Drugs, Demons, or Insanity > 17 y/o murders parents in Wisconsin; Demonic, Madness, or Drugs - Canada's Justice System Joke

 

Teen charged with killing parents, lived with ‘rotting corpses’ for weeks in Wisconsin

By Katie Scott  Global News

Posted April 2, 2025 12:55 pm

 3 min read

.

A Wisconsin teen has been charged with murdering his mother and stepfather, and is accused of living with their “rotting corpses” for two weeks, according to prosecutors

Nikita Casap, 17, appeared in court on March 27 in Waukesha, Wis., where he faced multiple charges, including first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of his mother, Tatiana Casap, 35, and his stepfather, Donald Mayer, 51.

Casap’s body was found on Feb. 20 after Mayer’s mother called the sheriff’s office and asked for a welfare check. A resource officer from the teen’s school also requested a welfare check after he was absent for two weeks following “perfect” attendance, according to the 14-page criminal complaint.

When officers arrived, Casap’s body was found in a state of decay with gunshot wounds, according to a statement from the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department.

The boy’s mother was found in a hallway covered with blankets and a towel, according to authorities.

“The female was wearing a jacket and had towels over her legs and a blanket over her body. Her face was blackened from decomposition with dried blood on the floor around her,” police stated in the complaint.

On Feb. 28, police executed a search warrant and found Casap’s stepfather in a first-floor office, covered by a pile of clothing.

They needed a search warrant after finding a murder victim? 

Casap was found on Feb. 28 after he ran a stop sign while allegedly driving Mayer’s car with the family dog inside. He also had Mayer’s firearm with him, according to the complaint.

“Officers observed in plain view a gun on the passenger side floorboard that was later determined to be a Smith and Wesson .357 Magnum firearm,” the complaint said.

Casap, who does not have a driver’s licence, was also found with jewelry, laptops and other valuable items in the vehicle.

1:27

Teen on trial for Ahmad Al Marrach killing take stand in own defence

Casap was initially charged March 3 with operating a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent and theft of moveable property.

On March 27, he was charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, two counts of hiding a corpse, theft of property over $10,000 and two counts of misappropriating ID to obtain money, the sheriff’s department said in a press release.

“First-degree intentional homicide; the highest counts that we have, quite frankly, in our country,” Waukesha Circuit Court Judge Ralph Ramirez said, according to NBC affiliate KGNS News.

Police said they found a camera memory card containing video of Casap lighting candles in the office where Mayer’s body was found, and they allege that he recorded the corpse about a week after he was killed.

“The camera is turned facing a chair and Detective Seitz heard presumably the defendant state, “So, you can see him there. I can literally see the f—ing rotten body there,'” according to the complaint.

Officers also said that they found messages on Casap’s cellphone to a Russian citizen discussing plans to escape to Ukraine through the Telegram app.

1:44

Multiple charges for son found living with father’s corpse

“He has been speaking with someone in Russian about moving to Ukraine after committing these crimes, so the state is concerned that he is a flight risk if he is ever released,” prosecutor Brooke Schultz said during Casap’s hearing.

In the complaint, officers said Casap and the person he was messaging on the app “were planning to overthrow the U.S. government and assassinate President Trump.”

“How long will I need to hide before I will be moved to Ukraine? One to two months?” Casap wrote to the unknown individual, according to the complaint.

“So while in Ukraine, I’ll be able to live a normal life? Even if when it’s found out I did it?” Casap wrote in another message.

Casap could face life in prison if convicted. His bail was set to $1 million. His preliminary hearing is set for April 9.

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A look at notable ‘not criminally responsible’ cases in Canada

A judge has ruled that Pierre Ny St-Amand, 53, was not criminally responsible for the 2023 bus attack on a Laval, Que., daycare that killed two small children and injured six others. Superior Court Justice Éric Downs concluded Ny St-Amand was experiencing psychosis and could not discern right from wrong. He has been ordered detained in a psychiatric hospital.

