This case is similar to one in Port Alberni a few years ago where a store owner's spouse was being held at gunpoint in the front of the store.
The husband retrieved his legally issued firearm from the safe in the back, loaded it and entered the front of the store and shot the gunman. The detachment commander was quoted as saying, "We had to charge him with something", after charges of assault were filed.
Community outrage resulted in the charges being dropped.
"The documents say McDonald is charged with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon after he "did endanger the life" of Michael Kyle Breen.
A fight ensued, police said, and the alleged intruder — now identified as Breen, 41 — was seriously injured and airlifted to a Toronto hospital.
Police said Breen was already wanted by investigators at the time of the incident. They said he faces multiple charges in connection with the Monday incident, including weapon possession, breaking and entering, and theft.
Kawartha Lakes police chief Kirk Robertson said on Wednesday that Canadian law allows "a person to use reasonable force to protect themselves and their property if they believe they are facing a threat. However, it is important to understand that these rights are not unlimited."
I live in rural Canada and find the police response absurd. We had an incident in Alberta a few years back where a thief attempted to steal a quad from a rancher. The homeowner woke, grabbed a shotgun and discharged it over the thief's head as he attempted to flee. The guy abandoned the quad. The police arrested the homeowner. The entire community was outraged and hundreds attended his court appearance.
In my neighborhood we have a community group to which we're all connected by phones. One gets robbed, scores of us decend on the scene.
We totally agree! As one of the writers noted, it is unlikely a Canadian will be convicted for self defense but we have to put a stop to the arrests in the first place. The cost of defending oneself against a case the prosecution knows it will lose is ludicrous.
BC prosecutors have a track record of this behavior against law enforcement officers charged with assault for doing their jobs. The government wastes taxpayers $, stress the officer and his/her family for months then drop the charges. Asinine.
I'm not Canadian but I found this which might clarify. It is regretable that the justice system allows prosecution to go through the motions knowing they can't convict while making the victim pay for legal fees. Maybe if the victim could sue the government for false prosecution that would change the manner in which a person is charged.
This? "In Canada, you can shoot, stab and bludgeon an intruder who comes into your home with hostile intentions, and the legal system will almost always determine that you didn’t do anything wrong.
But the problem, according to self-defence advocates, is that this determination often only comes at the tail end of a ruinous and years-long legal battle."
The weapon was a crossbow! He was attacked in his home, according to this reporter and the attacker struck the homeowner with the crossbow. Note the person above is reporting from The Rebel, a known right wing production.
I've been following Smith and her quest for a Trump-like province. If she weighs in on this with Doug Ford it may be interesting to see the outcome. Do politicians have any influence in areas of law in Canada?
I agree with the attorney quoted in the article. We have to wait for details but it would appear the officers felt the homeowner used excessive force. Canada doesn't have the Castle Doctrine, thankfully. Many American states have laws that allow a homeowner to use deadly force for stealing from your property.
Commenting as a new Canadian resident in Vancouver, this is what I don't understand.
"Police said Breen was already wanted by investigators at the time of the incident. They said he faces multiple charges in connection with the Monday incident, including weapon possession, breaking and entering, and theft."
There is much more to this story than has been reported. I know that the arresting officers had discretion as to whether to lay charges or not. Why did they? Canadian law, as noted in the article, allows citizens to use force to protect themselves or those for whom they feel responsible. But as is also noted, that discretion is limited to thwarting an attack, not continuing it. Also, with what was the intruder armed? Knife? Firearm? That is significant as well.
Notably also is the premiers of Alberta and Ontario weighing on the issue.
I live in rural Canada and find the police response absurd. We had an incident in Alberta a few years back where a thief attempted to steal a quad from a rancher. The homeowner woke, grabbed a shotgun and discharged it over the thief's head as he attempted to flee. The guy abandoned the quad. The police arrested the homeowner. The entire community was outraged and hundreds attended his court appearance.
In my neighborhood we have a community group to which we're all connected by phones. One gets robbed, scores of us decend on the scene.
Canada, we can do better than this.
Several posters have compared Canadian self defense laws with those in some American states. Here is from June 2025 in Alabama.
I've been following Smith and her quest for a Trump-like province. If she weighs in on this with Doug Ford it may be interesting to see the outcome. Do politicians have any influence in areas of law in Canada?
I agree with the attorney quoted in the article. We have to wait for details but it would appear the officers felt the homeowner used excessive force. Canada doesn't have the Castle Doctrine, thankfully. Many American states have laws that allow a homeowner to use deadly force for stealing from your property.
Commenting as a new Canadian resident in Vancouver, this is what I don't understand.
"Police said Breen was already wanted by investigators at the time of the incident. They said he faces multiple charges in connection with the Monday incident, including weapon possession, breaking and entering, and theft."
There is much more to this story than has been reported. I know that the arresting officers had discretion as to whether to lay charges or not. Why did they? Canadian law, as noted in the article, allows citizens to use force to protect themselves or those for whom they feel responsible. But as is also noted, that discretion is limited to thwarting an attack, not continuing it. Also, with what was the intruder armed? Knife? Firearm? That is significant as well.
Notably also is the premiers of Alberta and Ontario weighing on the issue.
I hope the poster keeps us up to date.
Alberta premier weighs in on the incident.
https://www.facebook.com/chad.priest.982/videos/644054622079075/?mibextid=wwXIfr