Innocence Canada

Last chance to get your articling applications in! Applications close this Friday June 28th at 5pm EST!

Head to the link below for more details:

Student Opportunities - Innocence Canada Students are an integral part of the work we do at Innocence Canada. We are proud to facilitate a variety of in-person and virtual opportunities for students across the country....

We are honoured to share that James Lockyer will be delivering the annual Merkur Lecture at Congregation Darchei Noam this Sunday!

The annual Merkur Lecture explores themes of equity, civil liberty, and social justice. This year's topic will be Wrongful Convictions in Canada.

Registration is free, and you can join in-person or on Zoom! Head to the link below to register: www.darcheinoam.ca/merkur

It is with deep sorrow and regret that we share the devastating news of Wally Gillespie’s passing on Friday, April 19th.

Wally was a warrior who fought valiantly for over 40 years to have his and his co-accused names cleared. They were exonerated less than 4 months ago on January 4, 2024.

Wally’s deepest wish and most fervent prayer was to prove his innocence so that his only child would know unequivocally that her father is/was INNOCENT!

We offer our heartfelt condolences to those who loved and supported Wally during his long journey to freedom and exoneration.

Wally will be remembered as a principled, hard working, compassionate and courageous man. He never gave up or gave in despite the challenges and roadblocks he had to endure and overcome throughout the years he fought the good fight.

Wally, may you be at rest and peace in eternity. Know that you were appreciated, respected, and loved.

Wally will be deeply missed by us all.

Wrongfully convicted New Brunswick man dies months after exoneration | Globalnews.ca The organization that led the legal fight to exonerate Walter Gillespie and his friend Robert Mailman of their 1984 murder convictions, says Gillespie died Friday in his home.

This one is for all you lawyers passionate about advocating for the wrongfully convicted!

We are hiring a staff lawyer to join our fabulous legal team 🎉

Head to the 🔗 in our bio for all the details.

~Anticipated start date is May 2024~

We are hiring an Administrative Assistant to support our legal team!

The position is available immediately and we are flexible with part-time or full-time capacity {3-5 days a week}.

Application deadline is March 6th!

All the details and how to apply: https://www.innocencecanada.com/the-latest/newspress/job-posting-administrative-assistant-2024/

The one month countdown is officially on!🎉 We are so excited for the 2024 Innocence Conference in New Orleans! The Innocence Network

👇Some of our favourite snaps from last year in Arizona🌵⚖️✨

Who else is ready for summer! ☀️
~
🔗 in bio for all the dets on our summer fellowships. We have remote and hybrid positions available AND opportunities to get involved in our casework and education/reform work!

application deadline extended to Feb 9th!

In 1996, Sherry Sherret-Robinson experienced every parent’s worst nightmare – she awoke one morning to her 4-month-old son Joshua laying lifeless in his crib.
Doctors were unable to revive him and Sherry was charged with murder.

She would later be [wrongfully] convicted of infanticide, largely due to the incompetence of Ontario’s former top pediatric forensic pathologist. Joshua’s death was a tragedy, not a homicide. Instead of mourning Joshua’s death, Sherry was forced to fight a losing battle for her freedom while her other son Austin was adopted out.

Thank you Sherry for sharing your story with the next generation of lawyers at 💫

A wrongful conviction is traumatic, traumatic in ways that most of us can’t imagine. It’s not easy to speak about your trauma journey. Yet many of the wrongfully convicted become advocates, speaking about their most intimate traumas to audiences of strangers. These are such critical learning opportunities for all of us.

Thank you for creating a safe, supportive and compassionate space for Sherry to share her story. {and thank you for the cozy sweaters, we’ll be hibernating in these ‘til spring!}

“Serious mistakes were made and the miscarriage of justice that occurred as a result of these mistakes have had the direst of consequences for these two men [Mr. Mailman and Mr. Gillespie]. These mistakes have also caused an injustice for the family and friends of Mr. Leeman who have been deprived of answers as to the circumstances of his homicide. None of this can be accepted in a free and democratic society based up on the rule of law”
- Chief Justice Tracey K DeWare, Court of King’s Bench of New Brunswick

Swipe to read Chief DeWare’s full decision

📸 .canadianpress Walter “Wally” Gillespie (left) and Robert “Bobby”Mailman, in the south-end neighbourhood where they grew up in Saint John, NB

The first (of hopefully many more) exonerations of 2024! 🎉

Today, our clients Robert (Bobby) Mailman and Walter (Wally) Gillespie were acquitted … 40 years after they were wrongfully convicted of murder.