Here’s a look at some other high-profile Canadian cases in which there was a not criminally responsible finding:

2:31Chinatown festival stabbing report sheds light on suspect’s release

Blair Donnelly stabbed his 16-year-old daughter to death in Kitimat, B.C., in 2006 and was found not criminally responsible on account of a mental disorder. The decision drew renewed attention in 2023 when Donnelly was charged with aggravated assault after three people were stabbed at a Vancouver Chinatown festival. He was free on day release from a forensic psychiatric hospital at the time.

Matthew Raymond shot and killed four people — two civilians and two police officers — from the window of his Fredericton apartment on Aug. 10, 2018. At his trial, evidence was presented that on the day of the shooting, Raymond believed the end of times had arrived and he was surrounded by demons. Crown prosecutors argued Raymond’s delusions were not intense enough to prevent him from understanding that he was shooting humans, and that it was wrong. A jury found Raymond not criminally responsible in 2020.

Isaac Brouillard Lessard had been found not criminally responsible because of mental illness five times for offences in 2014 and 2018 and was being followed by Quebec’s mental health board. But a coroner’s inquest would later hear he was resistant to treatment and wasn’t following court orders regarding his medication. On March 27, 2023, Brouillard Lessard fatally stabbed provincial police Sgt. Maureen Breau and seriously injured another officer before being shot dead by police in his apartment building in Louiseville, Que.

Rohinie Bisesar fatally stabbed Rosemary Junor, a complete stranger, in a pharmacy in downtown Toronto on Dec. 11, 2015. In 2018, a judge found that Bisesar was in the throes of a psychotic episode due to untreated schizophrenia at the time of the attack. A psychiatrist concluded Bisesar suffered from severe hallucinations and delusions that manifested as a voice commanding her to harm someone.

Matthew de Grood was found not criminally responsible for the killings in April 2014 of Zackariah Rathwell, Jordan Segura, Kaitlin Perras, Josh Hunter and Lawrence Hong in Calgary. It was ruled that he was suffering delusions at the time and did not understand his actions were wrong. The university student, who has schizophrenia, went to a party that marked the end of the school year believing the devil was talking to him and a war was about to begin, signalling the end of the world.

Richard Kachkar stole a snow plow in the early morning of Jan. 12, 2011 and, in the middle of a two-hour rampage with it, hit and killed Toronto police Sgt. Ryan Russell. Witnesses heard him yell about the Taliban, Chinese technology and microchips. He was found not criminally responsible at trial in 2013 and was held in the secure unit of a mental health hospital near Toronto. In 2018, the Ontario Review Board gave Kachkar a conditional discharge.

Kimberly Noyes told police in 2009 that she had killed a 12-year-old autistic boy with a knife. Noyes, from Grand Forks, B.C., was found not criminally responsible for John Fulton’s death. Medical experts testified that she was bipolar and severely depressed, had gone off her medication and was hearing voices.

Vincent Li fatally stabbed and beheaded Tim McLean, the young man sleeping next to him on a Greyhound bus in Manitoba, on July 30, 2008. Li told a mental-health advocate he heard the voice of God telling him McLean was an alien who he needed to destroy. Li was found not criminally responsible and was sent to the Selkirk Mental Health Centre. Li saw his privileges expand slowly after his admission to the facility. In February 2016, Li, now known as Will Baker, won the right to eventually move out of a group home and live on his own. In 2017, he was granted an absolute discharge after the board found he did not pose a significant safety threat.___

Glen Race pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of Trevor Brewster and second-degree murder of Paul Michael Knott. Race suffered from schizophrenia and was not taking his medication in May 2007 when he lured the Halifax men to their deaths. Court was told Race believed he was a vampire slayer and a godlike entity at the time of the killings. He was found not criminally responsible, based on a joint recommendation from the Crown and the defence.___

Gregory Despres fatally stabbed two elderly neighbours in Minto, N.B., in 2005, decapitating one of them. Despres, a naturalized U.S. citizen, had crossed into the United States after the killings despite guards finding him with a small arsenal including a chainsaw, a sword and brass knuckles. He told them he was an assassin on a military mission. Three psychiatrists diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia and he was found not criminally responsible.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2025.

