R. v. Tucker, (1989) 91 N.S.R.(2d) 33 (CoCt)

• Case Date: March 09, 1989
• Jurisdiction: Nova Scotia
• Citations: (1989), 91 N.S.R.(2d) 33 (CoCt)

R. v. Tucker (1989), 91 N.S.R.(2d) 33 (CoCt);

    233 A.P.R. 33

MLB headnote and full text

Marjorie Tucker (appellant) v. Her Majesty the Queen (respondent)

(C.D. No. 2332)

Indexed As: R. v. Tucker

Nova Scotia County Court

District Number Three

Haliburton, J.C.C.

April 17, 1989.

Summary:

The accused appealed her conviction for unlawfully keeping liquor for sale contrary to s. 76(1) of the Liquor Control Act.

The Nova Scotia County Court dismissed the appeal.

Civil Rights - Topic 1646

Property - Search and seizure - Unreasonable search and seizure defined - Section 121(1) of the Liquor Control Act permitted an officer who suspected or believed that liquor was unlawfully kept in a residence to obtain a search warrant upon information on oath - Section 121(2) provided that it was unnecessary to set out any reason or grounds for the suspicion or belief - Police, believing s. 121 to be unconstitutional, obtained a search warrant under s. 443 of the Criminal Code - The Nova Scotia County Court held that the warrant was not invalid - The court agreed that s. 121 of the Liquor Control Act violated the right to be secure against unreasonable search and seizure under s. 8 of the Charter and was therefore invalid.

Criminal Law - Topic 3097

Search warrants - Issue of - Information or application for - Contents - The Nova Scotia County Court discussed prerequisites to the issuance of a valid search warrant - The court stated that the informant must disclose the facts on which he relies; the information and warrant must sufficiently particularize the offence and objects to be seized; the information must show a reasonable factual basis connecting the offence and objects to be seized; and must set out the belief on reasonable grounds that the objects sought are in the place to be searched and the grounds for that belief - The court also set out six factors to be considered in determining the sufficiency of the basis of the informant's belief - See paragraphs 28 to 34.

Liquor Control - Topic 2859

Search and seizure - Search - Warrants - Validity of - [See Civil Rights - Topic 1646 above].

Cases Noticed:

R. v. Romaine (1986), 76 N.S.R.(2d) 391; 189 A.P.R. 391, refd to. [para. 15].

Carter, ex p. Norland Denture Ltd., [1969] 2 C.C.C. 62, refd to. [para. 15].

R. v. Kaiser (1986), 70 N.S.R.(2d) 125; 166 A.P.R. 125, agreed with [para. 17].

Semayne's Case (1604), 5 Coke 91; 77 E.R. 194, refd to. [para. 19].

McClurg v. Brenton (1904), 123 Iowa 368, refd to. [para. 19].

United Distilleries Limited (1946), 88 C.C.C. 338, refd to. [para. 19].

MacIntyre v. Attorney General of Nova Scotia and Grainger (1982), 40 N.R. 181; 49 N.S.R.(2d) 609; 96 A.P.R. 609; 65 C.C.C.(2d) 129 (S.C.C.), refd to. [para. 22].

Jim Pattison Industries Ltd. v. The Queen etc. (1985), 3 C.P.R.(3d) 9 (F.C.T.D.), refd to. [para. 27].

Re Bell Telephone Company of Canada Limited (1947), 89 C.C.C. 196, refd to. [para. 30].

R. v. MacAskill (1985), 69 N.S.R.(2d) 429; 163 A.P.R. 429, refd to. [para. 33].

R. v. Dombrowski (1985), 37 Sask.R. 259; 18 C.C.C.(3d) 164 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 33].

R. v. Debot (1986), 17 O.A.C. 141; 30 C.C.C.(3d) 207 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 33].

Statutes Noticed:

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 1982, sect. 8 [para. 18].

Criminal Code, R.S.C. 1970, c. C-34, sect. 443(1) [para. 14].

Interpretation Act, R.S.C. 1970, c. I-23, sect. 27(2) [para. 15].

Liquor Control Act, R.S.N.S. 1969, c. 169, sect. 121 [para. 13].

Summary Proceedings Act, S.N.S. 1972, c. 18, sect. 5(1) [para. 14].

Authors and Works Noticed:

Salhany, Canadian Criminal Procedure, p. 76 [para. 15].

Counsel:

Andrew Ionson, for the appellant;

C. Rebecca Brown, for the respondent.

This appeal was heard on March 9, 1989, at Digby, Nova Scotia, before Haliburton, J.C.C., who delivered the following judgment on April 17, 1989.