From: johnturmel@yahoo.com   
      
   A 1500-second trial   
   Un proces de 1500 secondes   
      
   Louis-Denis Ebacher   
   Le Droit 10 mars 2017   
      
   Un agriculteur reconnu coupable de production d'une vingtaine   
   de plants de cannabis a Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix s'en tire avec   
   100 heures de travaux communautaires et une peine suspendue,   
   au terme d'un etonnant proces devant jury qui aura dure 1500   
   secondes.   
        A farmer found guilty of producing twenty-some cannabis   
   plants at Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix escapes with a suspended   
   sentence and 100 hours of community service after an   
   astounding jury trial that took 1500 seconds.   
      
   L'affaire a fait sourciller plusieurs procureurs et avocats,   
   ces derniers jours, au palais de justice de Gatineau. Certains   
   observateurs se demandaient quelle etait l'utilite de   
   convoquer 12 jures, de payer les couts relies a leur securite,   
   et d'inviter un juge de la Cour superieure provenant de   
   l'exterieur de la region - l'Outouais est en penurie de   
   magistrats - pour un dossier aussi simple.   
        The case has many knit eyebrows among prosecutors and   
   lawyers these recent days at the Gatineau Courthouse. Certain   
   observers were asking themselves what was the use of convoking   
   12 jurors, paying the costs of their security, and inviting   
   Superior Court Justice from outside the region - Outaouais is   
   short of magistrates - for such a simple dossier.   
      
   JCT: Actual costs for 3 days with jury were:   
   300 potential jurors get $45/day for showing up. 60 did not.   
   12 jurors and 2 alternates get $103 once picked.   
   3 Crown lawyers and 5 police officers must cost $200/1stday.   
   2 Crown lawyers and 1 police officer next two days.   
   Judge, bailiffs, clerks, court-reporter for 3 days too.   
      
   So that's 300-60-14= 226*$45                      = $10,170   
   14 jurors * $103 * 3 days                         =   4,326   
   3Crown/5Police 1st day                            =   1,600   
   2Crown/1Police 2 more days                        =   1,200   
   Guess 2 Grand a day for court staff               =   6,000   
                                                     ---------   
                                                     = $23,296   
   Now, let's count in the costs of his first few appearances,   
   his Quash Motion, and not the costs of his Probation Office to   
   oversee his community service. I think $25K is a good guess.   
      
   L'accuse, Nicolas Fontana, a ete arrete en aout 2015, apres   
   que la Surete du Quebec l'ait filme en train d'arroser les   
   plants illegaux sur sa terre. D'emblee, l'accuse a admis avoir   
   ete en possession de ces plants, devant le jury. Seul temoin,   
   un policier a pris quelques minutes pour expliquer comment   
   l'enquete s'etait deroulee.   
        The accused, Nicolas Fontana, was arrested in August 2015   
   after the Surete du Quebec filmed him watering the illegal   
   plants on his property. Straight off, the accused admitted   
   possession of the plants before the jury. The only witness, a   
   police officer, took a few minutes to explain how the   
   investigation unfolded.   
      
   Le proces a dure moins de 25 minutes. Le jury a delibere   
   rapidement et la reponse est tombee:  de production   
   de cannabis.   
        The trial took less than 25 minutes. The jury quickly   
   deliberated and the verdict came down: Guilty of production of   
   cannabis.   
      
   Raymond Turmel   
   Allie de M. Fontana, le militant pour le  Raymond Turmel   
   a assiste au proces. Le but avoue des deux hommes etait de se   
   faire declarer coupable, afin de porter la cause devant la   
   Cour d'appel. En plaidant coupable, ce recours aurait ete   
   impossible.   
        Allied with Mr. Fontana, militant for "Pot" Raymond   
   Turmel helped with the process. The goal of the two men was to   
   be declared guilty in order to take the case to the Court of   
   Appeal. Pleading guilty, this option would have been   
   impossible.   
      
   JCT: Sadly, it leaves the impression that we're appealing to   
   ask the higher court to find him not guilty of growing the 22   
   plants he admitted growing. Pretty stupid that would be.   
      
   Leur cause en Cour d'appel pourrait ne pas etre entendue avant   
   l'an prochain, selon M. Turmel, qui refute avoir agi ainsi   
   pour gagner du temps, en attendant que la loi du gouvernement   
   Trudeau legalisant le cannabis soit votee.   
        Their case in the Court of Appeal won't be heard until   
   next year, according to Mr. Turmel, who refutes having acted   
   to gain time while waiting for the law of the Trudeau   
   government legalizing cannabis to be passed.   
      
   JCT: Actually, we're not counting on Trudeau. We know that it   
   is to appeal the dismissal of the Quash and Charter motions   
   that were not mentioned. So it's not as loser a move as it was   
   made to seem. The reporter didn't cover the Charter challenge   
   so is left with the impression it's about the his personal   
   conviction rather than the validity of the law. And we found   
   out in the Rene Ouellet appeal for certiorari that there was a   
   2-year waiting list once the appeal was perfected and put down   
   on the roll. 6-months for paperwork, that's 2.5 years. 6   
   months for Supreme Court, 3 years.   
      
   Tournant le dos au jury lors du verdict, M. Fontana s'est   
   ensuite excuse au juge pour son comportement.   
        Turning his back on the jury at the verdict, Mr. Fontana   
   then apologized to the judge for his behavior.   
      
   JCT: Hey, the jurors had the unpleasant task of convicting a   
   harmless person. I don't think they'll be bragging about   
   finding a dangerous criminal guilty. And I don't see the Crown   
   bragging about nailing a gentleman farmer.   
      
   Dans un court temoignage, l'accuse a dit prefere faire pousser   
   ses propres plants et ne pas acheter sa consommation a des   
   criminels.   
        In a short testimony, the accused said he preferred   
   growing his own plants than buying from criminals.   
      
   + cheval entre sa residence de Mirabel et sa terre de Notre-   
   Dame-de-la-Paix, M. Fontana a dit craindre de voir ses   
   assurances monter en fleche s'il avait un dossier criminel.   
        A horse-ride between his residence in Mirabel and his   
   land in Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix, Mr. Fontana fears having his   
   insurance rates skyrocket with a criminal record.   
      
   Lois desuetes   
   Puis, il a cite le journal Le Droit, qui a ecrit, en novembre   
   2015, que l'ex-juge Pierre Chevalier, de la Cour du Quebec,   
   avait impose une amende symbolique d'un dollar a un homme   
   arrete en possession de 30 petits plants de cannabis. L'homme   
   en question avait dit au juge qu'il tentait en vain d'obtenir   
   une prescription pour ses maux de dos. Il avait mis en preuve   
   sa situation medicale, contrairement a M. Fontana, cette   
   semaine. Le juge avait qualifie les lois sur le cannabis de   
   , a l'epoque.   
        Antiquated Laws   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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