On February 4, 2020, The Institute for Justice filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Detroit, hoping to end the Motor City’s “seize and ransom” vehicle program. Detroit’s policing for profit scheme is very lucrative, as all money received through civil forfeiture goes directly to the police department responsible for the seizure. “Wayne County has seized more than 2,60 … [Read more...]
BC’s Residential Tenancy Branch: Where the Rules are More Important Than People
At some point common sense must trump rigid bureaucrats and their blind obedience to the rules. That point won’t be today for landlord Jason Rivero who rented an apartment to, unknown to him, a convicted killer in November 2018. Alexander Tanasescu did not disclose his manslaughter conviction to Jason Rivero when he rent Rivero's apartment. On January 10, 2020, T … [Read more...]
MP Cheryl Gallant Tables Bill C-222 to Limit Expropriations of Private Property
In Canada, property rights are provincial jurisdiction, except when they’re not. There is some federal overlap and overreach, and it’s the overreach Cheryl Gallant addresses in her Private Member’s Bill C-222, introduced to Parliament on February 17, 2020. To understand how intertwined these issues are, it’s necessary to briefly delve into the history of property rights and t … [Read more...]
Will Canada’s Battle for Property Rights Begin in Alberta?
Will the national battle for the inclusion of property rights in Canada’s constitution begin in Alberta? It will if Jason Kenney leads the United Conservative Party (UCP) to victory in the upcoming Alberta provincial election. “At the heart of our approach is the firm belief that property rights, including landowner rights, are inherent civil rights. What you are seeing tod … [Read more...]
Bruce Montague’s Response to Forfeiture Order
By now you must all be aware of the ruling we received from the appeal court of Ontario a couple of days ago. I am not really surprised that we lost but I am surprised that they decided to increase my punishment by also stealing my ammunition. As bad as this ruling is, our lawyers at the CCF (Canadian Constitution Foundation) found some encouraging aspects to it. There are a … [Read more...]