R. v. St. Croix (J.), (2014) 348 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 1 (NLPC)

• Judge: Gorman, P.C.J.
• Court: Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Court (Canada)
• Case Date: March 21, 2014
• Jurisdiction: Newfoundland and Labrador
• Citations: (2014), 348 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 1 (NLPC)

R. v. St. Croix (J.) (2014), 348 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 1 (NLPC);

    1082 A.P.R. 1

MLB headnote and full text

Temp. Cite: [2014] Nfld. & P.E.I.R. TBEd. AP.034

Her Majesty the Queen v. Joshua St. Croix

(2014 PCNL 1413A00474)

Indexed As: R. v. St. Croix (J.)

Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Court

Gorman, P.C.J.

April 10, 2014.

Summary:

The accused pleaded guilty to possession of Cannabis (marijuana), possession of cocaine and possession of Cannabis (marijuana) for the purpose of trafficking. The Crown proceeded by way of indictment respecting the possession of cocaine and by summary conviction respecting the possession of marijuana. The trafficking was an indictable offence.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Court sentenced the accused to a suspended sentence and 12 months' probation for possession for the purpose of trafficking, a $2,000 fine for possession of cocaine, and an absolute discharge for possession of marijuana. The court also ordered forfeiture of the items seized from the accused and imposed the minimum weapons/ammunition prohibition order (10 years/life).

Criminal Law - Topic 5628

Punishments (sentence) - Fines, penalties and compensation orders - Circumstances when fine appropriate - The Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Court stated that "The difficulty with the imposition of a fine in trafficking or possession for the purpose of trafficking offences is that it turns the imposition of sentence into one of the costs of doing business." - See paragraph 12.

Criminal Law - Topic 5830.8

Sentencing - Considerations on imposing sentence - Drug and narcotic offences - [See Criminal Law - Topic 5628 ].

Criminal Law - Topic 5830.8

Sentencing - Considerations on imposing sentence - Drug and narcotic offences - The Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Court referred to jurisprudence that dictated that, absent exceptional circumstances, when sentencing drug traffickers, courts had to give great weight to general deterrence and lengthy jail sentences were necessary - However, the Newfoundland and Labrador courts had never adopted that approach and therefore the lack of exceptional circumstances did not equal the imposition of jail in Newfoundland and Labrador - See paragraphs 39 to 40.

Criminal Law - Topic 5853

Sentence - Trafficking in hashish or marijuana - Possession for the purpose of trafficking - [See Criminal Law - Topic 5628 and second Criminal Law - Topic 5830.8 ].

Criminal Law - Topic 5853

Sentence - Trafficking in hashish or marijuana - Possession for the purpose of trafficking - The 20 year old accused pleaded guilty to possession of Cannabis (marijuana) (summary conviction), possession of cocaine (summary conviction) and possession of Cannabis (marijuana) for the purpose of trafficking (indictable) - The police searched the accused's vehicle and the accused, and found a quantity of marijuana, cocaine, cash and drug paraphernalia - Six months earlier, a van in which the accused was a passenger had been checked by the police - During that search, the police found marijuana, four grams of which belonged to the accused - The accused was selling the marijuana out of his vehicle for a friend in exchange for free marijuana for his personal use - The accused commuted back and forth from Stephenville to Alberta where he was employed full time as an apprentice electrician - After his arrest, he stopped using drugs and stopped associating with his former peer group - He was a low risk to re-offend - Prospects for rehabilitation were reasonable - The Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Court sentenced the accused to a suspended sentence and 12 months' probation for possession for the purpose of trafficking, a $2,000 fine for possession of cocaine, and an absolute discharge for possession of marijuana offence - The court also ordered forfeiture of the items seized from the accused and imposed the minimum weapons/ammunition prohibition order (10 years/life).

Criminal Law - Topic 5878

Sentence - Possession, cultivation or production of a narcotic or a controlled drug or substance - [See second Criminal Law - Topic 5853 ].

Cases Noticed:

R. v. Lundrigan (D.A.) (2012), 324 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 270; 1007 A.P.R. 270; 2012 NLCA 43, refd to. [para. 9].

R. v. Mayers (M.), 2014 ONCJ 160, refd to. [para. 21].

R. v. Arcand (M.L.) (2014), 436 Sask.R. 224, 2014 SKPC 12, refd to. [para. 21].

R. v. Ball (A.T.) (2014), 353 B.C.A.C. 178; 2014 BCCA 120, refd to. [para. 22].

R. v. Berner (C.-A.) (2013), 337 B.C.A.C. 146; 576 W.A.C. 146; 2013 BCCA 188, refd to. [para. 23].

R. v. Cluney (N.) (2013), 338 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 57; 1049 A.P.R. 57; 2013 NLCA 46, refd to. [para. 27].

R. v. Briand (R.) et al. (2010), 302 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 67; 938 A.P.R. 67; 2010 NLCA 67, refd to. [para. 29].

