R. v. Corbeil, (1991) 124 N.R. 241 (SCC)

• Judge: L'Heureux-Dubé, Cory and Stevenson, JJ.
• Court: Supreme Court of Canada
• Case Date: Thursday April 18, 1991
• Jurisdiction: Canada (Federal)
• Citations: (1991), 124 N.R. 241 (SCC);40 QAC 283;64 CCC (3d) 272;1991 CanLII 96 (SCC);5 CR (4th) 62;[1991] SCJ No 29 (QL);124 NR 241;JE 91-690;12 WCB (2d) 596;[1991] 1 SCR 830

R. v. Corbeil (1991), 124 N.R. 241 (SCC)

MLB headnote and full text

[French language version follows English language version]

[La version française vient à la suite de la version anglaise]

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Her Majesty The Queen (appellant) v. Chantal Linda Corbeil (respondent)

(No. 21897)

Indexed As: R. v. Corbeil

Supreme Court of Canada

Lamer, C.J.C., La Forest,

L'Heureux-Dubé, Cory and Stevenson, JJ.

April 18, 1991.

Summary:

Corbeil, a masseuse, was charged with keeping a common bawdy-house, contrary to s. 210(1) of the Criminal Code, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-46. She was convicted by the Court of Sessions of the Peace (Boyer, J.). Corbeil appealed.

The Quebec Court of Appeal, Tourigny, J.A., dissenting, allowed the appeal and acquitted Corbeil. See [1990] R.J.Q. 963; 35 Q.A.C. 270; 57 C.C.C.(3d) 554. The Crown appealed.

The Supreme Court of Canada, L'Heureux-Dubé, J., dissenting, dismissed the appeal.

Criminal Law - Topic 872

Disorderly houses - Bawdy-house - Keeping a common bawdy-house - What constitutes (s. 210(1)) - The Studio Al­tesse offered its clients a half-hour mas­sage - The $60 fee included manual mas­turbation at the client's request - St-Denis managed the studio - Véronneau owned it - Corbeil worked there as a masseuse - Corbeil was charged with keeping a com­mon bawdy-house, contrary to s. 210(1) of the Criminal Code, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-46 - She was acquitted - The Supreme Court of Canada held that to come within the offence of keeping a common bawdy-house, two elements were required: 1) that the accused have some degree of control over the care and management of the premises and 2) that the accused partici­pate to some extent in the illicit activities of the common bawdy-house - Those elements were absent here hence acquittal.

Droit criminel - Cote 872

Maisons de désordre - Maisons de dé­bauche - Tenir une maison de débauche, éléments constitutifs - [Voir Criminal Law - Topic 872].

Cases Noticed:

R. v. Kerim, [1963] S.C.R. 124, consd. [para. 4].

Reference re ss. 193 and 195.1(1)(c) of the Criminal Code, [1990] 1 S.C.R. 1123; 109 N.R. 81; 68 Man.R.(2d) 1, refd to. [para. 7].

R. v. Pierce and Golloher (1982), 66 C.C.C.(2d) 388 (Ont. C.A.), refd to. [para. 7].

R. v. McLellan (1980), 55 C.C.C.(2d) 543 (B.C.C.A.), refd to. [para. 19].

R. v. Mannix (1905), 10 C.C.C. 150 (Ont. C.A.), refd to. [para. 28].

R. v. Smith (1908), 12 O.W.R. 80 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 32].

R. v. Miket (1938), 53 B.C.R. 37 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 32].

R. v. Richards (1938), 70 C.C.C. 105 (Ont. C.A.), refd to. [para. 32].

R. v. Cohen, [1939] S.C.R. 212, refd to. [para. 32].

R. v. Sorvari (1937), 69 C.C.C. 281 (Ont. C.A.), refd to. [para. 32].

Perron v. The Queen (1954), 110 C.C.C. 197 (Que. C.A.), consd. [para. 33].

R. v. Mark (1924), 43 C.C.C. 368 (Ont. C.A.), refd to. [para. 34].

Wilson v. The Queen, [1953] B.R. 424, refd to. [para. 34].

R. v. Marin (1937), 68 C.C.C. 245 (Ont. C.A.), refd to. [para. 35].

R. v. Sokol (1949), 95 C.C.C. 360 (Man. C.A.), refd to. [para. 35].

R. v. Girone and Genoe (1953), 106 C.C.C. 33 (B.C.C.A.), refd to. [para. 35].

R. v. Eakins (1943), 79 C.C.C. 256 (Ont. C.A.), consd. [para. 36].

R. v. Smith and Bird (1951), 102 C.C.C. 126 (Ont. C.A.), refd to. [para. 38].

Lewis v. The King (1949), 97 C.C.C. 268 (Que. C.A.), refd to. [para. 38].

R. v. Rubenstein, [1960] O.R. 133 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 40].

R. v. Rockert et al., [1978] 2 S.C.R. 704; 19 N.R. 308, refd to. [para. 51].

R. v. Woszczyna; R. v. Soucy (1983), 6 C.C.C.(3d) 221 (Ont. C.A.), consd. [para. 54].

R. v. Karavasilis (1980), 54 C.C.C.(2d) 530 (Ont. C.A.), consd. [para. 55].

Theirlynck v. The King, [1931] S.C.R. 478, refd to. [para. 57].

Patterson v. The Queen, [1968] S.C.R. 157, refd to. [para. 57].

R. v. Sorko, [1969] 4 C.C.C. 241 (B.C.C.A.), refd to. [para. 57].

Statutes Noticed:

Criminal Code/Code criminel, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-46, sect. 173(1)(a), sect. 197(1), sect. 210(1), sect. 210(2), sect. 212(1)(a), sect. 213(1), sect. 693(1)(a).

Criminal Code/Code criminel, S.C. 1953-54, c. 51, sect. 168(1)(h)(v).

Criminal Code/Code criminel, R.S.C. 1927, c. 36, sect. 229.

Criminal Code/Code criminel, R.S.C. 1906, c. 146, sect. 225.

Criminal Code, 1892/Code criminel, 1892, S.C. 1892, c. 29, sect. 195, sect. 198, sect. 207, sect. 208.

Disorderly Houses Act (U.K./R.-U.), 25 Geo. 2, c. 36, sect. 7.

Vagrants, Act respecting/Vagabonds, Acte relatif aux, S.C. 1869, c. 28.

Counsel:

Eric Simard and Jean-Pierre Proulx, for the Crown;

Michel Ferland, for the accused.

Solicitors of Record:

Eric Simard, Valleyfield, Quebec, for the Crown;

Michel Ferland, Montréal, Quebec, for the accused.

This appeal was heard on January 31, 1991, by Lamer, C.J.C., La Forest, L'Heureux-Dubé, Cory and Stevenson, JJ., of the Supreme Court of Canada.

The judgment of the Supreme Court was delivered in both official languages on April 18, 1991, and the following opinions were filed:

Lamer, C.J.C. (La Forest, Cory and Stevenson, JJ., concurring) - see para­graphs 1 to 8;

L'Heureux-Dubé, J., dissenting - see paragraphs 9 to 71.