The recent barrage of criticism of the bail system in recent weeks by the mainstream media is unfounded and has the potential to further erode the fundamental tenet of the presumption of innocenc and the right to one's liberty until proven guilty. Every day hundreds and more likely thousands of individuals are granted bail in the Ontario. It is abundantly clear that incidents like the Eaton Centre incident - namely - an individual on bail committing a serious crime is a rare occurrence. Most individuals on bail comply with their conditions without incident. The dilema here is much like the popular sayting that it is better that two guilty men go free than one innocent man be wrongly found guilty. There is a price for having fundamental values and principles like the presumption of innocense and regretably as the Eaton Centre incident illustrates that price can be tragic and painfull.
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