Failing to Provide the Necessaries of Life (Offence): Difference between revisions

 

{{OffenceBox |OffenceTitle=Failing to Provide the Necessities of Life|OffencePage=Failing to Provide the Necessities of Life|Section=215|Act={{OBCCC}} |CrownElection={{OBHybridElection}} |Jurisdiction={{OBJurisdictionAll}} |Bail={{OBBailAll}} |SummaryDisp= {{OBDispAll}} |SummaryMin= {{OBMinNone}} |SummaryMax= {{OBTime|18 months}}|IndictableDisp= {{OBDispSame}} |IndictableMin= {{OBMinNone}} |IndictableMax={{OBTime|5 years}} }}

{{OverviewVIII|failing to provide the necessities of life}}

'''Pleadings'''<br>

{{PleadingsHeader}}

{{PleadingsHybridList|s. 215 [failing to provide the necessities of life] | Yes | {{YesIfCrown}} }}

{{PleadingsHybridElection|s. 215}}

'''Release'''<Br>

|s. 215 || {{ReleaseProfileAll}}  

{{ReleaseAllOptions|s. 215}}

{{IDCriminalAct|s. 215}}

'''Publication Bans'''<br>

'''Offence Designations'''<br>

{{quotation|

'''Duty of persons to provide necessaries'''<br>

'''Offence'''<br>

(2) Every one commits an offence who, being under a legal duty within the meaning of subsection (1), fails without lawful excuse, <s>the proof of which lies on him,</s>* to perform that duty, if

:(a) with respect to a duty imposed by paragraph (1)(a) or (b),

:(b) with respect to a duty imposed by paragraph (1)(c), the failure to perform the duty endangers the life of the person to whom the duty is owed or causes or is likely to cause the health of that person to be injured permanently.

'''Punishment'''<br>

(3) Every one who commits an offence under subsection (2)

:(b) is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding eighteen months.

 

R.S., 1985, c. C-46, s. 215; 1991, c. 43, s. 9; 2000, c. 12, ss. 93, 95; 2005, c. 32, s. 11.

 

[* see Constitutionality, below]

|[http://www.canlii.ca/t/7vf2#sec215 CCC]

}}

{{Proving|failure to provide necessities of life (parental)|215(1)(a)}} <ref>

R v JAR, [http://canlii.ca/t/frq7f 2012 BCPC 195] (CanLII) at para 87<Br></ref>

# the culprit is a "parent", "foster parent", "guardian" or "head of a family" in relation to another person;

# the other person is a "child" under the age of 16 years, creating a "duty of care";

# the culprit "fails...to perform that duty" of providing "necessities of life":

## by permitting the other person to be "destitute or necessitous circumstances" ''or''   

## that "endangers the life of the person to whom the duty is owed, or causes or is likely to cause the health of that person to be endangered permanently", (215(2)(a))

# there is no lawful excuse for doing so

{{Proving|failure to provide necessities of life (spousal)|215(1)(b)}}

# the culprit is a "spouse" or "common-law partner" to another person, creating a "duty of care"

# the culprit "fails...to perform that duty" of providing "necessities of life":

## by permitting the other person to be "destitute or necessitous circumstances" ''or''   

## that "endangers the life of the person to whom the duty is owed, or causes or is likely to cause the health of that person to be endangered permanently", (215(2)(a))

# there is no lawful excuse for doing so

{{Proving|failure to provide necessities of life (disability)|215(1)(c)}}

# the culprit has another person "under his charge";

# the other person "is unable, by reason of detention, age, illness, mental disorder or other cause, to withdraw himself from that charge, and ... is unable to provide himself with necessaries of life", creating a duty of care;

# the culprit "fails...to perform that duty" of providing "necessities of life":

## that "endangers the life of the person to whom the duty is owed or causes or is likely to cause the health of that person to be injured permanently." (215(2)(b))

# there is no lawful excuse for doing so

'''Purpose'''<br>

R v Naglik, [http://canlii.ca/t/1fs0h 1993 CanLII 64] (SCC), [1993] 3 SCR 122</ref>

'''Existence of Duty'''<Br>

Factors to consider whether the there is a duty, includes the severity of the injury and the knowledge that it occurred.<Ref>

R v Alexander, [http://canlii.ca/t/2fpn0 2011 ONSC 980] (CanLII) cited in R v Turley [2012] B. C. J. No. 540, at para 146<br>

