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October 22, 2026
Over 50 academics and scientists from across the country have signed an open letter urging the federal government to reform its major projects law. The scholars, all fellows of the Royal Society of Canada, say Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act, raises serious concerns about environmental impacts and risks causing “costly and potentially irreversible harm” to Canada’s natural heritage.
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October 22, 2026
Farzad Forooghian has joined Cassels as a partner in its capital markets group in Vancouver.
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October 22, 2026
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly moving beyond experimentation and into broad enterprise adoption at remarkable speeds. Once confined largely to niche technology companies, research institutions and startups, AI now sits at the centre of many traditional industries, reshaping sectors such as financial services, health care, manufacturing, logistics, energy and professional services, while creating ripple effects across global markets. Statistics Canada reported that AI adoption among Canadian businesses increased from 6.1 per cent in the second quarter of 2024 to 12.2 per cent a year later. By Q2 2026, adoption rates had reached 19.2 per cent.
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October 21, 2026
The federal government has announced a new Cabinet Directive on Regulatory Competitiveness and Red Tape Reduction, requiring regulators “to reduce regulatory burden costs by $2 for every $1 added.”
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October 20, 2026
The Government of Ontario will be proposing legislative changes to the archaeological assessment process to make it “faster, fairer and easier to navigate.” According to a government release issued Oct. 20, the proposed changes will “reduce approval timelines by up to 80 per cent, increase sector capacity by 45 per cent and help get homes, infrastructure and other job-creating projects built faster while protecting the province’s cultural heritage resources.”
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October 20, 2026
The Law Foundation of Ontario, a founding partner of the Law Commission of Ontario (LCO), has appointed Ramani Nadarajah as its representative on the commission’s board of governors, effective Oct. 1.
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October 20, 2026
Outside of defence procurement, the Ontario Superior Court is perhaps the most dysfunctional government entity in Canada. Given that responsibility for the court is divided between the federal and provincial governments, that judges have decreed themselves above transparency or accountability, and that the system lacks meaningful feedback mechanisms, that result is largely to be expected. Still, watching this dysfunction play out in a small claims sheriff’s sale demonstrates a system plumbing new lows.
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October 19, 2026
The Federal Court of Appeal has ruled that the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UNDA) does not automatically impose additional Indigenous consultation and consent requirements on project approvals, overturning a ruling requiring further consultation over a proposed nuclear waste facility.
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October 16, 2026
The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) has written an open letter urging the federal government to substantially amend the proposed First Nations Clean Water Act to guarantee First Nations’ access to clean drinking water and recognize their jurisdiction over water sources beyond reserve boundaries.
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October 15, 2026
Alberta’s top court has once again ruled against the federal government’s legislation for reviewing natural resource projects, saying amendments it made after parts of the law were struck down by the Supreme Court of Canada still do not pass constitutional muster.
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October 14, 2026
The Saskatchewan government has announced that it is seeking input through a survey for public consultation related to the province’s comprehensive review of the Farm Security Act.
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October 14, 2026
Laura Harrison has joined Aird & Berlis as an associate and member of the firm’s financial services group.
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October 14, 2026
Applications by K’ómoks First Nation (KFN) for an extension of time and leave to appeal a British Columbia Utilities Commission (Commission) order approving electricity purchase agreements (EPAs), as well as for a sealing order.
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October 13, 2026
The Federal Court has rejected a judicial review application after finding that an arbitrator’s admission of CN Rail’s graphs during closing submissions did not breach procedural fairness in a transportation rate dispute.
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October 09, 2026
The federal government will introduce a new National Heat Pump Rebate to help up to 820,000 households reduce energy costs by switching to more efficient electric heat pumps, according to a federal release issued on Oct. 9.
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October 08, 2026
Under the rubric of supporting “economic growth and competitiveness,” the federal Liberal government says its newly introduced “red tape reduction” bill (S-7) will “reduce unnecessary regulatory burden under 31 individual pieces of legislation and their corresponding regulations administered by 11 federal departments and agencies.”
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October 07, 2026
The B.C. Supreme Court has dismissed a builder’s bid to cancel a certificate of pending litigation in a dispute relating to alleged non-compliance of home and unfinished drainage works.
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October 07, 2026
On Sept. 21, 2026, the Carney government tabled Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act. If passed, it will implement what is arguably the greatest rollback of federal environmental laws in Canadian history.
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October 06, 2026
Ally Bilenkey has joined Aird & Berlis as an associate. According to an announcement from the firm, she will be a member of the firm’s Indigenous practice group, litigation and dispute resolution group, and the mining, energy and environmental group.
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October 02, 2026
The Supreme Court’s fall session is packed with interesting appeals in diverse areas of law including class actions, contracts, Crown immunity and Charter rights. The top court’s session begins Oct. 5 with an “opening of the court” ceremony in the West Memorial Building at 344 Wellington Street in Ottawa.
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October 02, 2026
Ottawa has announced $66.3 million in funding to support home energy retrofit financing and energy-efficient affordable housing projects across Canada, according to an Oct. 2 release.
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October 02, 2026
1. Principal findings
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October 01, 2026
Mental health, job stress and keeping up with AI remain “front of mind” for the new president of Manitoba’s law society.
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October 01, 2026
The New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) contract’s central weakness is the absence of a workable structure for an energy-only transaction during system stress. The parties appear not to have established how an energy-only commitment should operate when the seller has inadequate energy, capacity or water reserves to serve all demands.
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October 01, 2026
Hydro-Québec is a Crown corporation owned by the Quebec government. Unlike most U.S. utilities, its finances and policies are strongly shaped by the provincial government and the governing party’s policy objectives. Quebec has a regulatory agency, but it is also part of the provincial governmental structure.