toronto Police Service might put fairly restrictive conditions on you, such as not to communicate with the complainant or go back to the residence. For spouses with children, this creates a logistical nightmare! The situation can be fixed, but often not until the matter goes back to court.
The Charges
As mentioned earlier, although the substantive criminal law is the same across all geographic regions, there are some unique aspects to defending specific charges in rural areas that you should be aware of. Some of the post common features are discussed below.
DUI/Over .08/Impaired Driving/Refusal
If you have been charged with an alcohol driving related offence in Toronto Police Service it probably has a much more debilitating impact on you than for someone charged in Toronto because it’s often harder to get around without a car in suburban or rural areas. As you probably already found out, your licence has been suspended for 90 days, and you will face the difficult choice of pleading guilty to be eligible for the “Stream A” licence suspension, or going to trial and risk being ineligible for the reduced licence suspension.
Domestic violence is not a charge in itself, but rather refers to a broad list of violence charges, including assault, assault with a weapon/bodily harm, threats, confinement, harassment, etc, that occurs in a domestic context. As mentioned earlier, if you have been charged with a domestic violence charge, you have probably been placed on some conditions, the most debilitating of which are obligations not to have any contact or communication with the complainant and other family members. Indeed, it is the standard policy of the Toronto Police Service to put these conditions on you, even if the complainant (likely your spouse) doesn’t want those conditions.
It’s worth reiterating that if you are reading this before you are arrested and charged for domestic violence, be sure to ask for the very first court date possible. Moreover, the Toronto Police Service typically offer a first appearance date 2-4 weeks down the road which in our view is completely unacceptable due to the sensitive nature of these types of charges. Without going into the nuances, it is also much harder to get the matter into court earlier than the date the Toronto Police Service provides. There are mechanisms available to us that should be assessed on a case by case basis, but it is quite challenging to do this, so it’s that much more important to get it right at the beginning.
Domestic violence charges (particularly first time charges) can often be resolved without a criminal record with significant counselling in areas of domestic violence, anger management, and substance abuse. Indeed, we resolve the vast majority of domestic violence charges for our clients without a criminal record. Some of the centres available in North York include Partner Assault Response provided by the Jewish Family and Child Services, but you should consult with our of our lawyers to determine if the centre you choose is adequate.
Why Hire Us
We understand that it might be difficult for some people to travel from North York for legal appointments. Rest assured we can handle most (and sometimes all) aspects of the case without you having to attend downtown Toronto. For those clients who can’t meet us in person, we offer a free initial consultation by telephone or video link. We can review the circumstances of your case, the process, the fee structure and what we can do to help remotely.
We pride ourselves on providing not only the best result possible, but exceptional customer service along the way. Contact one of our experienced Toronto-based criminal defence lawyers today and judge for yourself.