In 1983, a jogger discovered the body of George Leeman in a wooded area in Saint John, NB. He had suffered a significant beating and his body partially burned.

Over the next few months, Mr. Mailman and Mr. Gillespie were subsequently charged with his murder despite them both having strong alibis putting them nowhere near the crime scene on the day of the murder.

Both men were convicted and sentenced to life in prison. They never wavered in insisting on their innocence. Not once.

Mr. Mailman served 18 years in prison. He is now 76 years old and terminally ill. Mr. Gillespie served 21 years. He is now 80 years old and lives in a halfway house in Saint John.

Our team is so proud to stand here today with Mr. Mailman and Mr. Gillespie! Our Director of Client Services Win Wahrer (left), counsel Jerome Kennedy and James Lockyer, co-president Ron Dalton, and our Legal Director Pamela Zbarsky (not pictured).

📸:

Meet our fabulous articling student – Chantal Larocque! (she/her) ⚡️⚖️✨

Chantal obtained her JD and her BA in Political Science & Women + Gender Studies

She was inspired to pursue a career in criminal law after studying oppression and societal power imbalances during her undergad. Chantal is passionate about helping individuals as they face the power of the state.

A herself, Chantal is also passionate about promoting linguistic rights and access to justice in both official languages. During law school, she was a member of the Board of Directors of the Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Alberta where she helped ensure the protection of the public’s linguistic rights. She also worked at the Alberta Court of King’s Bench as a bilingual law student, where she assisted lawyers and judges with French related matters
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*big thank you to for generously funding our articling position!

Meet our fabulous articling student – Chantal Larocque! (she/her)

Chantal obtained her JD and BA (political science and women and gender studies) . She was inspired to pursue a career in criminal law after studying oppression and societal power imbalances during her undergad. Chantal is passionate about helping individuals as they face the power of the state.

A French Canadian herself, Chantal is also passionate about promoting linguistic rights and access to justice in both official languages. During law school, she was a member of the Board of Directors of the Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Alberta where she helped ensure the protection of the public’s linguistic rights. She also worked at the Alberta Court of King’s Bench as a bilingual law student, where she assisted lawyers and judges with French related matters.

See 🔗 in bio for all the details ⚡️⚖️

*Applications due by October 31st*

Our Innocence Canada Co-President, Ron Dalton, had two celebrations at the recent hosted by in Phoenix, AZ- his birthday and presenting as a Moth storyteller. Well done Ron ! Thank you to everyone who joined us in singing him Happy Birthday ! 🙌🏼

Yes 🇨🇦, Justin Brooks’ book “You Might Go To Prison, Even though you are Innocent” has arrived. I finally received my copy and I could not be happier. This is excellent reading material. Written by my dear friend and the Director of the California Innocence Project.

Innocence Canada with the international group at the 2023.

“Twenty years is a long time.” Reach out to Innocence Canada to find out if we can help, if you want to support our organization or even become a member. Twitter, Facebook or Instagram

“The long shadows cast by residential schools deeply impact survivors’ and descendants’ lives. The over-representation of Indigenous peoples among the wrongly convicted is a particularly horrific manifestation of the continuing injustices. Innocence Canada stands with all Indigenous peoples in their struggle for fair treatment and justice. “ – L. Jane McMillan, Director, Innocence Canada and Author.

There is still time to apply. New application deadline is October 5, 2022! Opportunity to work for positive change! Innocence Canada is seeking a lawyer passionate about reviewing wrongful convictions to join our legal team: https://www.innocencecanada.com/.../innocence-canada-is.../

IC warmly welcomes our 2022-23 law students!

Rebecca Rosenberg, Kaitlyn Nelson, Talia Wolfe and Maguid Nicholas join as U of T externs.