R. v. Prak (C.K.), [2014] A.R. Uned. 60 2014 ABCA 114, refd to. [para. 31, footnote 3].

R. v. McIntyre (M.R.) (2012), 405 Sask.R. 28; 563 W.A.C. 28, 2012 SKCA 111, refd to. [para. 34].

R. v. Oake (B.) (2010), 296 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 79; 915 A.P.R. 79; 2010 NLCA 19, refd to. [para. 35].

R. v. Johnston (H.E.) (2011), 311 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 129; 967 A.P.R. 129; 2011 NLCA 56, refd to. [para. 35].

R. v. D.H. (2012), 317 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 244; 986 A.P.R. 244; 2012 NLCA 5, refd to. [para. 35].

R. v. Fizzard (S.) et al. (2012), 330 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 301; 1026 A.P.R. 301; 2012 NLCA 80, refd to. [para. 37].

R. v. Frost (J.V.W.) (2012), 396 N.B.R.(2d) 305; 1024 A.P.R. 305; 2012 NBCA 94, refd to. [para. 39].

R. v. Byrne (M.E.) (2009), 281 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 353; 863 A.P.R. 353; 2009 NLCA 3, refd to. [para. 40].

R. v. Taylor (E.) (2013), 337 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 24; 1047 A.P.R. 24; 2013 NLCA 42, refd to. [para. 40, footnote 4].

R. v. J.E.M. (2004), 236 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 239; 700 A.P.R. 239 (N.L. Prov. Ct.), refd to. [para. 41].

R. v. Collins (D.J.) (2009), 286 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 225; 883 A.P.R. 225; 2009 NLTD 33, refd to. [para. 42].

R. v. Farrell, [2010] N.J. No. 393 (Prov. Ct.), refd to. [para. 43].

R. v. Worth (J.) (2013), 336 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 32; 1043 A.P.R. 32; 2012 NLTD(G) 55, refd to. [para. 44].

R. v. Lilly (D.) (2012), 328 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 210; 1019 A.P.R. 210; 2012 NLTD(G) 159, refd to. [para. 45].

R. v. Aylward (D.) (2013), 335 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 349; 1040 A.P.R. 349 (N.L. Prov. Ct.), refd to. [para. 46].

R. v. Edwards (P.) (2013), 340 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 189; 1057 A.P.R. 189 (N.L. Prov. Ct.), refd to. [para. 47].

R. v. Burke (R.E.) (2013), 339 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 30; 1054 A.P.R. 30 (N.L. Prov. Ct.), refd to. [para. 49].

R. v. McNeil (S.J.) (2013), 340 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 42; 1057 A.P.R. 42; 2013 NLCA 52, refd to. [para. 49].

R. v. Tororak, [2013] N.J. No. 353 (Prov. Ct.), refd to. [para. 49].

R. v. Hewlett (C.A.) (2013), 336 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 35; 1043 A.P.R. 35; 2013 NLTD(G) 66, refd to. [para. 49].

R. v. Lord (S.W.) (2013), 332 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 108; 1030 A.P.R. 108; 2013 NTLD(G) 5, refd to. [para. 49].

R. v. Hawco (N.G.) (2013), 335 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 318; 1040 A.P.R. 318 (N.L. Prov. Ct.), refd to. [para. 49].

R. v. Martin (E.) (2012), 327 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 27; 1015 A.P.R. 27; 2012 NLTD(G) 128, refd to. [para. 49].

R. v. Mayo (G.K.), [2012] Nfld. & P.E.I.R. Uned. 5 (N.L. Prov. Ct.), refd to. [para. 49].

R. v. Gendron (M.) (2012), 320 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 75; 993 A.P.R. 75; 2012 NLTD(G) 35, refd to. [para. 49].

R. v. Archibald (C.) (2012), 319 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 121; 992 A.P.R. 121; 2012 NLTD(G) 43, refd to. [para. 49].

R. v. Roach (W.) (2012), 328 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 334; 1019 A.P.R. 334; 2012 NLTD(G) 153, refd to. [para. 49].

R. v. Parsons (S.) (2012), 332 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 287; 1030 A.P.R. 287; 2012 NLTD(G) 192, refd to. [para. 49].

R. v. Moores (K.) (2013), 332 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 11; 1030 A.P.R. 11; 2013 NLTD(G) 10, refd to. [para. 49].

R. v. Woodford (A.) (2013), 335 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 336; 1040 A.P.R. 336 (N.L. Prov. Ct.), refd to. [para. 49].

R. v. Owens (K.L.), [2014] B.C.T.C. Uned. 32; 2014 BCSC 32, refd to. [para. 53].

R. v. Knott (D.W.) (2012), 433 N.R. 38; 324 B.C.A.C. 1; 551 W.A.C. 1; 2012 SCC 42, refd to. [para. 53].

Elias v. R.; Issa v. R., [2013] HCA 31, refd to. [para. 53].

R. v. Hackett (T.M.) (2013), 345 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 1; 1074 A.P.R. 1 (N.L. Prov. Ct.), refd to. [para. 76].

Counsel:

M. Mills, for Her Majesty the Queen;

F. Stagg, Q.C., for Mr. St. Croix.

This matter was heard at Stephenville, N.L., on March 21, 2014, by Gorman, P.C.J., of the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Court, who delivered the following judgment on April 10, 2014.