Someone you love has been arrested, or you have — and the questions are coming fast. When is the bail hearing? Can the police hold you this long? Is this a summary or an indictable charge? Will you get out tonight? You do not have to sit in the dark guessing. Criminal law in Canada is federal — the same Criminal Code applies across every province and territory — but it is run through Newfoundland and Labrador's own courts and Crown attorneys, and the first 24 hours matter more than almost anything that follows. Our AI legal assistant, trained on the Criminal Code of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador procedure, can walk you through exactly what happens next, in plain English. Free legal information — call our line now and ask as many questions as you like.
Free legal information. Not legal advice. Available 24/7 across Newfoundland and Labrador.
Do two things right now. First: say nothing to the police beyond identifying yourself. Under section 10(b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms you have the right to retain and instruct counsel without delay and to be told of that right — ask to speak to a lawyer and stop talking until you have. In Newfoundland and Labrador, Legal Aid NL runs a free "24 Hour Advice for Persons Detained by Police" line so you can get that advice at any hour. Second: count the clock. If you are held in custody, the police must bring you before a justice for a bail hearing without unreasonable delay, and within 24 hours if a justice is available (Criminal Code s.503). That first bail hearing is where your release is decided, so getting clear information before it happens is everything.
This is the trap most people never see coming. Since the December 2018 reforms, impaired driving and "over 80" carry a maximum of 10 years' imprisonment when the Crown proceeds by indictment (Criminal Code s.320.19). Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA s.36), an offence with a maximum of 10 years or more is "serious criminality" — and inadmissibility turns on that maximum, not on the sentence you actually receive. So a permanent resident who pleads to a first-offence impaired charge and gets only the $1,000 minimum fine can still face the same immigration consequences as someone sent to jail, and "deemed rehabilitation" is not available. If you are not a citizen, the criminal and immigration sides of your case have to be handled together from the very first appearance — not after a plea. Get clear information before you decide anything.
If you cannot afford a private lawyer, Newfoundland and Labrador has a real safety net — legal aid, a 24-hour police-detention advice line and free public legal information. These are independent organisations, not Legal Hotline, but they are the right doors to know.
How long can the police hold me before I get a bail hearing in Newfoundland and Labrador?
If you are held in custody, the police must bring you before a justice without unreasonable delay, and within 24 hours if a justice is available (Criminal Code s.503). Wherever possible the hearing is completed on your first appearance in the Provincial Court. While you are in custody, Legal Aid NL runs a free 24-hour advice line for people detained by police. To understand your specific timeline, get clear legal information before bail court.
Which court will my criminal case be heard in?
Almost every adult case starts in the Provincial Court of Newfoundland and Labrador — everyone charged must pass through it, even if they are ultimately tried higher up. The Provincial Court (a judge alone, no jury) handles all summary offences, many indictable offences and most bail hearings. The more serious indictable matters, and all jury trials, go to the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador (General Division), which is the province's superior trial court. (Note: Newfoundland and Labrador calls its superior court the "Supreme Court," not the "Court of King's Bench.")
Is my charge a summary or an indictable offence — and what is a hybrid offence?
Summary conviction offences are the less serious ones (default maximum under s.787: a $5,000 fine and/or up to two years less a day). Indictable offences are more serious, with higher maximums. Many Criminal Code offences are "hybrid," meaning the Crown chooses whether to proceed summarily or by indictment — and that choice changes your penalty and trial options. We can explain which category your charge falls into.
What happens at a bail hearing, and what does 'reverse onus' mean?
Under Criminal Code s.515 the starting point is release on the least onerous conditions (the "ladder principle" from R. v. Antic), and the Crown normally has to justify keeping you in custody on the primary, secondary or tertiary grounds. For certain "reverse onus" charges the burden flips and you must show why you should be released. Understanding which applies to you before the hearing matters.
Does Newfoundland and Labrador screen charges before or after they are laid?
