Section 486.7 — Criminal Code: Security of witnesses

In any proceedings against an accused, the presiding judge or justice may, on application of the prosecutor or a witness or on his or her own motion, make any order, other than one that may be made under any of sections 486 to 486.5, if the judge or justice is of the opinion that the order is necessary to protect the security of any witness and is otherwise in the interest of the proper administration of justice. The application may be made, during the proceedings, to the presiding judge or justice or, before the proceedings begin, to the judge or justice who will preside at the proceedings or, if that judge or justice has not been determined, to any judge or justice having jurisdiction in the judicial district where the proceedings will take place. In determining whether to make the order, the judge or justice shall consider the age of the witness; the witness’s mental or physical disabilities, if any; the right to a fair and public hearing; the nature of the offence; whether the witness needs the order to protect them from intimidation or retaliation; whether the order is needed to protect the security of anyone known to the witness; society’s interest in encouraging the reporting of offences and the participation of victims and witnesses in the criminal justice process; the importance of the witness’s testimony to the case; whether effective alternatives to the making of the proposed order are available in the circumstances; the salutary and deleterious effects of the proposed order; and any other factor that the judge or justice considers relevant. No adverse inference may be drawn from the fact that an order is, or is not, made under this section.