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The Two Michaels Have Spent a Year and a Half in a Chinese Prison Because of Trudeau's Hypocrisy

Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor

Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor have been in a Chinese prison for more than 1.5 years. They were arrested just days after Canada did something really, really stupid. They arrested Meng Wanzhou, CFO of Huawei, as she landed in Vancouver, on request by the US. She is suspected of violating American sanctions against Iran.

Canada (ie Trudeau) should have told Trump years ago not to expect us to help with prosecuting people suspected of breaking American sanctions. Most American sanctions have to do with economic matters, not strategic matters. Trump has been bullying countries into buying American products, especially weapons systems through such sanctions. There is only one way to handle a bully and that is to stand up to him. Trudeau didn't have the courage. Jean Cretien would have told Trump to get lost, and there would never have been the arrests of the two Michaels.

To my astonishment, the extradition court didn't throw the case out of court because Meng was not accused of violating any Canadian laws. You can't be extradited from Canada for breaking a law that doesn't exist in Canada. Nevertheless, the judge somehow saw it differently. If you have read much of my other blog, you will know how much I think of Canadian judges.

So, now we have Meng leisurely lounging in one of her two Vancouver mansions, and the two Michaels surviving in a Chinese prison that is anything but luxurious. And the Liberal government is doing nothing about it, nothing! The Attorney General has the authority to dismiss Meng's case, whereupon the two Michaels will be sent home, but he won't. Why?

The Great Hypocrisy

Two years ago Trudeau greatly interfered in a case the Attorney General was allowing to go to prosecution despite backroom political maneuvering where the PM and his staff created a law specifically to rescue the company from prosecution. The company, SNC Lavalin, the most corrupt company in Canadian history, would be allowed to buy their way out of prosecution. The AG balked and got her back up the more people from the PMO pushed her. Her courage and backbone got her fired as AG and replaced with someone with a more flexible spinal column, a team player, someone who would protect the PM at the expense of the Canadian people. 

The consequence, Trudeau lost two of his best ministers, they quit. Both were women and one is indigenous. As a feminist who stands up for indigenous peoples, his hypocrisy was glaringly obvious. And, it is alarmingly obvious now as he stands before his cottage (remember when we had a parliament?) and pronounces over and over again that Canada is a country of laws and the government will not interfere with the law.

The two Michaels give Trudeau the opportunity to restate that every few days, as if it were true. I think he believes if he says it enough, we Canadians will actually believe it and forget all about the SNC-Lavalin fiasco. Consequently, it has become another fall-out from his corrupt handling of the SNC-Lavalin affair.

My question is, who approved the arrest of Meng Wanzhou in the first place? When the request came in from Washington to arrest her and hold her for extradition, who approved it? Who was the top person to authorize it? Was it a politician? If so, then politics has already interfered with the judicial system. If not, then why did we arrest someone who broke no Canadian laws? As a favour to the USA? How does that fit with politics not interfering with justice?

The Canadian government can intervene to end Meng's extradition trial. Should it?

Extradition Act allows justice minister to intervene at any point during judicial phase

Mark Gollom, Olivia Stefanovich · CBC News 

Any decision on the fate of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, currently awaiting a decision on extradition from Canada, is going to have political fallout. (Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press)

While seasoned jurists say the Canadian government has every legal right to intervene to free Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou from her extradition trial to the U.S., some experts warn such an action could have significant political ramifications.

"The question isn't whether the [Canadian government] can, the question is whether they should," said Toronto-based lawyer Brian Greenspan.

In 1999, the Extradition Act was amended to include a specific provision that provides the federal minister of justice the power to intervene in an extradition at any point during the judicial phase.

"The minister has the right to withdraw the authority to proceed and to end the extradition proceeding, and it's totally at the discretion of the minister of justice," Greenspan said.

