Intervener status granted to 4 parties in Dennis Oland bail appeal

The Supreme Court of Canada has granted intervener status in Dennis Oland'sappeal of his bail denial to three provinces and a lawyers association.

The attorneys general of Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta and the Criminal Lawyers' Association (Ontario) had applied to intervene in the case.

The court granted them intervener status and entitled them to each serve submit a statement of not more than 10 pages before Oct. 14.

• Dennis Oland's Supreme Court bail appeal attracts 4 intervener requests

Requests from the interveners to present oral arguments in the case were deferred until the written arguments of the parties and the interveners can be considered.

Oland's lawyers had opposed the motions to intervene by the three attorneys general, saying they "have no different or greater expertise" than the New Brunswick attorney general, which is a party in the case.

Oland is appealing decisions in New Brunswick courts that denied him to be freed on bail pending his appeal of his conviction for second-degree murder in the 2011 death of his father, multimillionaire Saint John businessman Richard Oland.

• Dennis Oland'sbid for bail appeal granted by Supreme Court

Court of Appeal Justice J.C. Marc Richard rejected Oland's bail request, ruling "the confidence of the public in the administration of justice would be undermined" if a convicted murderer were to be released pending appeal.

A three-justice panel of the Court of Appeal later upheld that decision. Oland then sought leave to appeal the decision to the country's highest court, which agreed to hear the case.

Arguments are scheduled to be heard by the Supreme Court on Oct. 31.

Meanwhile, Oland'sappeal of his conviction is scheduled to be heard by the New Brunswick Court of Appeal on Oct. 18 to20.