Date: 20110728
Docket: T‑2108‑10
Citation: 2011 FC 953
[UNREVISED ENGLISH CERTIFIED TRANSLATION]
Ottawa, Ontario, July 28, 2011
PRESENT: The Honourable Madam Justice Bédard
BETWEEN:
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ALBERT GAUDREAU
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Applicant
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and
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ATTORNEY GENERAL OF CANADA
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Respondent
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REASONS FOR
JUDGMENT AND JUDGMENT
[1]
This is an application for judicial review of a
decision by the Parole Board of Canada (the Board) dated November 22,
2010, imposing special conditions on the applicant.
I. Background
[2]
On March 26, 2003, the
respondent was convicted of sexual assault (paragraph 271(1)(a) of
the Criminal Code, R.S.C. 1985, c. C‑46) of two severely
disabled women for whom he was responsible as a personal care attendant. On December 11, 2003, the Court of
Québec, Criminal Division (the Court), sentenced him to 24 months’
detention, followed by three years’ probation, taking into account the
fact that he had already spent 23 months in pre‑sentence custody.
The Court also found that the applicant was a long‑term
offender under paragraph 753(5)(a) and section 753.1 of the Criminal
Code and ordered that he be subject to long‑term supervision for the
maximum period of 10 years in accordance with subsection 753.1(3) and
section 753.2 of the Criminal Code and the Corrections and
Conditional Release Act, S.C. 1992, c. 20 (the Act).
[3]
Since the applicant’s long‑term
supervision period began, the Board has imposed a number of special conditions
on him. The first special
conditions were imposed on him in a decision made by the Board on
October 20, 2005. Since then, the Board
has made a number of decisions varying or renewing the special conditions or
imposing new ones. The applicant’s supervision
was also suspended on a few occasions because the applicant failed to comply
with certain special conditions.
[4]
The decision at issue in
this application for judicial review was made on November 22, 2010. In that decision, which was further to a
suspension of the long‑term supervision, the Board cancelled the
suspension and imposed two new special conditions on the applicant, as follows:
a.
provide his supervisor with a
weekly report of his income and expenditures for a period of six months; and
b.
inform his supervisor of all
of his movements in accordance with the conditions she establishes beforehand.
[5]
The applicant is challenging
those two conditions. He is
also challenging two other conditions imposed on him in earlier decisions.
The first condition prohibits the respondent from being
within 50 metres of places usually frequented by minors, such as
parks, school playgrounds, public pools and arcades, except during social
activities organized by the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) and in the
company of a volunteer or an employee. That condition was imposed on October 20, 2005.
The second condition provides that the applicant is
forbidden to possess a cellphone, pager or any other portable telecommunication
device. That condition was imposed on him on
April 20, 2010. No application for judicial
review was filed in respect of the decisions of October 20, 2005,
and April 20, 2010.
II. Issues
[6]
The following issues are raised in this
application for judicial review:
A.
As part of these proceedings, can the respondent challenge the special
conditions imposed on him in decisions predating the decision of
November 22, 2010?
B.
Did the Board impose on the applicant special conditions of indeterminate
duration, and, if so, was it under the obligation to set a specific duration
for each of the conditions?
C.
Are the conditions imposed by the Board unreasonable?
D.
Did the Board fail to give reasons for its decisions imposing the special
conditions?
III.
Standard of review
[7]
The first issue is a
question of mixed fact and law which will be assessed on the reasonableness
standard. The second issue
pertains to a question involving the Board’s interpretation of its home
statute. Relying on the principles set out by
the Supreme Court of Canada in Dunsmuir v New Brunswick, 2008 SCC 9,
[2008] 1 S.C.R. 190 [Dunsmuir] and Smith v Alliance Pipeline Ltd.,
2011 SCC 7 at paragraph 28, [2011] 1 S.C.R. 160, I am of the opinion that
this issue must be decided on the reasonableness standard as well (see also Ross
v Canada (Attorney General), 2011 FC 829 at paragraph 12 (available on
CanLII) [Ross] and Miller v Canada (Attorney General), 2010 FC
317 at paragraph 38, 366 F.T.R. 92 [Miller]).