Extradition proceedings continue in the case against Meng, who was arrested in 2018 in Vancouver on behalf of American justice officials. The United States wants to prosecute Meng for fraud, alleging she lied to banks about her company's connections with Iran, which could possibly violate U.S. sanctions.

The issue of the Canadian government intervening in the case of Meng, the daughter of the Chinese technology giant's founder, was raised recently by the wife of Michael Kovrig, one of two Canadians being held in China on charges of spying.

The Trudeau government has accused China of detaining Kovrig and Michael Spavor in retaliation for the arrest of Meng. Some have suggested Canada could secure their freedom if it put an end to the extradition proceedings against Meng and allowed her to return to China. 

Trudeau has said his government continues to work behind the scenes to secure the release of the two Canadians but has ruled out a prisoner exchange.

Still in custody

The Office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, David Lametti, said in a statement Tuesday they are "well aware of the laws and processes governing" the extradition proceedings.

"As Ms. Meng's case remains before the courts, and the Minister of Justice has a direct role in the extradition process, it would not be appropriate to comment further on this matter," the statement said.

Former Supreme Court of Canada justice John Major said while Lametti can intervene at any time in the extradition process, it would be unusual — especially if after a prolonged court hearing, it concluded in favour of extradition.

But Major noted there may be reasons to do it, especially as Kovrig and Spavor languish in Chinese detention. 

"I would hope before the attorney general intervenes, [he] would have reasons that convince Canadians he should," Major told CBC News.

"The attorney general has to be very cautious in overruling a trial judge who has conducted a full hearing … You just want [Lametti] to act judiciously, not politically."

'Be very cautious'

Major said Canada is stuck in a difficult position, because if the attorney general quashes the judge's decision in Meng's case, the U.S. could react. Likewise, if the judge turns down extradition, China could retaliate.

"It's a delicate situation where you have the U.S. at odds with China and Canada being caught in the middle," Major said.

Donald Abelson, director of St. Francis Xavier University's Brian Mulroney Institute of Government, said he believes it would be "a very dangerous game for Canada to play in terms of succumbing to pressure" to intervene politically in the case.

"I don't think that's a game that we want to play," said Abelson, who was also a founding director of the Canada-U.S. Institute. "It puts us in a very, very precarious position because we don't want to be seen by the Americans as succumbing to Chinese political pressure."

No, we want to be seen by Americans as succumbing to American political pressure.

Abelson said Canada would be "tempting fate" with the U.S, particularly in the current political climate, where the Chinese government has become the focus of Donald Trump's ire in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic and the countries' trade war.

Abelson said Canada doesn't want to become a "punching bag" for Washington.

David Carment, a professor at Carleton University's Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, said he believes Canada's intervention would prompt the Trump administration to use it as a rallying cry to undermine Trudeau's leadership and his pursuit for a majority government when he calls an election.

"I think all sort of diplomatic gloves would come off in this case. The United States would come out fighting and work to undermine this current government's mandate," he said.

So, it seems that the AG should not interfere with the judicial system for political reasons???????

WhaaaaaT?

Christopher Sands, director of the Centre for Canadian Studies at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, said that the state department officials who brought the case forward against Meng would be unhappy with Canada's decision to intervene.

But Canada's decision to intervene came when they arrested Meng, in the first place.

Trump would likely be angry, send off a dismissive tweet or give Trudeau the cold shoulder at the next G7 meeting. But Sands doesn't believe it would result in major policy ramifications against Canada.

"Would it be 'Canadians are no longer allowed to cross the border?' No. The relationship between us and Canada is too big and complex for that," he said. "I can't see any lasting damage."

From CTV News:

But Treasury Board president Jean-Yves Duclos emphasized the importance of judicial independence when he was asked about this option to withdraw the extradition during his Tuesday press conference.

"In Canada, we have not only a tradition but a responsibility to work in a manner that is supportive of the integrity and the independence of our justice system," Duclos said.

"This is very important for the way in which our institutions work in Canada, we have a separation between the executive, and the legislative, as well as the judicial systems, and that's exactly what it should be."