Newfoundland and Labrador uses a post-charge model. The police lay the charge first, on reasonable grounds under Criminal Code s.504, and the Crown then reviews it against the "reasonable prospect of conviction" standard. That is different from provinces like British Columbia, Quebec and New Brunswick, where a prosecutor must approve a charge before it is laid. It means a charge can be laid and later screened out by the Crown.
I was charged with impaired driving or 'over 80' — what are the penalties?
Under Criminal Code s.320.19 a first offence carries a minimum $1,000 fine (more if your blood-alcohol level is higher) and a mandatory minimum one-year driving prohibition, plus a concurrent provincial licence suspension. If the Crown proceeds by indictment the maximum is up to 10 years. There is no "DUI" charge in Canada — these are impaired driving and "over 80" offences under the federal Criminal Code.
I'm not a Canadian citizen — can a criminal charge affect my immigration status?
It can, and it is a federal immigration question decided under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, not by the criminal court. Under IRPA s.36, an offence with a maximum of 10 years or more is "serious criminality," and inadmissibility turns on that maximum — not the sentence you actually get. So even a first-offence impaired charge with only a fine can threaten a permanent resident's status. The criminal and immigration sides need to be handled together.
How long does a criminal case take, and what is the Jordan rule?
Under R. v. Jordan (2016) a case is presumptively too slow if it takes more than 18 months in the Provincial Court, or 30 months in the Supreme Court, from the charge to the end of trial. Delay beyond those ceilings can lead to the charges being stayed, though defence-caused delay and exceptional circumstances are taken out of the count. Timing can genuinely affect the outcome.
My teenager was charged — how is youth court different?
Young people aged 12 to 17 are dealt with under the federal Youth Criminal Justice Act, through the Youth Division of the Provincial Court. The Act emphasises rehabilitation and reintegration, uses extrajudicial measures (like warnings and referrals) for less serious matters, protects the young person's privacy, and keeps youth records separate with their own access and destruction rules. The approach and the penalties are different from adult court.
Can I get my criminal record cleared in Canada?
Often, yes, through a record suspension (formerly a "pardon") from the Parole Board of Canada under the Criminal Records Act. You become eligible 5 years after completing your sentence for a summary offence, or 10 years for an indictable one, provided you have no new convictions. The application fee is modest and you can apply directly, without a lawyer or paid service.
Does this hotline give legal advice or get me a lawyer?
We give clear legal information — not legal advice — and any contact creates no lawyer-client relationship. Legal Hotline is not a law firm and not Legal Aid NL. The AI assistant is trained on Canadian criminal law and answers as many questions as you like, free, every time you call. A paid consultation with a Newfoundland and Labrador–licensed criminal defence lawyer is coming soon; the free information line is live now for Newfoundland and Labrador.
Are you a Newfoundland and Labrador–licensed criminal defence lawyer? We're building our Newfoundland and Labrador network ahead of launching paid consultations — to connect worried, urgent callers across St. John's, Mount Pearl, Corner Brook, Gander, Grand Falls-Windsor and Labrador with vetted local counsel at the moment they are ready to retain. If you would like to receive matched client referrals for bail, summary and indictable matters, impaired driving, youth justice and record-relief questions, join our network and we will route consultations your way as the service goes live.
General legal information, not legal advice. We research every page from primary sources — legislation, the courts, and government legal-aid bodies — and check it for accuracy against current Canadian federal and provincial law. Spotted something out of date? Tell us at [email protected].
An arrest does not keep office hours. Whether the bail hearing is hours away, you need to know if this is a summary or an indictable charge, or you are a permanent resident worried about your status, you can call now and get clear, plain-English legal information — free, with no web form and no income test — about your Newfoundland and Labrador criminal matter, grounded in the Criminal Code of Canada and how it is applied in the province's courts. The line is live now; the independent organisations listed above are also the right doors to know.
Free legal information. Not legal advice.