The Complete Brief
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June 20, 2025
Estate planning’s silent threat: The unpapered file
On June 5, 2025, I spoke as a panellist at the Ontario Bar Association’s webcast, “From Retainer to Reporting Letter: Avoiding Professional Liability and Negligence Claims in Estates Law.” The program included a case law update, a presentation by LAWPRO on the most common claims against lawyers in the area of wills and estates, and a lively discussion among the panellists about common pitfalls faced by lawyers practising in this area.
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June 20, 2025
Selling faux antiques to Versailles? A case of caveat emperor
“Things are seldom as they seem. Skim milk masquerades as cream.” — Buttercup, in Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore. Which gets me to Bill Pallot. Vanity Fair called him “the world’s leading expert on the works of 18th-century France.” However, Paris Match recently branded him as “the Bernie Madoff of art.”
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June 20, 2025
Keeping your designs in good order
A recent decision of the U.K. Court of Appeal raises interesting issues concerning industrial design registrations (Safestand Ltd v Weston Homes Plc, [2025] EWCA Civ 374).
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June 20, 2025
Appeal Court underscores judge’s reasonable inferences in Thunder Bay drug case
Tourists view northern Ontario as a region of contrasts, showcasing lively populated areas amid pristine natural beauty. However, during a drug trial, expert evidence portrayed Thunder Bay as a hub for drug trafficking, where drugs sold at elevated prices attracted dealers from outside the region.
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June 20, 2025
Turning distress into strategy: Restructuring solutions for cannabis operators
As financial pressures continue to mount for cannabis operators across Canada, insolvency is becoming an increasingly common topic in boardrooms and legal consultations. While insolvency can be perceived as a last resort, the reality is more nuanced. For cannabis businesses facing tax debt, licensing constraints or liquidity crises, formal restructuring proceedings may provide a critical path to recovery.
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June 19, 2025
FCA sets aside decision that declared Ottawa must fill judicial vacancies ‘within a reasonable time’
A novel Federal Court action that tried to compel Ottawa to fix its chronic tardiness in filling superior court vacancies has been dismissed for lack of jurisdiction by the Federal Court of Appeal; however, the law firm that launched the case to help its clients and other litigants says its efforts were not in vain.
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June 19, 2025
Alberta, Saskatchewan premiers urge Ottawa to eliminate ‘barriers’ to resource development
Prior to the passage of the federal government’s controversial Bill C-5, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe have issued a joint statement renewing their call for Ottawa to stop interfering in provincial resource development.
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June 19, 2025
Federal replacement workers ban raises concerns about longer strikes, supply chain issues
As Canada’s federal anti-replacement worker law comes into force on June 20, businesses are concerned about potential for more strikes, supply chain disruptions and rising costs.
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June 19, 2025
Court dismisses appeal of rejected employment class action
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice Divisional Court has dismissed an appeal of a refusal to certify a proposed class action for the proposed class’s misclassification as independent contractors rather than employees in the context of a temporary help agency.
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June 19, 2025
Over $18 billion paid so far to settle First Nations’ specific claims: report
According to a report by public policy organization the Fraser Institute, the federal government has paid almost $18 billion to settle an “increasing number of ‘specific claims’ by First Nations” since 2015, over $7 billion of which were paid last year.