Unless, of course, you are talking about SNC-Lavalin!

Canadian PM in Hot Water After Accusation of Interference in Judicial System

Corruption is Everywhere - SNC-Lavalin and the Prime Minister of Canada though?

C'est impossible!

Justin Trudeau's often used response to China's complaints about Canada arresting Huawei's CFO on a warrant from the USA is: Canada is a under the rule of law, there is no political interference in the rule of law.

That was then, what, two months ago, and this is now. 

The Globe and Mail newspaper reported last week that Trudeau’s aides pressed Jody Wilson-Raybould, the then Attorney General of Canada, to help avoid a prosecution of SNC-Lavalin on charges stemming from alleged business activities in Libya.

The newspaper said Wilson-Raybould was shuffled to the veterans-affairs portfolio, just two weeks ago, after she refused to get the public prosecutor to negotiate a remediation deal with the company, a means of acknowledging wrongdoing without a criminal conviction.

The Liberal government maintains that while discussions on the matter took place with Wilson-Raybould, she wasn’t pressured or told to issue a directive to the prosecutor.

Trudeau's response to the allegations: “The allegations in the Globe story this morning are false,” Trudeau told reporters when asked about the allegations.

“Neither the current nor the previous attorney general was ever directed by me nor anyone in my office to take a decision in this matter.”

Reporters noted that the questions raised in the article are not only about “directing” action. “Not necessarily direct, prime minister. Was there any sort of influence whatsoever?” one reporter asked.

Trudeau responded by saying again that “at no time did we direct the attorney general, current or previous, to take any decision whatsoever in this matter.”

He stuck to that line for days and refused to clarify whether there was any persuasion that might be less than 'directing' involved. One has to wonder, did someone threaten to demote Wilson-Raybould if she didn't act in the best interests of SNC-Lavalin, or was her demotion rather an act of discipline for a Minister who put ethics above politics? Was it intended to keep other ministers in line?

Wilson-Raybould refused to answer reporters questions citing attorney-client privilege. She could have easily ended the whole scandal by saying that there was no political interference, which would not have violated attorney-client privilege, but she didn't.

In fact, the day she was demoted from AG to Dept of Veterans Affairs, she wrote on her MP's web site: The role of the Attorney General of Canada carries with it unique responsibilities to uphold the rule of law and the administration of justice, and as such demands a measure of principled independence. It is a pillar of our democracy that our system of justice be free from even the perception of political interference and uphold the highest levels of public confidence. 

The mention of political interference is curious at best and seems out of place were it not there for a specific reason. 

Opposition Leader Andrew Sheer has called on Trudeau to waive attorney-client privilege. He has not responded publicly to that. Sheer also called for an emergency Justice Committee meeting to investigate. That committee is made up primarily of Trudeau's Liberals, so one cannot expect much from them.

Meanwhile, two high profile NDP MPs have called on the Ethics Commissioner to investigate the allegations, and just today, he has agreed. 

The consequences could be huge as a finding of political interference could possibly result in criminal charges, and would certainly reveal an endemic hypocrisy in the PMO (Prime Minister's Office), as well as a 'special' relationship, bordering on corruption, between the Liberal Party and SNC-Lavalin.

It would also leave Trudeau out-on-a-limb in his dealings with China and his claims of political non-interference in the Canadian justice system. Trudeau had already angered the Chinese government with his leadership in sending a letter of complaint about the way the Chinese were treating Uighur (Muslim) people in western China. Today, the government admitted that trade relations with China are likely to slow for the foreseeable future.

Other consequences for Canada could be substantial as SNC-Lavalin employs thousands of people across the country and around the world. If they were found guilty of corruption, it would render SNC-Lavalin ineligible for any Canadian government contracts for 10 years. The possibility of a complete collapse of the company and thousands of people thrown out of work is neither good for the economy, not is it good for Liberal re-election plans.

