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British Columbia Review Board

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Media Information

Please note the Board does not comment on specific cases before the BC Review Board. Responses to media inquiries are for information only and cannot be used as authority in court proceedings.

A one page document with key information about the BC Review Board can be downloaded here.

Hearings

BC Review Board hearings are presumptively public. For a schedule of upcoming hearings, please see the schedule page here.

After reviewing the information provided on this website, if you have any questions regarding the Board’s mandate or processes please contact the Board via email at BCRBRegistry@gov.bc.ca or use the form on our contact page here.

BC Review Board staff will not be available to speak to media personnel on site.

Reasons

The Review Board, like the Court, speaks through its dispositions (orders) and Reasons for Disposition.

Please refer to Rule 31 of the Board’s Rules and Procedures Governing the Review Board Process regarding the publishing of reasons.

In circumstances where there is an application to withhold our reasons, the Board will invite legal submissions from the Parties and media and then rule on the application. 

Notices to media in such cases will be displayed below.

Notices to Media

Allan Dwayne Schoenborn

On March 11, 2024 an application was made to partially restrict publication of Mr. Schoenborn’s new legal name following a legal name change.

Parties to Mr. Schoenborn’s hearing, as well as interested media, were given the opportunity to make legal submissions on the application. The final submission deadline was April 12, 2024.

On April 16, 2024 the Board made a ruling denying the application. The ruling is available here. Reasons for this ruling will be released shortly.

The formal application and the submissions will not be published as they may include privileged and confidential information.

The following directions are included in the ruling:

  1. THAT at the annual disposition review hearing, presently set for April 17, 2024, the Parties are to refer to the Accused by the name of Allan Dwayne Schoenborn;
  2. THAT any Party seeking legal remedy or review of this order is to notify the Board of their intention by April 30, 2024; and
  3. THAT if the Board is not notified of a party’s intention to seek a legal remedy by April 30, 2024, the Board’s disposition and reasons for disposition will bear the Accused’s current legal name and his former legal name. 

The March 3, 2022 Disposition can be found here, and the Reasons can be found here. These are the most recent reasons. This order was extended for a further 12 months.

April 17, 2024:

Mr. Schoenborn’s hearing began but was unable to be completed. The hearing was adjourned and will be rescheduled to continue at a later date. This page will be updated as new information is available.

An application was made on September 15, 2023 to withhold the release of the April 13, 2023 Reasons of the British Columbia Review Board in the matter of Blair Evan DONNELLY.

Interested media organizations were provided a deadline for sending legal submissions to the Board.

The application to withhold the release of the April 13, 2023 Reasons of the British Columbia Review Board has been reviewed and dismissed. The October 10, 2023 Application Reasons for Dismissal can be found here. Additional procedural decisions can be found on our Case Law page.

Applications are not published as they may include privileged and confidential information.

The April 13, 2023 Reasons can be found here.

On November 24, 2023 the Board received an application from the accused’s counsel for a hearing in the absence of all parties (a paper hearing), as per Rule 27 of the BCRB Rules and Procedures Governing the Review Board Process. On November 27, 2023 the Board received consent for the paper hearing from Crown counsel and counsel for the Director of Adult Forensic Psychiatric Services. All parties agreed that the accused should remain in custody. The Review Board panel considered the application and, on December 1, 2023, granted the application for the hearing to proceed in the absence of all parties.

The disposition resulting from the December 4, 2023 hearing held in the absence of parties can be found here. The Reasons can be found here.

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The September 18, 2023 Reasons can be found here.

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The July 19, 2018 Reasons for absolute discharge can be found here. These are the most recent reasons. Please note that there is a ban under s. 672.501(1) of the Criminal Code that prohibits the publication, broadcasting or other transmission of any information that could identify a victim, or a witness under 18 years of age, in this matter. Failure to comply with this order is an offence.

For any future hearings, please see the schedule page here.

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The December 6, 2023 Reasons can be found here.

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