On December 20, 2013, the Supreme Court of Canada released its decision in the case of R. v. Bedford, 2013 SCC 72. The unanimous judgment was written by the Right Honourable Madam Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, and held that several provisions in the Criminal Code relating to prostitution were inconsistent with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms such that they infringe the s. 7 rights of prostitutes by depriving them of security of the person in a manner that is not in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.

Jonathan Shime and Megan Schwartzentruber of Cooper, Sandler, Shime & Bergman LLP acted as counsel, along with Renée Lang, for the interveners the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and the HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario.

The full decision from the Supreme Court can be found here.