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45 Alta. L. Rev. 79 (2007-2008)
Tessling, Brown, and A.M.: Towards a Principled Approach to Section 8

handle is hein.journals/alblr45 and id is 83 raw text is: A PRINCIPLED APPROACH TO SECTION 8 TESSLING, BROWN, AND A.M.: TOWARDS A PRINCIPLED APPROACH TO SECTION 8 WILLIAM MACKINNON* This article analyzes the Supreme Court of Canada's search-and-seizure jurisprudence in anticipation of the Court's forthcoming decisions on the admissibility of evidence obtained by police dog searches in Brown and A.M. After reviewing the historical development ofs. 8, the author then goes on to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the Court's analysis of sense-enhancing aids and the reasonable expectation of privacy in Tessling. The article ultimately argues that the Court ought to eschew a case-by)-case model for establishing the existence of a reasonable expectation of privacy, and go beyond the facts of Brown and A.M. in order to adopt a more principled approach to s. 8. The author maintains that a moreprincipledapproach is necessary because state actors need clearer guidance ifthey are to successfully balance individual privacy with the use of sense- enhancing aids. Cet article analyse la jurisprudence de la Cour supreme du Canada sur lesfouilles, les perquisitions et les saisies en provision des prochaines ddcisions de la Cour sur l'admissibilitM de lapreuve obtenue par les chienspoliciers dans Brown et A.M. Aprks avoir revu le ddveloppement historique de I'article 8, l 'auteur discute des forces et desfaiblesses de I 'analyse, par la Cour, des aides amkliorant les sens el les attentes raisonnables en matikre de protection de la vie privke dans Tessling. L 'auteurfinit par faire remarquer que la Cour devrait viter un module au cas par cas, 9tablir 1 'existence d'attentes raisonnables de protection de la vie prive et aller au-delb desfaits de Brown et A.M. afin d'adopter une approche di I '9gard de I'article 8 qui soit fonde sur des principes. L 'auteur maintient qu 'une telle approche est ndcessaire parce que les acleurs de I 'Etat ont besoin d'une orientation plus claire pour bien dquilibrer la protection de la vie prive des individus etl 'utilisation des aides am~liorant les sens. TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION .............................................. 80 II. THE JURISPRUDENTIAL FRAMEWORK ............................... 81 III. TESSLING AT THE ONTARIO COURT OF APPEAL ....................... 90 IV. TESSLING AT THE SUPREME COURT OF CANADA ....................... 96 A. WHAT WAS THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THE FLIR IMAGE? ..................................... 97 B. DID THE RESPONDENT HAVE A DIRECT INTEREST IN THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THE IMAGE? ...................... 98 C. DID THE RESPONSENT HAVE A SUBJECTIVE EXPECTATION OF PRIVACY IN THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THE FUR IMAGE? ............................. 98 D. WAS THE RESPONDENT'S EXPECTATION OF PRIVACY OBJECTIVELY REASONABLE? ............................... 99 V. BROWN, A.M AND THE CHANCE TO SET THINGS RIGHT .............. 107 VI. A ROLE FOR PARLIAMENT? ................................... 112 V II. CONCLUSION .............................................. 114 B.A., LL.B., LL.M. This article is an edited version of my Master of Laws thesis which was authored in residence at the University of Alberta. I would like to thank my graduate supervisor, Dr. Sanjeev Anand, for his guidance during the preparation of this article. I would also like to thank the Alberta Law Foundation and the Culliton Scholarship Committee for funding my research.