[8]
The third issue concerns the
exercise of the Board’s discretion and is also subject to the reasonableness
standard (Hurdle v Canada (Attorney General), 2011 FC 599 at
paragraph 11 (available on CanLII) [Hurdle]; Deacon v Canada
(Attorney General), 2005 FC 1489 at paragraph 67, [2006] 2 FCR 736 and
Miller at paragraph 42). Imposing conditions is the heartland of the Board’s
jurisdiction. That function falls within the
expertise and broad discretion of the Board, and the Court must show deference
towards the conditions that the Board deemed it necessary to impose. In Normandin v Canada (Attorney General), 2004 FC
1404 at paragraphs 19 and 20, [2005] 2 FCR 373, (affirmed in Normandin
v Canada (Attorney General), 2005 FCA 345, [2006] FCR 112) [Normandin],
Justice Danièle Tremblay‑Lamer explained Parliament’s intention as
follows:
19 The main purpose of the Act is
contained in section 100 of the Act. It is to contribute to the maintenance of a just, peaceful and safe society by allowing the
NPB to impose the conditions necessary to protect society and facilitate the
reintegration of the offender into the community. The NPB’s function is guided
by the principles set out in section 101 of the Act. There is no doubt
that Parliament intended the NPB to use its expertise in taking the appropriate
decisions to protect society while facilitating the reintegration of the
offender into the community. The Court must treat this type of expertise with
the greatest restraint.
[9]
The role of the Court when reviewing a decision
on the reasonableness standard was defined by the Supreme Court of Canada in Dunsmuir,
at paragraph 47:
Reasonableness
is a deferential standard animated by the principle that underlies the
development of the two previous standards of reasonableness: certain questions
that come before administrative tribunals do not lend themselves to one
specific, particular result. Instead, they may give rise to a number of
possible, reasonable conclusions. Tribunals have a margin of appreciation
within the range of acceptable and rational solutions. A court conducting a
review for reasonableness inquires into the qualities that make a decision
reasonable, referring both to the process of articulating the reasons and to
outcomes. In judicial review, reasonableness is concerned mostly with the
existence of justification, transparency and intelligibility within the
decision‑making process. But it is also concerned with whether the
decision falls within a range of possible, acceptable outcomes which are
defensible in respect of the facts and law.
[10]
The fourth issue raises a breach of procedural
fairness and will be assessed on the correctness standard (Hurdle, at
paragraph 10; Cyr v Canada (Attorney General), 2010 FC 94 at
paragraph 18 (available on CanLII); Tozzi v Canada (Attorney General),
2007 FC 825 at paragraph 34 (available on CanLII) and Miller, at
paragraph 39).
IV. Statutory
framework
[11]
To properly grasp the respective arguments of
the parties, it is important to set out the legislative framework governing the
long‑term supervision regime. The regime applying to persons declared
long‑term offenders is set out in the Act. Section 99 of the Act
provides that a person who is required to be supervised by a long‑term
supervision order is deemed to be an offender for the purposes of various
provisions, including section 100, which applies with such modifications
as the circumstances require. Section 100 sets out the purpose and
principles underlying the conditional release regime and, therefore, the long‑term
supervision regime. This section reads as follows:
100. The
purpose of conditional release is to contribute to the maintenance of a just,
peaceful and safe society by means of decisions on the timing and conditions
of release that will best facilitate the rehabilitation of offenders and
their reintegration into the community as law‑abiding citizens.
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100. La
mise en liberté sous condition vise à contribuer au maintien d’une société
juste, paisible et sûre en favorisant, par la prise de décisions appropriées
quant au moment et aux conditions de leur mise en liberté, la réadaptation et
la réinsertion sociale des délinquants en tant que citoyens respectueux des
lois.
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[12]
Section 101 of the Act sets out the
principles that must guide the Board as it carries out its mandate. Paragraph (a)
of this section provides that “the protection of society be the paramount
consideration in the determination of any case”. In addition, paragraph (d)
provides that “parole boards make the least restrictive determination
consistent with the protection of society”.
[13]
The Board’s powers to impose special conditions
on offenders required to be supervised by a long‑term supervision order
are set out at section 134.1 of the Act, which reads as follows:
CONDITIONS FOR LONG‑TERM
SUPERVISION
Conditions for long‑term
supervision
134.1 (1)
Subject to subsection (4), every offender who is required to be supervised by
a long‑term supervision order is subject to the conditions prescribed
by subsection 161(1) of the Corrections and Conditional Release Regulations,
with such modifications as the circumstances require.
