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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.

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