July 2025

Plead Guilty to a Traffic Ticket and Now Regretting it? This Case May Help You. 

Police officer writing a traffic ticket on a clipboard beside a car window.

A recent decision by the Court of Appeal for British Columbia in R. v. Dancho, 2025 BCCA 258, has granted leave to appeal in a case challenging a traffic ticket. This case raises important issues that affect applications to withdraw guilty pleas in traffic ticket cases. 

The Court of Appeal Grants Leave in a Traffic Ticket Case

In Mr. Dancho’s case, the BC Supreme Court dismissed his application to extend time for filing a notice of appeal of his traffic ticket guilty plea. This came after Mr. Dancho realized the ticket had penalty points only after receiving an invoice for the Driver Risk Premium in the mail. Mr. Dancho had pled guilty in order to request a fine reduction because he had a limited income. 

The Court of Appeal granted leave because Mr. Dancho raised arguable issues that the BC Supreme Court judge misapprehended applicable legal standards, leading to errors of law. Specifically, he raised concerns about the BC Supreme Court judge’s assessment of setting aside the guilty plea. These included that she had applied an incorrect legal standard. 

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Plead Guilty to a Traffic Ticket and Now Regretting it? This Case May Help You. Read More »

Plead Guilty to a Traffic Ticket and Now Regretting it? This Case May Help You.  Read More »

Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: Volume 360

This week on Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: When Drinks Go Wrong

This week on Weird and Wacky Wednesdays, I am looking at three stories from the world of alcohol that show just how important care and accuracy are in brewing and distilling. As some of you know, I am part owner of a distillery, so these issues are never far from my mind. They remind me how quickly something can go wrong, and how the consequences can extend far beyond the brewery or distillery itself.

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Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: Volume 360Read More »

Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: Volume 360 Read More »

Understanding Hit and Run Offences in Canada

Police roadblock at night with cars stopped, officers in discussion, and bright lights reflecting off wet pavement.

In Canada, failing to remain at the scene of an accident, commonly referred to as a “hit and run,” is a serious criminal offence under section 320.16 of the Criminal Code. A recent sentencing decision from the Provincial Court of British Columbia, R. v. Singh, 2025 BCPC 126, illustrates the gravity of such offences and the types of sentences they attract.

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Understanding Hit and Run Offences in CanadaRead More »

Understanding Hit and Run Offences in Canada Read More »

Disguised Expropriation: Cases That Should Have Gone to the Supreme Court of Canada, But Didn’t!

Welcome to “Cases That Should Have Gone to the Supreme Court of Canada, But Didn’t!”

In this episode, Kyla Lee from Acumen Law Corporation discusses a case involving the intersection of heritage preservation, private property rights, and land use planning. After purchasing a monastery and applying for demolition permits to redevelop the site, the new owners found their plans halted when the city designated the property as a heritage site. They argued this was a form of de facto expropriation. The courts rejected their claim, and the Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear the appeal—missing a key opportunity to provide national guidance on what constitutes compensable expropriation in a modern urban planning context.

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Disguised Expropriation: Cases That Should Have Gone to the Supreme Court of Canada, But Didn’t!Read More »

Disguised Expropriation: Cases That Should Have Gone to the Supreme Court of Canada, But Didn’t! Read More »

Episode 413: Extended Bar Hours, Police Missteps, and the Sidewalk Lexus

This week on Driving Law, Kyla Lee and Paul Doroshenko discuss Vancouver’s decision to extend bar hours to 4 a.m., raising concerns about transit access and impaired driving enforcement at a time when the city’s traffic unit is severely depleted. They explore how the change could affect public safety, particularly in the absence of roadblocks and routine DUI checks.

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Episode 413: Extended Bar Hours, Police Missteps, and the Sidewalk LexusRead More »

Episode 413: Extended Bar Hours, Police Missteps, and the Sidewalk Lexus Read More »

Kyla Lee on CBC’s On The Coast: Soapbox Social: All 5 former Hockey Canada players found not guilty of sexual assault

Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia says she didn’t find the complainant’s evidence to be “credible or reliable,” and the Crown failed to prove she didn’t consent to the sexual activity.

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Kyla Lee on CBC’s On The Coast: Soapbox Social: All 5 former Hockey Canada players found not guilty of sexual assaultRead More »

Kyla Lee on CBC’s On The Coast: Soapbox Social: All 5 former Hockey Canada players found not guilty of sexual assault Read More »

A Misogynistic Mess: Heather Mallick’s Shameful Attack on Women in Criminal Defence

@kylaleelawyer

Hey @Toronto Star do better. This is gross and platforming this type of misogyny sets women in the legal profession back. Also – Megan Savard is GOAT level and that’s why she was hired. Not to be a “skirt” #Feminism #Misogyny #LAW #Legal #LegalProfession #WomenInLaw #WomenInCriminalDefense #CriminalDefense #CriminalDefenseLawyer #FemaleLawyer #LadyLawyer

♬ original sound – Kyla Lee

This morning, I opened the Toronto Star and found myself staring at one of the most offensive, regressive, and frankly misogynistic articles published by a mainstream Canadian outlet in recent memory. Heather Mallick’s opinion piece questioning why women defend men accused of sexual offences is not just misguided, it’s dangerous. It is a full-on assault on women in the legal profession, and it deserves to be called out for exactly what it is: sexist drivel cloaked in faux moral outrage.

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A Misogynistic Mess: Heather Mallick’s Shameful Attack on Women in Criminal DefenceRead More »

A Misogynistic Mess: Heather Mallick’s Shameful Attack on Women in Criminal Defence Read More »

Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: Volume 359

This week on Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: Strange Doings About The RCMP

Often strange things happen in and around police detachments. The public hears about them because someone got charged or sued, or because it can’t be hidden and then makes it into the news.

Much takes place that we learn of due to our daily contacts with the police and we keep it to ourselves. We do this not because of confidentiality or legal privilege. It’s rare that we have a solicitor-client relationship with the police. Usually we keep these secrets out of fairness, to preserve relationships or because nothing good would come from sharing. That’s probably true in many walks of life, but in our practise area, the stories are often particularly interesting and weird and sometimes wacky. Here are three that did come to light.

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Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: Volume 359Read More »

Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: Volume 359 Read More »

Kyla Lee on Daybreak Kamloops: B.C. considers tighter bail laws for abusers

“The only thing that new legislation could do is create more reverse onus provisions where rather than the Crown having to prove why you should be held in custody, you have to prove why you should be released… Beyond that, anything the government does to interfere with the right to reasonable bail would likely be seen as a violation of the charter protected right…”

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Kyla Lee on Daybreak Kamloops: B.C. considers tighter bail laws for abusersRead More »

Kyla Lee on Daybreak Kamloops: B.C. considers tighter bail laws for abusers Read More »

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