I am not without sympathy for SNC-Lavalin as it was doing business the way business is done in so many countries around the world - bribery, kickbacks, corruption. You can't do business on an international scale without it. Nevertheless, it must be fought against. We can do better.

Justice Delayed is Justice Denied, for Victims in Canada

'Failing everyone': 204 cases tossed over delays since

Supreme Court's Jordan decision

Legal observers call on governments to make drastic and urgent changes

to fix sluggish court system

By Laura Kane, The Canadian Press 

204 cases have been tossed since the Supreme Court of Canada imposed time limits for trials in the

'Jordan' ruling one year ago. (Mike dePaul/CBC)

More than 200 criminal cases across the country have been tossed due to unreasonable delays since the Supreme Court of Canada's landmark Jordan decision one year ago, court data shows.

The cases include murders, sexual assaults, drug trafficking and child luring, all stayed by judges because the defendant's constitutional right to a timely trial was infringed.

While provinces and the federal government have taken steps over the past year to speed up Canada's sluggish courts, legal observers say more drastic and urgent changes are needed.

"Not nearly enough has been done by the government in order to repair this crumbling system," said Rick Woodburn, president of the Canadian Association of Crown Counsel.

"Until the government views the justice system as a priority, we'll continue to see murderers set free."

Advocates say governments must provide more funding for every facet of the system, including judges, Crown attorneys, legal aid and infrastructure. Ottawa is also being urged to reverse decisions made under the previous Conservative government to expand mandatory minimum sentences and to close three of six RCMP forensic labs in the country.

Crown attorney Rick Woodburn says the 

government must do more to fix the 

"crumbling" court system. (CBC)

The Jordan decision, as it has come to be known, was issued on July 8, 2016, when the high court ruled the drug convictions in British Columbia of Barrett Richard Jordan must be set aside due to unreasonable delay.

In a 5-4 ruling, the court said the old means of determining whether proceedings had taken too long were inadequate. Under the new framework, unreasonable delay was to be presumed if proceedings topped 18 months in provincial court or 30 months in superior court.

1,766 applications for stays

In a dissenting opinion, a minority called the new framework unwarranted and unwise, warning it could lead to thousands of prosecutions being thrown out.

The Canadian Press requested data from all 10 provinces, three territories and the Public Prosecution Service of Canada to examine the impacts to the country's justice system from the groundbreaking decision. The latest figures made available by various governments date from April 30 to June 30.

Since the ruling, approximately 1,766 applications have been filed for charges to be stayed because of unreasonable delays.

Of those, 204 have been granted and 333 have been dismissed. The remainder are either still before the courts, have been abandoned by the defence or were resolved on other grounds.

Still more charges have been proactively stayed by the Crown due to the expectation they would not survive a Jordan application, including 67 by the Public Prosecution Service of Canada.

Heidi Illingworth, executive director of the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime, said 200 cases tossed over delays was "shocking" and very painful for victims and their loved ones.

System 'failing everyone'

"The system is failing everyone. It's failing victims, it's failing accused, it's failing everyone who is working in it," she said.

"We can't have this situation where the public lacks faith in the justice system, and that's what we're starting to see happen."

Determining whether stays have increased since Jordan is challenging because most provinces did not track applications based on the previous framework for determining unreasonable delay.

Ontario reported that 65 stays were granted due to delays in the fiscal year 2015-16, meaning the number increased slightly after Jordan to 76.

Manitoba said no unreasonable-delay applications were successful between January 2015 and June 2016, but two had been granted since the Jordan ruling.

A study conducted at Dalhousie University in Halifax shows both applications and stays went up after the decision. In the six months before Jordan, 26 stays were granted out of 69 applications, while in the six months afterward, 51 stays were granted out of 101 applications.

Eric Gottardi, the Vancouver lawyer who brought Jordan's case to the Supreme Court, said the impact of the decision will not be fully known for three to five years.

The court provided transitional exceptions for cases that were already in the system before Jordan. The Crown can argue the time the case has taken is justified based on the parties' reliance on the previous law.

