PEMBROKE CRIMINAL LAWYERS
OFFICES & MEETING PLACES NEAR PEMBROKE

Ottawa

Aitken Robertson Can Defend Against Criminal Allegations in Pembroke

Aitken Robertson | Criminal Lawyers in Pembroke
If you have been criminally charged in Pembroke, Renfrew County or in the surrounding area, and need a lawyer, the law firm of Aitken Robertson can help. Aitken Robertson has a team of dedicated lawyers who have over 100 years of combined experience defending people in the Ontario criminal courts. Our legal professionals stay up-to-date on the latest developments in criminal law and the related practices and procedures, by taking continuing legal education courses on a regular basis, even travelling out of the country to get the best training available.
Call us for a 30-minute free consultation to talk to one of our Pembroke criminal lawyers and let us show you how we can help you with your criminal charges.
Our Pembroke Area Team
Court Information for Criminal Offences in Pembroke
Criminal offences that arise in Pembroke and the surrounding areas, are heard at the Renfrew County Courthouse located at: 297 Pembroke St East in Pembroke. Both the Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Justice are in this building. The courthouse hours are from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm (closed on weekends and holidays).
Because of COVID-19, some criminal court matters were postponed and some are being dealt with by internet. Normal procedures are slowly resuming, but the situation is changing constantly so to be sure, it’s best to inquire ahead of your court date and ask how your matter will be dealt with. You can contact the court by phone at 613-732-8581 or by email at Pembroke.OCJ.courts@ontario.ca. If you have a lawyer, your lawyer will be able to tell you what the current rules for this court are and will be able to take care of most of your court appearances on your behalf.
There is metered parking in a lot behind the courthouse.
If during your trip to the Renfrew County Courthouse you have time to eat, Pembroke has many of the usual fast-food places, such as McDonalds and Wendy’s but there are also a few restaurants that have earned good reviews, not far from the courthouse. Here are just a few:
- Pita Shack (no website currently) at 239 Pembroke St. E., is only a minute from the courthouse. It serves Greek food and offers dining in, take-out and delivery.
- Anthony’s Italian Grill, serves Italian cuisine and offers evening dining in, take-out and delivery.
- Thai Gardens, serves Thai cuisine and is open for both lunch and dinner and offers dining in, take-out and delivery.
Looking For a Criminal Lawyer in Pembroke?
The City of Pembroke is located in the Ottawa Valley by the Ottawa and Muskrat Rivers, and was established as a village in 1858. Settlers came to this area in the 19th century, drawn by the thriving lumber trade—a major industry in colonial times and such a big part of Canadian history. The Ottawa River (and the Muskrat River, which flows into the Ottawa River), allowed for the floating of timber to markets:
The Ottawa River was the means of transporting logs to Quebec, using timber rafting. Sticks were trapped by a boom “at the mouth of the tributary” to be assembled into cribs, each crib consisting of 30 or more sticks of timber. Then the cribs, up to 100 of them, were joined together into a raft that served as the “riverman’s home for the month-long journey downriver to Quebec. The crew lived in bunk houses right on the raft, and one of the cribs contained the cookery.” The rafts were large enough in some cases that thirty plus men could live aboard, even having quarters for the captain.1
Today the Ottawa River is harnessed for the production of hydro electricity. Forestry, as well as farming, remain mainstays of Pembroke’s economy. Major employers in the area today include the Canadian Forces Base Petawawa and the Chalk River Laboratories of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited in Chalk River.
Pembroke currently has a population of approximately 14,000 people. Because of its setting close to large areas of Ontario wilderness (it sits not far from the eastern edge of Algonquin Provincial Park, which contains 7653 square km of forests, rivers and lakes), the Pembroke area is attractive to nature lovers, campers, paddlers, hikers, bikers, snowmobilers, fishers, and wildlife photographers.
What is the Crime Rate Like in the Pembroke Area?
In Maclean’s magazine’s 2021 ranking of “Canada’s Best Communities,” Pembroke came in at number 161 in the ranking of 415 communities across the country.2 Maclean’s also publishes an annual list of “Canada’s Most Dangerous Places” and the 2020 list (published at the end of 2019) ranked Pembroke at number 43 in a list of 237 communities (so not that far from the top of the list). However, when you look at the number and types of incidents, the statistics are less alarming. The total number of homicides was zero. (Toronto, by comparison, had 103 in that period.) There were 107 assaults, 4 robberies and 26 impaired driving incidents.3 So while Pembroke does have crime, it’s not an extraordinarily dangerous place to live.
Footnotes
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottawa_River_timber_trade#Timber_slides,_cribs,_rafts
- https://www.macleans.ca/canadas-best-communities-in-2021-full-ranking/
- https://www.macleans.ca/canadas-most-dangerous-places-2020/