Real Estate
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March 12, 2026
N.W.T. issues ‘What We Heard’ report on planned trespass laws
Many residents of the Northwest Territories consider trespassing on private property to be a problem and want laws that give them more tools to remove trespassers, require them to identify themselves and allow their arrest.
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March 12, 2026
Recent amendments to Ontario’s Construction Act
The Construction Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.30 as we know it today originally came into force on March 1, 1983, as the Construction Lien Act. This Act laid the foundation of construction law in Ontario. The Construction Lien Act was amended and renamed as the Construction Act on July 1, 2018. The purpose of the Construction Act is to ensure the protection of contractors, subcontractors and suppliers. It provides an efficient structure to protect them by securing prompt payment methods with strict deadline rules and resolving construction disputes through an adjudication process.
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March 11, 2026
Alberta’s residential tenancies law isn’t working as well as it should, lawyer says
An Alberta-based legal institute is bringing attention to the province’s rental housing law, saying it needs a major update. The Alberta Law Reform Institute (ALRI) is saying the Residential Tenancies Act, which has not undergone comprehensive review in over 30 years, has become out of step with social, economic and technological realities. Because of that, the institute has undertaken a review of the law.
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March 11, 2026
Good faith in contracts clarified by B.C. Court of Appeal
In Pandher v. Dhanesar, 2026 BCCA 63, the British Columbia Court of Appeal allowed an appeal, finding that the trial judge incorrectly applied the legal principles governing contractual interpretation and the duty of good faith in assessing the exercise of contractual discretion.
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March 11, 2026
The billable hour is running out of time
Early in my career, I noticed a pattern I could not ignore. I would build rapport with clients, earn their trust and then watch everything fall apart the moment the invoice was sent. They were not upset with me personally, even though sometimes it felt that way. They were blindsided by a system that charged them in a way they found unfair. Even worse, I would get penalized if I found strategies to be fast and efficient to make it more fair.
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March 09, 2026
Courtroom to community: Reconciliation means amplifying access to justice, Indigenous voices
“Canada’s adoption of the UNDRIP into Canadian law via the UNDA must mean more than a status quo application of the section 35 framework,” wrote Justice Julie Blackhawk in the seminal Kebaowek First Nation v. CNL federal court case (Kebaowek First Nation v. Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, [2025] F.C.J. No. 300). For the Indigenous grassroot leaders and youth seeking to intervene in the constitutional challenge to the provincial government’s Bill 5 that was passed in June 2025, this revisioning of the status quo remains a live issue.
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March 09, 2026
Duwyn, Dokter named partners at Cohen Highley
Cohen Highley has welcomed two more professionals to its partnership.
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March 09, 2026
Ontario Appeal Court unpacks conflict of interest in drafting wills
Lawyers drafting wills for others must be diligent in avoiding conflicts of interest, says a lawyer acting in a case in which last wishes were deemed invalid due to evidence of a “suspicious circumstance.”
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March 09, 2026
In their own words: Why we chose to platform women’s voices
At the Paralegal TownHall, we have always believed that the legal profession is strengthened when people are given a platform to share their knowledge, experiences and perspectives openly. Our community was built around the idea that conversation, collaboration and shared insight move a profession forward.
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March 09, 2026
REAL PROPERTY TAX - Assessment - Land transfer tax
Appeal by the appellants (Hsia and Chuang) from an order of the Supreme Court. The order required them to pay additional property transfer tax under the Property Transfer Tax Act on the fair market value of an entire residential property. Hsia, a Canadian citizen, and Chuang, a foreign national, purchased a property in a specified area in 2017, registering 95 per cent and 5 per cent interests respectively.