In-House Counsel
-
November 18, 2025
Additional pre-construction costs depend on agreement of purchase and sale
The purchase of a pre-construction townhouse or other home often involves a written agreement of purchase and sale (APS) that is signed years before the completion of construction and occupancy of the property. Buyers may be surprised if the developer imposes additional charges at the time of closing. Whether such charges are permitted generally depends upon the specific wording in the APS.
-
November 18, 2025
Federal Court finds Videotron infringed two Adeia interactive TV patents
The Federal Court has ruled that Videotron infringed two Adeia patents related to interactive television technologies that track viewing progress and restrict fast-forwarding of certain content.
-
November 18, 2025
Canadian Intellectual Property Office annual report highlights operational advancements
The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO)’s 2024-2025 annual report has been tabled, highlighting “significant advancements across all areas of operations, including various system upgrades, a reduction in trademark backlogs and speedier registration timelines.”
-
November 18, 2025
Feds remove internal trade, labour mobility barriers across Canada
On Nov. 17, the federal government announced the removal of barriers to internal trade and labour mobility though the “finalized regulations stemming from the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act.”
-
November 18, 2025
The broken shield: Who is accountable when a Canadian’s life savings disappear?
Canadian banks say they’re on the front lines of the fraud war. But for Ray Anholt, a now 90-year-old Victoria resident, these defences were paper-thin. His entire life savings, painstakingly acquired and entrusted to RBC and CIBC, vanished in a slick “bank investigator” scam that exposes some interesting holes in Canada’s so-called consumer safety nets.
-
November 18, 2025
Proposed reforms of civil procedure: Refreshing reboot or more of the same?
I was an articling student and had my work cut out for me. I worked on a client file to prove adverse possession for a right of way across a house that had existed since the 50s but was being enforced by a neighbour. I brought all the files I had researched myself — surveys of the land, blueprints rolled up, ancient texts, photos I took of the property, transcripts of examinations.
-
November 17, 2025
The irrelevance of disability or death: Wrongful dismissal damages when employee can’t work
At two recent mediations, an issue arose that does not come up often, and as a result is not front of mind for most counsel: how to calculate wrongful dismissal damages when the employee could not have worked during the notice period. In both cases, defence counsel sought to discount damages to reflect what the employee would have earned had they actually been working, while plaintiff counsel insisted on full compensation for the entire notice period.
-
November 14, 2025
Navigating Canada’s visa pathways for the manufacturing industry
Canada’s manufacturing sector is grappling with a significant challenge: a shortage of skilled and semi-skilled labour. From machine operators and welders to industrial technicians, employers across the country are finding it increasingly difficult to fill essential roles.
-
November 13, 2025
Competition Bureau seeks feedback on new merger guidelines
The Competition Bureau is seeking comments and feedback on its proposed merger enforcement guidelines, which will update the guidelines issued in 2011.
-
November 13, 2025
Court affirms order requiring Hamilton to pay $5.3M for flooding damage to business
The Ontario Court of Appeal has upheld a finding that the City of Hamilton is jointly liable for $5.3 million in damages after its failure to maintain a drainage channel contributed to repeated flooding at the property of National Steel Car Limited, a rail car manufacturer.