The Complete Brief
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August 06, 2025
Drug appeal illustrates how circumstantial evidence can lead to reasonable inference of guilt
Gerry Crawley, a commercial truck driver operating his vehicle, was convicted of importing and possessing 64 kilograms of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. The drugs, worth approximately $3 million, were discovered in after-market hidden compartments in the sleeper cab of his truck during a secondary inspection at the Pacific Highway border crossing in Surrey, B.C., on March 18, 2021.
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August 06, 2025
In law firms, stuff rolls downhill
Out here in the country where I now live, it is a good thing if your septic tank is located on a lower elevation than your house. If it is not, you need something called a macerator to grind up the poop so it can be pumped up to your septic tank because, as we all know, poop rolls downhill.
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August 05, 2025
Carney announces $1.25B program to boost softwood lumber industry
Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced plans to spend more than $1 billion to boost the competitiveness of Canada's softwood lumber industry. The federal government will channel separate amounts of $700 million, $500 million and $50 million to respective areas of the sector to help it better withstand ongoing and increasing U.S. duties.
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August 05, 2025
Manitoba and P.E.I. sign MOU to enhance interprovincial trade
Manitoba and Prince Edward Island have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to improve internal trade and support the free movement of workers and businesses between the two provinces.
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August 05, 2025
B.C. Court of Appeal dismisses appeals challenging provincial mink farming ban
The British Columbia Court of Appeal has dismissed appeals in a case related to a provincial regulation banning mink farming, finding the order in council was not ultra vires even if it was influenced by interest groups.
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August 05, 2025
Canada renews temporary aid for Palestinians unable to return home
Ottawa has extended the temporary “special measures” for Palestinians who are in Canada and unable to return home, which were first rolled out in December 2023.
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August 05, 2025
Federal Court of Appeal bars estates from Charter damages in early parole rights class action
The Federal Court of Appeal has ruled that the estate of a deceased federal inmate cannot claim damages for the government’s retrospective removal of early parole, which was found to be a violation of the Charter right not to be punished twice for the same offence.
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August 05, 2025
Ontario Court of Appeal finds ‘golden rule’ key to determining assault case
The Ontario Court of Appeal recently addressed a particularly unusual situation. In the case of R. v. G.G., 2025 ONCA 574, the trial judge found beyond a reasonable doubt that G.G. committed the sexual assault.
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August 05, 2025
Saskatchewan’s ‘Street Weapons’ Act comes into force
Saskatchewan has made good on bringing in new laws classifying things such as fentanyl, methamphetamine, hypodermic needles, swords and machetes as “street weapons.”
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August 05, 2025
Parenting adult children with disabilities post-divorce
In D.F. v. R.W.F., 2025 ONCA 129, the Ontario Court of Appeal tackled the rare but increasingly important question of how family courts should manage decision-making and parenting arrangements for an adult child with a permanent cognitive disability — in this case, a 22-year-old man with Down syndrome who functions at the level of a four-year-old. This decision provides critical guidance to judges, lawyers and family mediator/arbitrators navigating parenting disputes that involve adult children who remain lifelong dependents.