Conditions set by Board
(2) The Board may establish conditions
for the long‑term supervision of the offender that it considers
reasonable and necessary in order to protect society and to facilitate the
successful reintegration into society of the offender.
Duration of conditions
(3) A condition imposed under subsection
(2) is valid for the period that the Board specifies.
Relief from conditions
(4) The Board may, in accordance with the
regulations, at any time during the long‑term supervision of an
offender,
(a) in respect of conditions
referred to in subsection (1), relieve the offender from compliance with any
such condition or vary the application to the offender of any such condition;
or
(b) in respect of conditions
imposed under subsection (2), remove or vary any such condition.
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CONDITIONS DE LA SURVEILLANCE DE LONGUE DURÉE
Conditions
134.1 (1)
Sous réserve du paragraphe (4), les conditions prévues par le paragraphe
161(1) du Règlement sur le système correctionnel et la mise en liberté
sous condition s’appliquent, avec les adaptations nécessaires, au
délinquant surveillé aux termes d’une ordonnance de surveillance de longue
durée.
Conditions imposées par la Commission
(2) La Commission peut imposer au
délinquant les conditions de surveillance qu’elle juge raisonnables et
nécessaires pour protéger la société et favoriser la réinsertion sociale du
délinquant.
Période de validité
(3) Les conditions imposées par la
Commission en vertu du paragraphe (2) sont valables pendant la période qu’elle
fixe.
Dispense ou modification des conditions
(4) La Commission peut, conformément aux
règlements, soustraire le délinquant, au cours de la période de surveillance,
à l’application de l’une ou l’autre des conditions visées au paragraphe (1),
ou modifier ou annuler l’une de celles visées au paragraphe (2).
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[14]
Subsection 161(1) of the Corrections
and Conditional Release Regulations, SOR/92‑620, sets out a certain
number of general conditions to which the offender is subject.
V. Analysis
A. As part of
these proceedings, can the respondent challenge the special conditions imposed
on him in decisions predating the decision of November 22, 2010?
[15]
The applicant submits that, as part of these
proceedings, he can challenge the conditions imposed on him in decisions made
previously by the Board, that is, the condition concerning the prohibition from
being within a 50‑metre perimeter of parks and other public places, and
the condition forbidding him to possess a cellphone, pager or other
telecommunication device.
[16]
The applicant submits that the decision of
November 22, 2010, tacitly renewed the conditions imposed in the previous
decisions and that, as a result, those conditions may be disputed because every
special condition may be challenged each time the Board makes a new decision.
The applicant is relying on Hurdle in support of his position. The
following passages from Hurdle are relevant:
32 It has been well established judicially that a condition
that has been renewed in a new decision rendered by the Board may be subject to
judicial review. In Normandin v Canada (Attorney General) 2005 FC 1605,
the judicial review heard by Justice De Montigny involved a decision in which
the condition at issue had been established in an earlier decision of the
Board. This condition was being renewed for the third time:
[1] This
application for judicial review seeks to set aside a decision by the National
Parole Board (the “Board”) dated November 8, 2004 renewing for the third
time a 90‑day residency requirement, as part of a community supervision
order issued under section 753.1 of the Criminal Code.
. . .
36 A condition that has been renewed in a new Board
decision may be open to judicial review. That is the case here.
[Emphasis
added]
[17]
The respondent, for his part, submits that both
conditions at issue were imposed in decisions made on October 20, 2005,
and April 21, 2010, in respect of which no application for judicial review
was filed in time and that, as a result, the applicant is barred from
challenging those conditions by means of an application for judicial review of
the decision dated November 22, 2010, which does not address those
conditions at all.
[18]
I am of the opinion that this application for
judicial review cannot be used to challenge the special conditions imposed on
the applicant in decisions made by the Board before the decision of
November 22, 2010. First, the Board did not expressly renew the conditions
at issue in its November 22, 2010, decision. This circumstance is
sufficient to distinguish this case from Normandin and Hurdle. In
Normandin, it was a matter of a residency condition that had clearly
been renewed in the decision under judicial review. It was the same in Hurdle,
where the Board, in its decision, expressly reiterated and maintained the
conditions imposed in previous decisions, including the impugned condition
pertaining to the applicant’s obligation to inform his employer in that case.