Public outrage 'understandable'

Gottardi said it's unacceptable for a serious case to get to the point where a judge thinks it must be tossed, and the outrage felt by victims, families and the public is completely understandable.

"The focus of the anger should be towards the government, in my view, not towards the courts," he said. "There's myriad reasons why it got to that point, and most of them have to do with infrastructure and funding."

Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said there are a number of solutions to delays and she expects to introduce reforms in the fall. She also said her government remains committed to reviewing mandatory minimum sentences.

Despite a raft of new appointments, there are still 49 vacancies of federally appointed judges across the country, and more than a dozen vacancies of provincially appointed judges.

Bill Trudell, chairman of the Canadian Council of Criminal Defence Lawyers, said the Jordan decision has sent an "electric shock" through the justice system.

He said he thought the decision went too far, but it has been a catalyst for positive change.

"It's like a protest. Good things may come from protests, even though you might not like the protest at the time."

Provinces have brought in new procedures to speed up the justice system. Here's a look at some of the initiatives provinces have undertaken:

Quebec

Quebec is investing $175-million over four years to recruit new judges, prosecutors, legal aid lawyers and support staff and create new courtrooms. So far, 449 positions have been filled and several new hearing rooms are operational. Justice Minister Stephanie Vallee recently announced an additional $9 million to hire 47 legal aid workers. The province has also launched a pilot program to allow for alternatives to incarceration, such as community service, in some minor offences.

Quebec Minister of Justice and Attorney General Stéphanie Vallée wants the government to create eight new Superior Court justice positions and two additional Appeal Court judge positions. (Justin Tan/Canadian Press)

Vallee is also calling on the federal government to create eight new Superior Court justice positions and two additional Appeal Court judge positions, but Ottawa has not done so yet.

Ontario

Ontario Attorney General Yasir Naqvi said in an interview the Jordan decision is a "game-changer" and a call to action for all levels of government. He said the province has added 13 judges, 32 assistant Crown attorneys and a number of other staff.

Ontario has also focused on streamlining the front-end of the system with a number of initiatives aimed at better serving individuals with mental health issues, addictions and unstable housing. It has expanded provincewide a program that facilitates the release of low-risk accused into the community pending trial, as well as launched a new "bail beds" program that provides supervised housing for vulnerable accused. It has also developed a program to provide supports to Indigenous people who are accused of a crime.

British Columbia

B.C.'s Supreme Court recently issued new directions for so-called "mega-trials," or large or complex criminal cases that have the potential to occupy a significant amount of court time or risk delays. The directions call for a case management judge to be appointed early in the process and for tight time limits for disclosure, pre-trial applications and the trial itself.

Associate Chief Justice Austin Cullen said in an interview the court began reviewing complex trial procedures about 18 months before the Jordan decision. But he said the ruling helped "spur us on and made us realize that we're doing something useful."

B.C.'s government tasked lawyer Geoffrey Cowper in 2012 with writing a report on its justice system, in which he identified a "culture of delay." In November 2016, Cowper said B.C. was on the road to recovery. A major initiative he cited was B.C.'s use of administrative law to move tens of thousands of drunk-driving charges out of provincial court.

Nova Scotia

Chris Hansen, with Nova Scotia's Public Prosecution Service, said the province is being "fairly aggressive" in dealing with Jordan. It has established a criminal justice transformation group with the sole purpose of addressing delays. Every criminal case has a "Jordan ticker," so that when participants access material online, they can clearly see the number of months since the information was laid. Hansen also said the courts have increased their use of technology with video conferencing and electronic disclosure.

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan's Public Prosecutions said most cases in the province finish within the time limit and exceptional events are often the cause in the small number of cases that don't. Nonetheless, it said it's implementing further strategies to move every case along as quickly as possible. These include focusing on expediting disclosure, assessing cases as early as is workable, removing cases that do not meet the prosecution standard, and working to resolve cases as soon as possible.

With files from Brett Bundale, Sidhartha Banerjee, Joanna Smith, Allison Jones, Lauren Krugel and Geordon Omand