Ned Lecic

Double Jeopardy Touches Upon Applying for Pardon

The instance last year of the Parliament of Canada passing Bill C-23A, which raised the criteria for those convicted of serious sexual and violent personal injury offences to successfully apply for a pardon was aimed primarily at convicted sexual predator... Read >

US Waiver Visa Travel Rules

When travelling to the United States, tourists from those countries which are not subject to visa restrictions generally fall under the Visa Waiver Program. More than 30 states participate in this program, including many European countries, Japan, South K... Read >

Clear Criminal Record Needed for Travel to Canada

It is not just the United States that takes border security seriously. If a foreigner who has a criminal record attempts to enter Canada and Canada has information on their conviction, they may be denied entry, as is the case with the United States. How c... Read >

Ontario Pardons for Canadian Criminal Records and Travel

For many Ontarians, crossing the border at Niagara Falls for shopping or tourism represents a pleasant excursion. But such trips can turn into a nightmare if the traveller happens to have obtained a criminal conviction at some point in their life. Theoret... Read >

Canadian Government's Fall Means Pardons Secure for Now

During its term of office, Canada’s Conservative Government was quite successful in its signature campaign to make Canadian criminal law tougher, passing amendments to the law which have, among other things, raised the age of sexual consent, allowed judge... Read >

Some Frequently Asked Questions for Pardon and Waiver Experts

The legal issues of criminal pardons and US entry waivers are a slippery slope for the layperson. A fair amount of confusion and misinformation abounds in society, as can be seen by some of the questions that pardon and waiver experts routinely receive fr... Read >

American Waiver, Deserters Among 9-11 Consequences

On 11 September 2001, when the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were subjected to the attack of terrorists who flew hijacked commercial aircraft kamikaze-style into them, Canada quickly showed solidarity with the United States. This ranged from diverti... Read >

Criminal Records and Pardons For Canadian Young Offenders

It is a well-known fact that Canadian criminal law tends to treat people under the age of 18 who commit crimes with significantly more leniency than adult offenders. No person can be charged with a crime before the age of 12 and offenders between the ages... Read >

Backlog in RCMP Criminal Record Checks

In Canada, getting a criminal record check is becoming an increasingly common activity. As more employers and volunteer organizations perform background checks on prospective employees and volunteers, the need for a record check, which is requested from a... Read >

Should Canadian Pardon Applicants to Hire a Lawyer?

When a person with a criminal record wishes to obtain a pardon in Canada, they will sometimes approach a lawyer seeking his services in the matter. Is this necessary or useful? In order to answer this question, let us first look more closely at what getti... Read >

File Destruction Prevents Surprises on Criminal Record Checks

When a person charged with a criminal act is acquitted in court, no criminal record is issued. This does not mean, however, that no record remains of the charge. In Canada, the police retain a record of the arrest and the courts keep records of a trial ev... Read >

Canada's Pardoning Criminal Law: Death Penalty Not Iminent

Since it was elected, the Government of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been known for its efforts to make Canadian criminal justice stricter. While the Opposition in Parliament has resisted quite a few of Harper’s efforts, some of the bills pr... Read >

Clean Criminal Records and Other Demands of Today's Job Market

North America has only recently come out of one of the worst recessions within living memory. Economic growth is slow but visible and companies are hiring again. Yet many people are finding that looking for employment remains a daunting task. It is as if ... Read >

Personal Status after Death: Wills, Funerals, Criminal Pardons

Here is a true story: shortly before moving back to the old country, the grandmother of a young Canadian from an immigrant family was upset. She told her grandson that she had expressed a wish that, when she died, she would be buried in the hometown of so... Read >

When Politicians Grant a Criminal Pardon

The past year has seen a number of interesting cases of pardons being considered and issued by top-ranking American and Canadian politicians. The time-honoured legal tradition of top officials granting a reprieve to some offenders is not without its criti... Read >