As shown by the following paragraph, Justice André Scott clearly stated that
the Board had renewed the conditions imposed previously and added new
conditions:
6 On September 8, 2008, the Board extended his
residency condition by 180 days and extended all of the other conditions
without mentioning a specific duration. On September 14, 2009, the Board
extended all of the conditions that had been imposed on the applicant since the
beginning of his long‑term supervision. It also added the following three
new conditions: . . .
[19]
The situation in the case at bar is very
different. The Board’s decision in no way deals with
the condition under which the applicant is forbidden to go within 50 metres of parks and other public places frequented by minors,
which was imposed on October 20, 2005, or the condition under which he is
prohibited to possess a cellphone, pager or any other portable
telecommunication device, which was imposed on April 20, 2010.
[20]
However, the applicant
submits that the decision of November 22, 2010, implicitly renewed those
conditions. I do not agree; I
find the applicant’s argument contradictory. The
applicant submits that the Board imposed conditions of indeterminate duration
(I will return to this argument in the next section). He cannot claim that a condition was imposed for an indeterminate
period and, in the same breath, argue that each decision by the Board renewed
the conditions imposed previously. The essence
of a renewal or reinstatement is to extend or re‑impose a condition that
has expired. That is the case, for example,
upon expiry of a residence requirement imposed for a period shorter than the duration
of the long‑term order. In order for
such a condition to continue to apply, it must be renewed or reinstated.
If, in a given decision, a condition is imposed for
an indeterminate period, it need not be renewed or reinstated in each
subsequent decision.
[21]
Therefore, nothing in the
Act imposes an obligation on the Board to renew or reinstate conditions imposed
in previous decisions each time it makes a decision on the conditions for an
offender’s long‑term supervision. Under subsection 131.1(4) of the Act, the Board has
the power to, “in respect of conditions referred to in subsection (1), relieve
the offender from compliance with any such condition or vary the application to
the offender of any such condition; or . . . in respect of conditions
imposed under subsection (2), remove or vary any such condition”. The Board may make such a decision if it is justified by a
change in circumstances. In the absence of
circumstances warranting the variance or removal of a condition, the Board is
under no obligation to systematically renew the conditions still in effect when
it makes another decision concerning a person subject to a long‑term
supervision order.
[22]
When the Board made its
decision on November 22, 2010, the conditions regarding the prohibition on
being within 50 metres of parks and the prohibition on possessing a
cellphone, pager or other telecommunication device that had been set out in
previous decisions were still in effect and did not need to be renewed. Moreover, they were not renewed.
[23]
I therefore reject the
applicant’s arguments. I am of the opinion that this application for judicial
review can only contemplate the conditions expressly imposed in the Board’s
decision of November 22, 2010.
B.
Did the Board impose on the applicant special conditions of indeterminate
duration, and, if so, was it under the obligation to set a specific duration
for each of the conditions?
[24]
The condition relating to
the obligation to provide a weekly report of his income and expenditures is in
effect for six months. The
Board added, [translation] “A
report must be sent to the Board, with a recommendation as to whether this
condition should or should not be maintained”. The
other condition, the one pertaining to the obligation to inform the supervisor
of all of his movements, is not given a specific time limit. However, the Board’s decision is written on a standardized
form comprising various sections. The title of
the form is “NPB Post‑Release Decision Sheet”. The conditions imposed are set out in a section provided
for that purpose. The wording of this section
is as follows:
SPECIAL
CONDITION(S) IMPOSED AND PERIOD OF TIME FOR WHICH THEY ARE VALID: (Apply until the end of the release unless a fixed period of time is
specified)
[25]
The applicant submits that this note in the
decision template is insufficient to infer that the Board imposed a specified
period on a condition for which no time limit is otherwise stated. He submits
that this standardized statement is meaningless because is appears on all
decision forms, even when the Board imposes no conditions. As an example, he
refers to the decision of June 21, 2010, in which no conditions were imposed
and the same text appears. He therefore submits that a condition having no specified
period is a condition imposed for an indeterminate period.
