Peace Bond (Serious Personal Injury)

This page was last substantively updated or reviewed January 2020. (Rev. # 94352)

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General Principles

Where fear of serious personal injury offence

810.2 (1) Any person who fears on reasonable grounds that another person will commit a serious personal injury offence, as that expression is defined in section 752, may, with the consent of the Attorney General, lay an information before a provincial court judge, whether or not the person or persons in respect of whom it is feared that the offence will be committed are named.

Appearances

(2) A provincial court judge who receives an information under subsection (1) [serious personal injury peace bond – lay information] may cause the parties to appear before a provincial court judge.

Adjudication

(3) If the provincial court judge before whom the parties appear is satisfied by the evidence adduced that the informant has reasonable grounds for the fear, the judge may order that the defendant enter into a recognizance to keep the peace and be of good behaviour for a period that does not exceed 12 months.

Duration extended

(3.1) However, if the provincial court judge is also satisfied that the defendant was convicted previously of an offence referred to in subsection (1) [serious personal injury peace bond – lay information], the judge may order that the defendant enter into the recognizance for a period that does not exceed two years.

Refusal to enter into recognizance

(4) The provincial court judge may commit the defendant to prison for a term not exceeding twelve months if the defendant fails or refuses to enter into the recognizance.

Conditions in recognizance

(4.1) The provincial court judge may add any reasonable conditions to the recognizance that the judge considers desirable to secure the good conduct of the defendant, including conditions that require the defendant

(a) to participate in a treatment program;

(b) to wear an electronic monitoring device, if the Attorney General makes the request;

(c) to remain within a specified geographic area unless written permission to leave that area is obtained from the provincial court judge;

(d) to return to and remain at his or her place of residence at specified times;

(e) to abstain from the consumption of drugs except in accordance with a medical prescription, of alcohol or of any other intoxicating substance;

(f) to provide, for the purpose of analysis, a sample of a bodily substance prescribed by regulation on the demand of a peace officer, a probation officer or someone designated under paragraph 810.3(2)(a) to make a demand, at the place and time and on the day specified by the person making the demand, if that person has reasonable grounds to believe that the defendant has breached a condition of the recognizance that requires them to abstain from the consumption of drugs, alcohol or any other intoxicating substance; or

(g) to provide, for the purpose of analysis, a sample of a bodily substance prescribed by regulation at regular intervals that are specified, in a notice in Form 51 served on the defendant, by a probation officer or a person designated under paragraph 810.3(2)(b) to specify them, if a condition of the recognizance requires the defendant to abstain from the consumption of drugs, alcohol or any other intoxicating substance.

Conditions — firearms

(5) The provincial court judge shall consider whether it is desirable, in the interests of the defendant’s safety or that of any other person, to prohibit the defendant from possessing any firearm, cross-bow, prohibited weapon, restricted weapon, prohibited device, ammunition, prohibited ammunition or explosive substance, or all of those things. If the judge decides that it is desirable to do so, the judge shall add that condition to the recognizance and specify the period during which the condition applies.

Surrender, etc.

(5.1) If the provincial court judge adds a condition described in subsection (5) [serious personal injury peace bond – conditions – firearms] to a recognizance, the judge shall specify in the recognizance how the things referred to in that subsection that are in the defendant’s possession should be surrendered, disposed of, detained, stored or dealt with and how the authorizations, licences and registration certificates that are held by the defendant should be surrendered.

Reasons

(5.2) If the provincial court judge does not add a condition described in subsection (5) [serious personal injury peace bond – conditions – firearms] to a recognizance, the judge shall include in the record a statement of the reasons for not adding the condition.

Condition — reporting

(6) The provincial court judge shall consider whether it is desirable to require the defendant to report to the correctional authority of a province or to an appropriate police authority. If the judge decides that it is desirable to do so, the judge shall add that condition to the recognizance.

Variance of conditions

(7) A provincial court judge may, on application of the informant, of the Attorney General or of the defendant, vary the conditions fixed in the recognizance.

Other provisions to apply

(8) Subsections 810(4) and (5) apply, with such modifications as the circumstances require, to recognizances made under this section.
1997, c. 17, s. 9; 2002, c. 13, s. 82; 2008, c. 6, s. 53; 2011, c. 7, s. 10.
[annotation(s) added]

– CCC (CanLII), (DOJ)

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