Can police enter private property without permission in Canada?

In Canada, typically police need your permission or a warrant to enter private property.

Police can only enter private property without permission under certain urgent circumstances. These can include, but are not limited to: giving emergency aid to someone inside your home, to protect the life or safety of someone inside if they have a reasonable belief that a life-threatening emergency exists, to protect the life or safety or people inside the home if someone heard a gunshot inside, to investigate a 911 call, if they are in “hot pursuit” of someone who they have the authority to arrest and they saw that person enter your property, or if there is evidence in the home that relates to a serious offence and they have a reasonable belief that the evidence is being destroyed.

If circumstances like these are not present and the police can talk to you without coming on to your property, they do not have the right without your permission.

Collett Read LLP