[26]
The applicant further contends that the Board
cannot impose conditions for an indeterminate period. In his opinion,
subsection 134.1(3) of the Act gives the Board the obligation to specify a
period for each condition it imposes. He submits that the language is clear and
that this interpretation is compatible with the Board’s obligation to impose
the least restrictive conditions possible.
[27]
The respondent, however, submits that when no time
limit is set for a condition, the condition applies until the end of the long‑term
supervision period, subject to variances by the Board by means of its power
under subsection 134.1(4) of the Act, if a change of circumstances occurs.
Conditions are therefore always imposed for a specified period. The respondent
adds that the decision expressly states that a condition which is not otherwise
subject to a time limit applies for the full period of supervision.
[28]
I am of the opinion that the applicant’s
arguments must fail. First, I am of the opinion that the Board did specify the period
of the condition expressly: the special condition applies until the end of the supervision
period. The title of the section of the form for setting out conditions clearly
states that conditions apply until the end of the release unless a fixed period
of time is specified. In my opinion, the fact that this text is included in the
decision template changes absolutely nothing. The fact that this section of the
form remains part of a decision that does not impose conditions, such as the
decision of June 21, 2010, also changes nothing, and does not strip the
text of its meaning. If no conditions are imposed, the section reserved for
setting out conditions remains empty and of no import. If one or more
conditions are imposed, the text is not ambiguous: the condition applies until
the end of the release—in this case, the supervision period—unless some other period
is specified.
[29]
I would have arrived at the same conclusion,
even in the absence of text similar to the text in this case. The supervision
order itself is of specific duration, and my view is that any condition for
which a specific period is not established is implicitly imposed for the full
term of the order.
[30]
Subsection 134.1(3) of the Act gives the
Board the power to impose a condition for the period it deems appropriate, which
may be of shorter duration than the supervision period. However, the Board has
no obligation to impose a shorter period.
[31]
It has been acknowledged in the case law that
the Board has been given broad discretion under section 134.1 of the Act.
In Normandin, the Federal Court of Appeal stated the following:
44 The authority given to the Board
by subsection 134.1(2) is a broad and flexible discretionary authority and
the discretion is exercised at three levels. First, the
Board may or may not impose conditions for supervision of the long‑term
offender. Second, the Board is also given the authority to determine whether it
is reasonable and necessary to do so in order to ensure the protection of the
public and to facilitate the successful reintegration into society of the
offender. Third, the Board establishes the duration of the supervision.
. . .
52 Parliament did not want to
introduce this limitation in the case of long‑term offenders, who begin
their period of extended supervision while the offender on statutory release is
reaching the end of his sentence. The risk of recidivism is high for long‑term
offenders and the period of supervision is a lengthy one, so it is not
unreasonable to think that Parliament intended to leave intact the extensive
discretionary authority it has granted the Board in subsection 134.1(2) of
the Act in order to allow it to meet the specific needs of long‑term
offenders (if they are to be successfully reintegrated into society) and of the
community which is being made to assume the risk of the offender’s release.
[32]
I also agree with the following comments by my
colleague Justice Scott, who, in Hurdle, also had to rule on the
duration of long‑term supervision conditions and the obligation for the
Board to impose a specified duration:
18 It therefore appears from the
legislation and case law that Parliament did not intend to impose a strict
legal obligation on the Board to establish a duration for the conditions
imposed, granting it a broad discretionary power in this respect. Contrary to the applicant’s position, the fact that the Board did
not explicitly set durations for the conditions imposed does not mean that no
time limits apply. The conditions imposed are automatically lifted with the
expiry of the supervision order. Contrary to the applicant’s submissions, all
of the conditions imposed are of a limited duration.
[33]
Justice Scott also applied the same principles
in respect of conditions imposed as part of a statutory release in Ross.
I therefore conclude that the condition requiring the applicant to inform his
supervisor of all of his movements was imposed for a specified period, that is,
until the end of the supervision period, and that subsection 134.1(3) of
the Act does not impose an obligation on the Board to specify a shorter period
for this condition or state differently the duration of the condition.
I will address
issues C and D together.
C.
Are the conditions imposed by the Board unreasonable?
D.
Did the Board fail to give reasons for its decisions imposing the special
conditions?
[34]
First, considering my previous conclusions
regarding the conditions that may be challenged in this application for
judicial review, I will only examine the conditions imposed in the decision of
November 22, 2010.
