31 October 2011

Wait, that's not spam, you've been summoned for jury duty!

Bill 15, the Attorney General and Public Safety and Solicitor General Statutes Amendment Act, 2011, was tabled in the Legislature for first reading today. Among other things, the briefly-titled bill would amend s. 11(2) of the Jury Act to allow the sheriff to summon jurors for criminal trials by email.

Given the proliferation of phishing scams, it seems more likely than not that a potential juror would assume the sheriff's email was spam or a scam of some sort. Make a mental note: before you hit the delete key, double-check to make sure that the email isn't legitimate. You may be fined if you don't show up!

Read the Attorney General's press release on the new bill.