A P.E.I. Crown attorney has stayed charges against the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) after the public broadcaster had been accused of breaching a┬аpublication ban.
In a court document dated Feb. 21, Senior Crown Attorney Lisa Goulden┬аdirected the provincial court that proceedings be stayed against the CBC, which had been charged with disobeying a court order.
Last December,┬аthe RCMP in P.E.I released a statement that it had laid the charge against┬аCBC┬аP.E.I. news journalist Jesara Sinclair┬аfollowing an┬аinvestigation related to the publication of a news article.
Although the┬аRCMP had initially laid the charge against┬аSinclair, those charges were stayed, and in January,┬аthe┬аCBC itself was charged and became the defendant in the case.
The RCMP┬аaccused the CBC┬аof disobeying a court order dated June 20, 2022,┬аdirecting that any information that could identify “the victim or witness shall not be published in any document or broadcast or transmitted in any way,” according to a court document.
The RCMP┬аdid not specify where the article was published, or in what form. According to the news release, the article was published on Nov. 8, which prompted a complaint. The subsequent investigation began on Nov. 14.
A charge being stayed means legal proceedings are paused temporarily or indefinitely, and in most cases, stayed charges result in no further action.
Chuck Thompson, a spokesperson┬аfor CBC, said the public broadcaster was┬аpleased with the outcome.
Editor’s Note: This story was written by a reporter in Toronto to ensure editorial distance from the newsroom involved in the case.
