The National Pardon Centre™

If you have been following this blog you might be aware that I held a little competition recently written in a post called Letter Blogging: Time Frames for a Pardon. I honestly didn’t expect that the competition would be won so soon mostly because I didn’t think that the blog was read as much as it seems to be. But within a week the competition was won and Louis earned himself a pardon at half price.

So, congratulations Louis. Obviously I am not going to include your full name because any sensible person would not want that information published. And since I am still not in the business of slandering my competition I am not naming the company in question (which may be a perfectly fine pardon service for all I know). But I am very happy to know that at least a few people are reading this blog.

Sincerely,

Michael Ashby
Communications Director
http://www.nationalpardon.org/

One of my competitors has a blog that I watch from time to time. And I find it amusing because every blog entry reads like this:

“Here is a letter from a happy client who loves us…”

And then the entry continues with a letter congratulating the company on its excellence. It is not for me to decide whether or not the letter is a fake. And I am also not in the business of disgracing my competition which is why I have not named names. But…I am willing to do a pardon or waiver for half price to the first person who actually reads this blog AND discovers the competitor I am referring to. Send your answers to info@nationalpardon.org I would be very happy if someone actually managed to do this.  

In the meantime I thought it would be fun to turn things around. So, in the interest of blog entries that are nothing more than letters from one person to another here is a letter I sent to an actual person who asked me how long the pardon procedure takes to complete. I guarantee it is 100% authentic.

Hi Albert,

Our expedited service is only applicable as far as the work done in our office in concerned. Once the file is sent to the Parole Board it is out of our hands. That being said we are seeing our expedited files finished within 2- 8 months right now (that estimate includes time at the National Parole Board). Of course there are always exceptions since we are dealing with the government, which is why we cannot guarantee this time but that is honestly the average response we expect at the moment.

You should also be aware that expedited services are only available if the client is currently eligible or if he/she will be eligible very soon. We have no way of getting around the probationary periods imposed by the Parole Board.

As for emergency pardons there are some situations that warrant special treatment by the Parole Board. The work on our side does not change but if we can provide proof of emergency status then the response time from the Parole Board can be shortened. However, work is not a valid reason because work is the number one reason people finally get around to obtaining a pardon. Unfortunately, our clients tend to wait until the criminal record is adversely affecting something in their life before realizing the importance of the application.

I hope that information helps. Please let me know if you have further questions or if you would like to get a file started.

Kind regards,

Michael Ashby

(514) 842-2411 x 227
http://www.nationalpardon.org/

January is always a busy time of year for us here at the National Pardon Centre. There are many reasons for this but one of the main reasons is that people tend to travel over the holidays. And whenever people are travelling (to American at least) the the ones with the criminal records are going to find themselves in trouble.

Unfortunately what tends to happen is that people try crossing the border for the holiday season. They are quickly rejected by a border guard doing his job and, come January, when people realize that a Canadian Pardon or US entry waiver is important, they call us.

I always tell people to stay away from the border until things are taken care of but the fact is a lot of people just aren’t aware that an old criminal record is a problem. The other thing is that a lot of people are able to travel to the States without getting caught, creating a false sense of security. And finally, a lot of people (all of us as matter of fact) have a tendency to wait until things like this catch up with us before we decide to finally take care of it.

If you have a criminal record you need to have it taken care of regardless of what may or may not have happened at the border. Even if the criminal record is not affecting your life, there is a good chance that it will in the future. But don’t wait until your holidays are ruined to finally make the decision to clear things up. Give us a call at the National Pardon Centre. We can help make sure your past is not going to come back to haunt you.

 If you have any questions relating to Criminal Records, Canadian Pardons or US Entry Waivers please feel free to email me directly at mashby@nationalpardon.org.

Happy New Year to Everyone.

Michael

There are many names for the most commonly pardoned criminal conviction in Canada. The chances are good that you will be familiar with at least one or two of them. But whatever you want to call it the charge is the same and it involves operation of a motor vehicle while intoxiced by alcohol or drugs or whatever. It could even just be cough medicine because the bottom line is that if you are driving under the influence of anything you are breaking the law.

Unfortunately society took a long time to learn its lesson on this one and the truth is that we are still learning it based on the number of annual criminal convictions in Canada. But thanks to the efforts of police, government and even NGO groups like MADD, drunk driving is now about as socially acceptable as kicking puppies into traffic. It’s just not ok.

So why do so many people still drink and drive or drive under the influence? I think what has happened is that the legal limit for alcohol intoxication is so low that it is nearly impossible to have anything to drink at all without being above the legally acceptable blood acohol level. And this is probably a good thing. But I would guess that many people out there still feel that a couple of drinks will not render them unable to drive a car safely. And there is the problem. You may not feel drunk. You may not feel intoxicted. And you may even feel that you are completely ok to drive safely. But in the eyes of the law if your blood alcohol limit is elevated you are breaking the law and there is no discussion period, except of course in front of a judge at a later date.

 In Canada the law is as follows for blood alcohol limits: 0.05% is a 24-hour suspension and a fine, 0.08% is a D.U.I. charge.

But I think the best guideline for drinking and driving is this: If you drink anything at all don’t drive! It is the only way to be sure you are not putting yourself and others at risk

If you have been convicted of a DUI charge you will want to consider getting a pardon ASAP. Contact the National Pardon Centre. We can help!