Magistrate
In July 2002, Ken Courchene was appointed by the province of Manitoba as magistrate for the Sagkeeng and Pine Falls area. Joy Smith, the opposition Justice Critic, unsuccessfully called for the appointment to be rescinded. His duties included authorizing police searches, issuing summons and taking oaths, and he often worked from the RCMP detachment in Powerview.
Courchene's position was placed under judicial scrutiny in early 2004, after a forensic audit drew attention to "unusual" payments he received from the Virginia Fontaine Addictions Foundation over a 29-month period. Provincial justice officials argued that the payments raised "a perception of poor judgment and conduct unbecoming of a judicial officer". The presiding judge ruled in favour of Courchene, determining that the accusations amounted to "perception, innuendo or untested allegations" rather than concrete evidence.
Read more about this topic: Ken Courchene
Famous quotes containing the word magistrate:
““O human creature, ... you are the investigator without knowledge, the magistrate without jurisdiction, and all in all, the fool of the farce.””
—Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592)
“No true believer could be intolerant or a persecutor. If I were a magistrate and the law carried the death penalty against atheists, I would begin by sending to the stake whoever denounced another.”
—Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778)