'''Actus Reus and Mens Rea'''<br>

Where the duty is found, the crown must prove:<ref>R v Turley, [http://canlii.ca/t/fqmrp 2012 BCSC 397] (CanLII)</ref>

The accused's conduct is to be considered on an objective standard and so the individual characteristics and experiences of the accused are not relevant.<Ref>

R v Lovett, [http://canlii.ca/t/gx5nd 2017 ABQB 46] (CanLII) at para 11<br>

'''"Endangers"'''<br>

also see R v Letourneau [http://canlii.ca/t/1q8d7 2007 CanLII 345] (ON SC) at paras 94 and 95<br>

The Crown does not need to prove that the accused knew the risk of danger or that they intended to expose the victim to any risk of danger.<Ref>

Naglik{{supra}} at para 54<br>

Lovett{{supra}} at para 11<br>

 

 

'''"necessaries of life"'''<br>

"Necessaries of life" are necessaries that "tend to preserve life and not necessaries in their ordinary legal sense".<ref>

R v JAR, [http://canlii.ca/t/frq7f 2012 BCPC 195] (CanLII) at para 82

R v Brooks (1902), 5 CCC 372 (BCCA)<br>

R v JF, [http://canlii.ca/t/1rxpv 2007 ONCA 500] (CanLII), 222 CCC (3d) 474, at paras 50‑51, aff’d R v JF [http://canlii.ca/t/21bgx 2008 SCC 60] (CanLII)</ref>

The judge must consider "the serverity of the injury and the knowledge that it occurred".<ref>

Turley at para 146<br>

JAR at para 82<Br>

R v Pertab, [http://canlii.ca/t/1jgqz 2004 CanLII 47791] (ON SC) at para 29

'''Constitutionality'''<br>

The phrase "proof of which lies upon him" violates s. 11(d) and so those words are to be struck out.<Ref>

R v Scott, [http://canlii.ca/t/1nsjz 1996 CanLII 7083] (SK QB)<br>

R v Curtis, [http://canlii.ca/t/6gmt 1998 CanLII 1999] (ON CA)<br>

{{quotation|

215.<br>...<br>

'''Presumptions'''<br>

:(a) [Repealed, 2000, c. 12, s. 93]

R.S., 1985, c. C-46, s. 215; 1991, c. 43, s. 9; 2000, c. 12, ss. 93, 95; 2005, c. 32, s. 11.

|[http://www.canlii.ca/t/7vf2#sec215 CCC]

'''Testimonial Aids'''<br>

'''On Finding of Guilt'''<br>

{{606Notice5Y|s. 215}}

'''Maximum Penalties'''<br>

{{SProfileMax|s. 215 [failing to provide the necessities of life] | Summary Election | 18 months custody }}

{{SProfileMax|s. 215 [failing to provide the necessities of life] | Indictable Election | 5 years custody }}

{{MaxPenaltyHybrid|s. 215|'''5 years incarceration'''|'''18 months jail'''}}

'''Minimum Penalties'''<br>

'''Available Dispositions'''<br>

|s. 215 || any || {{SProfileAll}}

{{AllDispositionsAvailable1|s. 215}}

'''Consecutive Sentences'''<br>

Factors include:<Ref>R v Nickel, [http://canlii.ca/t/frgmj 2012 ABCA 158] (CanLII) at para 36</ref>

{{seealsoRanges|Failing to Provide the Necessities of Life}}

The range for a first time offender where the offence concerns the neglect of the elderly will often be between 4 and 8 months.<Ref>

R v Peterson, [http://canlii.ca/t/1ltcj 2005 CanLII 37972] (ON CA) at para 59<br>

c.f. R v L.S., [http://canlii.ca/t/fqtrl 2012 ONCA 203] (CanLII) at para 1</reF>

'''Offence-specific Orders'''

{{AOrder1| [[DNA Orders]]|s. 215 |

* {{SecondDNA(AorB)Hybrid|s. 215}} }}

'''General Sentencing Orders'''

'''General Forfeiture Orders'''

{{seealso|List of Criminal Code Amendments}}

{{quotation|

215. <Br>...<Br>

'''Punishment'''<Br>

R.S., 1985, c. C-46, s. 215; 1991, c. 43, s. 9; 2000, c. 12, ss. 93, 95.

 

'''Related Offences'''

'''References'''<br>