Glossary
A joint debt is a debt that you owe with another person. For example, a mortgage you co-signed with a spouse or partner is a joint debt. Everyone on a joint debt is responsible for paying back the full amount of the debt.
In Criminal Law
A joint position means that you and the Crown both agree on the terms of the sentence to recommend to the judge at a sentencing hearing. A judge will usually accept a joint position, unless the agreement is clearly unreasonable.
In Wills and Powers of Attorney
Joint tenancy is a way for 2 or more people to own real property together. When one of the owners dies, their share of the property goes directly to the other owners. It does not usually go into the estate of the person who died. This means that it’s not affected by their will or by the intestacy rules.
In Immigration Law, Refugee Law
When you apply for a judicial review, you ask the Federal Court to review a decision. This might be because the decision-maker did not do their job reasonably, or the process was not fair.
The Federal Court must agree to review the decision. If the Federal Court agrees, it will have an oral hearing to discuss the decision. If your judicial review is successful, the Federal Court sends your case back for a new decision.
An employer may say they have “just cause” to fire you. If they do have just cause, they do not have to give you notice of termination.
A court might decide that your employer had just cause if you did something that was serious misconduct or you failed almost completely to do your job. The court looks at all the circumstances, including how long you have worked for the employer.
In Criminal Law, Types of Offences, Bail, Probation, and Court Attendance, Assault, Driving, Drugs, Firearms, Gender-based violence, Harassment, Mischief, Theft, Threats, Victims and witnesses
A Justice of the Peace (JP) is similar to a judge but a JP is only allowed to make decisions on certain types of court matters, like bail or private prosecutions.
In Criminal Law
It is an indictable offence to kidnap. Kidnapping is taking someone against their will and holding them captive with the intention of:
- confining or imprisoning them against their will,
- unlawfully transporting them out of Canada against their will
- holding them for ransom or demanding services against their will
In Criminal Law
The ladder principle is used in bail court to help decide how much supervision you should have if you’re released. The bottom of the ladder is the least amount of supervision and the top of the ladder is the most. Each step up the ladder restricts your freedom more. For example, an undertaking without conditions is at the bottom of the ladder. A house arrest is at the top of the ladder.
A person with no criminal record and no criminal charges is usually assumed to be at the bottom of the ladder. But, if the allegations against the person are serious the court may move them up the ladder to ease their concerns about releasing him or her.
The more offences the person has on their record and the more serious the offences are, the higher the person moves up the ladder.
In Housing Law
A land lease home is a home that is owned by someone who does not own the land the home is on. The owner of the home is a residential tenant who pays rent for the land. They might also pay for common areas and services, like recreational facilities or snow plowing. This arrangement is like a mobile home park except the homes are permanent structures that are not designed to be moved.
An independent agency set up by the Ontario government to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants. It is similar to a court, but less formal. It has “members” who are like judges and make decisions after hearing both sides.