[35]
As stated above, imposing conditions is part of
the Board’s specialized jurisdiction and broad discretion, as conferred by
Parliament. The Court will not intervene unless the Board’s assessment of the
circumstances and the evidence is unreasonable. In this case, I am of the
opinion that the conditions imposed by the Board were completely reasonable in
light of the applicant’s behaviour and the risk he may represent for society. I
am also of the view that the Board amply justified and explained its reasons
for deciding to impose the special conditions at issue and fulfilled its obligation
under paragraph 101(f) of the Act to provide reasons for its
decision.
[36]
It is important to examine the reasonableness of
the conditions imposed by taking into account the Board’s dual mandate to
protect society while facilitating the applicant’s reintegration into society.
I am also bearing in mind that the conditions must be the least restrictive
possible. Furthermore, it is essential to situate the conditions imposed by the
Board within the context of the applicant’s profile and behaviour since the beginning
of his supervision period.
[37]
Since the supervision period began, the
applicant’s cooperation has been minimal: he failed to comply with certain
conditions imposed on him, his supervision order was suspended a few times and
he received two sub‑sentences. In short, his behaviour is far from
exemplary, and he is making life difficult for the officers responsible for
supervising him and following up on his case.
[38]
The reasons for the decision are more than three
pages long. The Board included a summary of how the applicant’s behaviour has
evolved since his supervision began. Here are a few relevant excerpts:
[translation]
. . .
Since you were
first released, you have often violated conditions and committed breaches,
leading, in 2007, to a first sub‑sentence of 11 months for your non‑compliance.
At that time,
you had again started up your former business of personal care attendant
services. As well, women’s underwear and suggestive photographs were found in
your personal effects.
Today, at
42 years of age, you have been serving, since January 20, 2010, your
second sub‑sentence of five months for failing to comply with your
LTSO, which will expire in 2017.
It should be
noted that your LTSO has been suspended a number of times for various reasons,
including possessing pornographic material, having driven your spouse’s
vehicle, having had unauthorized possession of a Blackberry and a cellphone,
failing to comply with the instructions for gradual authorized contact with
your spouse and, last, for having been unlawfully at large in
October 2009.
. . .
According to
your caseworkers, , you were largely uncooperative right from the start, as you
were resistant to supervision and had little motivation to put the necessary
effort into ensuring your release went smoothly. Many interventions were needed
to get you to comply with the established rules. As a result of expenditures
showing possible breaches of conditions, a disciplinary interview was held with
you to clarify the use of your of time, your transparency and your income and
expenditures.
. . .
The hearing made
it clear to the Board that you have a great deal of difficulty complying with
the requirements of your long‑term supervision. Your behaviour is often
at the limits of acceptability, and we believe that you deliberately choose to
do as you please. Your cooperation with the caseworkers is practically
nonexistent, and only when you have your back to the wall do you come up with
explanations to justify your breaches.
The Board is not
at all satisfied with your attitude and behaviour. You are under a LTSO and
will be so for another seven years, which means that, in fact, if your
behaviour does not improve, you may have to reside in a halfway house until the
end of your supervision. Your behaviour and attitude of resistance to
supervision and the authorities make it impossible to work with you on the
contributing factors to your criminality and sexual deviance. There is,
therefore, still a high level of risk with regard to the protection of society.
Your lack of cooperation and transparency means that your supervision team is
constantly forced to apply to the Board for new special conditions to better
manage the risks and your supervision.
[39]
The Board also addressed the circumstances that
led it to impose the conditions regarding the applicant’s movements and the
weekly expenditure and income reports. The Board related, among other things, a
number of incidents during which the applicant’s supervisors were unable to
determine his movements and the applicant did not provide them with the correct
times. For example, the Board noted the following:
[translation]
On
September 22, 2010, you left the CCC in the morning, stating on your movement
sheet that you were going to work and that you would return at 9 p.m. However,
your curfew that night was at 8 p.m. In fact, depending on the night, the
curfew was set at either 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. When you were not observed
returning at the time set, the CCC commissioner tried to reach you at your
workplace, but to no avail. Considering that you had failed to contact the CCC
that evening and flouted your curfew, the officer on call issued a warrant of
suspension that was enforced when you returned to the CCC. The arrest was carried
out without difficulty.
