On December 8th, Bill Thompson appeared on behalf of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association before the Ontario Legislature’s Committee on General Government to make submissions on Bill 35. The legislation repeals the Public Works Protection Act that was the source of much controversy during the G20 meeting in Toronto. It also creates new powers for court security officers to search and demand information from people visiting courthouses. Bill recommended limiting the expansive new search powers, adding a provision for prior security clearance for lawyers and more clearly defining the geographic scope of the new powers.
