five major court cases to watch in 2016

Does work make you sick?

Workers’ Compensation Appeal Tribunal, et al. v. Fraser Health Authority, et al.: Female lab techs with breast cancer working at a B.C. hospital battle over the proof needed to show their workplace caused their disease.

How badly can judges hammer you?

Matthew John Anthony- Cook v. Queen: A B.C. judge tacked two years onto a joint submission between accused and the Crown in a manslaughter case, worrying those who feel it may discourage people from pleading guilty.

When can a mother get away with murder?

Queen v. Meredith Katharine Borowiec: Judge acquitted an Alberta woman who killed her two newborn babies of murder and convicted her of infanticide. The case will assess the legal standard of when a killing is infanticide or murder.

Is the water contaminated?

Jessica Ernst v. Alberta Energy Regulator: An Alberta woman goes after Encana and the provincial government over alleged contamination of groundwater as a result of fracking.

Can computers betray you?

Queen v. Oswald Oliver Villaroman: Repair tech finds child porn in music share file on customer’s laptop, police lay charges but the man was acquitted over questions of circumstantial evidence and whether he even knew the porn was there.