Criminal law and criminal court procedure change over time, through legislative amendments, new court decisions, and changes in how courts and Crown offices operate day to day. This page explains how Criminal Law in Ontario approaches keeping its content current.
Why Updates Matter
A page that was accurate when it was written can become outdated after a legislative amendment, a significant new appellate decision, or a change in how a particular court or process operates. Because the consequences of relying on outdated criminal-law information can be serious, this site tries to review and refresh content on an ongoing basis rather than treating any page as a one-time publication.
What Can Trigger a Review
- An amendment to the Criminal Code or another relevant federal statute
- A significant new decision from the Supreme Court of Canada, the Ontario Court of Appeal, or another court that changes how a legal principle is generally understood
- A change in publicly available guidance from Legal Aid Ontario, an Ontario court, or another government source
- Feedback from a reader identifying something that may be outdated or inaccurate, submitted through the contact page
The "Updated" Date
Every substantive page on this site displays an "Updated" date near the top, below the heading. That date reflects when the page was last reviewed or revised. It is not a guarantee that nothing has changed since, since the law can change at any time, including shortly after a page was reviewed.
Always Confirm Current Rules With a Lawyer
Because this site cannot guarantee that every page reflects the very latest change in the law, readers dealing with an actual criminal matter should always confirm the current rules with a lawyer or duty counsel rather than relying solely on the date shown on a page. This is especially important for time-sensitive matters, such as bail conditions, appeal deadlines, or anything connected to an upcoming court date.
How Changes Are Made
When a page is updated, the goal is to revise the affected sections so they reflect the current general state of the law, while keeping the rest of the page's plain-language style and structure intact. Significant changes, such as those following a major legislative amendment, may involve a more thorough rewrite of a page rather than a small edit.
Not every page changes on the same schedule. A page describing a stable, long-standing legal principle may need only occasional light review, while a page covering an area of active legislative change or ongoing litigation is generally reviewed more frequently. Where a specific rule is known to be the subject of a pending appellate decision or a proposed legislative amendment, pages try to flag that directly so readers know to expect possible change.
Legislative Change Is Constant
Criminal law in Canada is not static. Parliament periodically amends the Criminal Code and related statutes, and courts regularly issue decisions that refine how existing provisions are interpreted and applied. This means that even a page reviewed recently can be affected by a development that occurred after its last update, which is part of why this site consistently recommends confirming anything time-sensitive directly with a lawyer or duty counsel.
Noticed something on this site that appears out of date? You can report it through the contact page. See also the corrections policy for how reported issues are handled.