At the post‑suspension
interview, you stated having believed that your return time was at 9 p.m.
You recounted that you finished work at or about 6 p.m., waited for the
bus until approximately 6:30 p.m. and went to the Berri‑UQAM metro
station to have a coffee at a nearby restaurant. You stated that you stayed
there until approximately 8:30 p.m. and then returned to the CCC at or
about 8:45 p.m. You added that you did not understand the reasons for your
suspension, alleging that you had simply been mistaken about the time of your curfew.
When asked why
you had not telephoned to inform your supervisors of your movements, as you
were asked to do and as specified during numerous follow‑ups, you replied
that you had not thought to do so. You then stated that you had forgotten or
simply had not called because you did not like speaking on the telephone. The
Board is of the opinion that your explanations are totally devoid of
credibility, and when you were asked to give a reason for your lack of
cooperation, you asserted that the CSC’s control over you is [translation] “just to
p . . . you off”. You also stated that you would never trust
your supervisors. In such circumstances, it is very difficult to supervise
adequately your movements and use of time.
Furthermore,
when your personal effects were put away after your suspension, car keys and
the negative of a photograph of a little girl were found. You submit that you
do not know who this little girl is or why this negative was in your personal
effects. You admitted that the keys were copies to your spouse’s pickup truck,
whereas you were prohibited from having possession of it. In addition, although
gas station transactions were found on your bank statement, you denied having
been with your spouse on the evening of September 22, that is, outside the
hours permitted for meetings with her.
Your case
management team (CMT) notes that you have not yet begun the process of self‑questioning.
You have shown little cooperation since the beginning, not only of this
supervision period, but since you were first released. Your team states that
you have always had difficulty complying with special requirements and your
special conditions, especially as regards your use of time and your finances.
Considering the
foregoing, your CMT recommends, in spite of everything, that your suspension be
cancelled and that two special conditions be added to the LTSO, that is, to
inform your supervisor of all movements and to submit a weekly report of your
income and expenditures and provide supporting documents. The team is of the
opinion that those conditions are necessary to ensure healthy management of the
risk you represent for society.
. . .
The Board, in
the circumstances presented to it, nonetheless cancels your suspension and is
of the opinion that it is necessary that, in the future, you inform your
supervisor of all of your movements, in accordance with the conditions to be
determined by him or her beforehand. This is an additional special condition
that will facilitate better risk management and preclude there being any new
victims, because, at this time, the Board notes that your CMT has difficulty
staying informed of all of your movements.
The Board also
imposes on you the condition of submitting a weekly report of your income and
expenditures, which involves providing your supervisor with all required
documents (bank statements, invoices, statements of account) upon request. This
condition is in effect for six months, and may be renewed at the end of
that period if your supervisor is not completely satisfied with the results.
Your supervisors have difficulty ascertaining some of your expenditures and
suspect that some of them may be related to the use of your spouse’s vehicle,
which you are prohibited from driving. This measure was taken by the CSC after you
again started up your home care company.
It has become
necessary to add those two conditions for better management of the risk you
represent for society.
[40]
The conditions imposed by the Board seem
reasonable to me and are adequately supported by reasons. It appears to me that
it is entirely appropriate for the applicant’s supervisors to be able to track
his movements, considering the nature of his offences and the fact that he is
prohibited from being in various places. The monitoring of the applicant’s
expenditures and income is directly related to the supervision of his
activities and movements. When the background of the applicant’s behaviour is
taken into account, it can be seen that he does not always inform his
supervisors of his movements and is not always transparent in the explanations
he provides. The evidence also shows that he is engaging in conduct that could
place him at risk: among other things, he returned to his activities in a
personal care company and seems to have ended up with the negative of a
photograph of a little girl in his personal effects.
[41]
In the circumstances, it was not unreasonable
for the Board to impose conditions that would enable the applicant’s
supervisors to better determine whether his is respecting the conditions of his
supervision period and to monitor his comings and goings and his expenditures
in order to ensure that his movements are adequately tracked and that he does
not adopt behaviour likely to present a risk for society. The applicant submits
that the conditions imposed are excessive. With respect, I find that they are
reasonable, taking into account his behaviour and the Board’s mandate to
protect society while facilitating his reintegration into society.
.
[42]
There is therefore no basis for this Court to
intervene.