Angelika Kuzma, Kasi McAuley, Jen Lorestani and Alicia Cooke join from the Osgoode Hall Innocence Project.

We are thrilled to work with you!

We are thrilled that Stacey Seward joined Innocence Canada as our 2022-23 articling student.

Stacey graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 2022, where she fostered a passion for criminal defence and advocating for the wrongfully convicted during a year-long clinical placement with the school’s Innocence Project. She was a recipient of the Ian Scott Public Interest Award, which allowed her to continue this important work and education through a fellowship with Innocence Canada. She is delighted to return as an articling student.

Stacey also holds a Bachelor of Journalism (honours) degree, with a combined honours in political science from the University of King’s College and Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. A zealous researcher and storyteller with a love for the written word, she worked as a freelance print journalist for some time.

Before university, she lived mainly in her hometown, St. John’s, Newfoundland, where she worked as a bartender and was involved in many creative and musical communities, ranging from punk rock to traditional folk music.

Coming from a background where resources are often scarce, public interest work is of the upmost importance to Stacey. She strongly believes that neither systemic issues, nor a lack of financial resources, should preclude anybody from obtaining meaningful justice. She is immensely grateful for the opportunity to do work that aligns with this maxim.

Don't delay at registering! The Nexus Conference on Wrongful Convictions is here - online programming September 26-30 https://hopin.com/events/nexus-conference-on-wrongful-convictions-2022/registration

Summer flew by! Missing them already - our 2022 summer student fellows, Wardha Khokhar and Nikou Salamat. Thank you both for such a great summer and your contributions to Innocence Canada and the innocence movement!

Photographed here is Wardha. Wardha completed her Bachelor of laws at the University of Montreal and began Bar school in fall 2022. A strong advocate for justice, she is a co-founder of Juristes Engagées, a non-profit organization that provides free legal information to those in need. She is a firm believer of access to justice for all. Having worked closely with victims of conjugal violence at the Shield of Athena, Wardha is truly passionate about amplifying the voices of marginalized and vulnerable people. She has a deep appreciation for activism and seeks new ways to get involved in her community. Having volunteered at the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR) and the University of Montreal Pro Bono division, she is committed to helping others and to reduce social inequalities. Wardha carried out presentations as part of our youth outreach programming, conducted research and writing on casefiles, and completed a memo analyzing the report on the creation of the Miscarriages of Justice Commission: https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/cj-jp/ccr-rc/mjc-cej/index.html

Summer flew by! Thanking Nikou Salamat and Wardha Khokhar for your contributions to Innocence Canada and the innocence movement! Photographed here is Nikou Salamat, a 2L student at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law this Fall 2022. Nikou supported Innocence Canada’s lawyers with post-conviction review case work, which includes reviewing claims of wrongful conviction, identifying new avenues for investigation, and conducting legal research on specific criminal law issues. She also worked on Innocence Canada’s educational programming, which seeks to prevent future miscarriages of justice by engaging in youth outreach presentations and drafting an educational module script and powerpoint on systemic racism and wrongful convictions. Prior to law school, she completed an Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences in Conflict Studies and Human Rights.

New application deadline is October 5, 2022! Opportunity to work for positive change! Innocence Canada is seeking a lawyer passionate about reviewing wrongful convictions to join our legal team: https://www.innocencecanada.com/the-latest/newspress/innocence-canada-is-hiring/

Opportunity to work for positive change! Innocence Canada is seeking a lawyer passionate about reviewing wrongful convictions to join our legal team. Application deadline: September 21, 2022.

Register today for the Nexus Conference on Wrongful Convictions from September 26-30. Hear from Maria Shepherd and The Honourable Harry S. LaForme! https://www.nexusconferenceonwrongfulconvictions.com/register

Register today for the Nexus Conference on Wrongful Convictions being held September 26-30. Hear from Maria Shepherd and The Honourable Harry S. LaForme!! https://www.nexusconferenceonwrongfulconvictions.com/register

Innocence Canada seeks candidates for our Director of Operations Position. Apply today - deadline is extended to July 24th! See ad and link here for more information: https://www.innocencecanada.com/the-latest/newspress/director-of-operations-position/