“Amended Amended Redacted Document” Ordered Released to the Press and Public Fifteen Days after Judgment
Wednesday, July 20th, 2011PDF version: “Amended Amended Redacted Document” Ordered Released to the Press and Public Fifteen Days after Judgment
Case considered: Globe & Mail v Alberta, 2011 ABQB 363 (”Globe and Mail“)
When the police want to obtain a search warrant, they file a document with a justice of the peace or judge called an “Information to Obtain a Search Warrant” or “ITO”. In this case, Judge J.D. Bascom had sealed the contents of an ITO filed on a case with respect to an “Unnamed Company”. The Globe and Mail applied to the Court of Queen’s Bench for access to the ITO (subject to some redactions).
Justice William Tilleman dealt with the application for access to the ITO, and noted that he had to “face the difficult task of balancing the sometimes competing rights to freedom of expression and the press, with the administration of justice, the protection of innocent persons, and the right to a fair trial” (Globe and Mail at para 2).

