In-House Counsel
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April 17, 2025
Meet the chief encouragement officer
Recently my friend and colleague Nathalie Plamondon-Thomas and I were kidding around about the importance of encouragement within organizations, and she suggested that maybe companies and associations should appoint chief encouragement officers. Half in jest, half seriously.
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April 17, 2025
Ontario’s civil procedure overhaul: From fishing expeditions to reliance-based disclosure
Ontario’s civil justice system is on the cusp of its most sweeping transformation in over a century. The Civil Rules Review 2025, launched by Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz and Attorney General Doug Downey, is not simply tinkering at the edges — it’s a fundamental reimagining of how litigation is conducted in this province.
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April 17, 2025
Top 10 tips for Canadian citizens crossing the U.S. border
The Government of Canada has recently updated the official travel advisory for Canadians who intend to travel to the United States.
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April 16, 2025
Canadian authorities disrupt crypto scam, announce enforcement action against phishing platform
A coordinated operation involving securities regulators and police services has identified and informed 89 victims of cryptocurrency fraud whose wallets were compromised using a tactic called “approval phishing.”
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April 16, 2025
Ontario unveils legislation aimed at reducing interprovincial trade barriers amid trade war
The Ontario government has joined Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in announcing legislation aimed at reducing interprovincial trade barriers and improving labour mobility across Canada in the face of U.S. tariffs.
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April 16, 2025
Alberta Court of Appeal rules First Nation's contingency fee agreements with law firm were invalid
The Alberta Court of Appeal has allowed a First Nation’s appeal disputing the execution and timeline of contingency fee agreements it had with a law firm.
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April 16, 2025
Municipal Elections Act, 1996: Recent decisions clarify mandatory audit requirements
Municipal lawyers are taking note of two recent decisions from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Thompson v. City of Ottawa Elections Compliance Audit Committee, 2025 ONSC 682 (Thompson, as yet unpublished) and Phillips v. Compliance Audit Committee, 2025 ONSC 1180 (Phillips), that have established a clear and stringent interpretation of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 (MEA) regarding the mandatory nature of compliance audits.
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April 15, 2025
Court of Appeal rules government ban on peaceful assembly is unconstitutional
The recent Ontario Court of Appeal decision Hillier v. Ontario, 2025 ONCA 259 has wide-reaching implications on whether the government can implement an absolute ban on peaceful assembly in times of emergency such as during a pandemic.
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April 15, 2025
Federal Court orders Air Canada to pay damages over family's visa cancellation delay
The Federal Court has ordered Air Canada to pay $4,129 in damages to a Venezuelan woman who, along with her children, was delayed in Panama for 33 days after their Canadian visas were suddenly cancelled while they were at an Air Canada check-in counter.
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April 15, 2025
Feds announce new measures to support businesses affected by U.S. tariffs
The federal government has announced new measures for businesses and other entities impacted by the Canada-U.S. tariff dispute, including remission of some countermeasure tariffs that Canada announced in response to the U.S.-imposed tariffs on Canadian products.