Real Estate

  • October 23, 2026

    Law institute report proposes reforms to strata leaseholds in B.C.

    A B.C.-based legal institute has issued a number of tentative recommendations to reform strata leaseholds in the province and is seeking input on them.

  • October 23, 2026

    Probate applications: Importance of identifying, disclosing deceased’s alternate names

    When a person who goes by more than one name passes away, it is important to provide not only their legal name when applying for a certificate of appointment of estate trustee, but to also provide alternate names that the deceased used.

  • October 23, 2026

    Court of Appeal for Ontario reframes long-standing test for leave to appeal

    For the first time in more than 50 years, the Court of Appeal for Ontario has updated its test for leave to appeal from a decision of the Divisional Court. In Knauff v. Ontario (Human Rights Tribunal), 2026 ONCA 653, a five-judge panel confirmed that the test for leave is whether the proposed appeal raises an arguable question of law or mixed law and fact that is of sufficient public importance to warrant consideration by the Court of Appeal.

  • October 22, 2026

    Beyond the algorithm: Financing the AI infrastructure boom

    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.

  • October 21, 2026

    Manitoba cuts ‘above-guideline’ residential rent increases

    Manitoba has set new limits on “above-guideline” residential rent increases landlords put in place for capital expenses. The provincial government is “changing regulations” to cut above-guideline rent increases by up to 40 per cent in a bid to “strengthen protections for renters.”

  • October 21, 2026

    Feds launch new directive to reduce regulatory charges, enhance competition

    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.”

  • October 21, 2026

    When the mortgage comes due: Managing estate-owned property amidst estate disputes

    Estate litigation can take months or years to resolve, but mortgage obligations do not wait. For estate trustees and beneficiaries, the core challenge is preserving the value of estate property while competing claims are litigated.

  • October 21, 2026

    Estate freeze doesn’t turn a pre-marriage gift into excluded property

    For decades, the estate freeze has been a staple of succession planning for Canadian business families. The mechanics are familiar to any tax or estate practitioner: the owner exchanges growth shares for fixed-value preferred shares, and a newly settled family trust subscribes for fresh common shares that will capture all future growth. The tax benefits are well understood.

  • October 20, 2026

    Ontario proposes changes to archaeological assessments to reduce approval times by 80%

    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.”

  • October 20, 2026

    Should an Ontario small claims sheriff’s sale cost tens of thousands?

    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.

  • October 20, 2026

    PROCEEDINGS - Amendment or rescinding of decision - Standard of review - Correctness

    Appeals by Donald and Linda (collectively, Murrays) and Windsor from a residential construction decision, and appeal by Murrays of costs order.

  • October 19, 2026

    Clark Wilson adds construction, immigration lawyer in Vancouver

    Stephanie Zhang has joined Clark Wilson’s construction and infrastructure practice in Vancouver.

  • October 19, 2026

    The demise of the international student boom

    Canada’s international student boom is ending more quickly — and more painfully — than many governments and post-secondary institutions expected. Colleges are cancelling programs, universities are freezing hiring, campuses are being consolidated and communities that built businesses, housing projects and employment around a constantly expanding student population are confronting a sharp demand shock.

  • October 19, 2026

    Condo corps. and GST/HST registration: Not as straightforward as it seems

    Property managers and directors of condominium corporations often assume that a condominium corporation (condo corp.) need not register for GST/HST under the Excise Tax Act (ETA) because the supplies it makes to owners and tenants of residential units are tax “exempt.”

  • October 19, 2026

    MORTGAGES - Mortgagee’s remedies - Foreclosure order - Redemption of mortgage

    Appeal by appellants from order refusing to extend time to appeal an associate judge’s order absolute of foreclosure and refusal to extend the redemption period. The appellants granted two mortgages with overlapping priorities over six titles comprising approximately 64 acres in Mission, BC (the Lands).

  • October 16, 2026

    Robins Appleby adds Michael Robson to litigation group

    Robins Appleby has welcomed Michael Robson to its litigation and dispute resolution group in Toronto.

  • October 16, 2026

    B.C. chiefs urge stronger water rights, jurisdiction beyond reserves in federal bill

    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.

  • October 14, 2026

    Federal Court of Appeal rejects bid to strike class action over buyer brokerage commissions

    The Federal Court of Appeal has rejected a bid to strike a proposed class action alleging that real estate rules requiring sellers to pay buyers’ brokerage commissions unlawfully control prices by shielding those commissions from competitive market forces.

  • October 14, 2026

    Saskatchewan opens public consultation on Farm Security Act

    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.

  • October 14, 2026

    Reid, Gallo join Alexander Holburn to lead family law group

    Alexander Holburn Beaudin + Lang LLP (Alexander Holburn) has launched a family law group in Vancouver with the addition of partners Jane Reid and Rosemary Gallo.

  • October 14, 2026

    Laura Harrison joins Aird & Berlis

    Laura Harrison has joined Aird & Berlis as an associate and member of the firm’s financial services group.

  • October 14, 2026

    Domestic violence, eviction and tenant rights: Browne v. Henley Crescent

    In this case, the Divisional Court upheld the housing rights of a tenant who is a survivor of intimate partner violence. The tenants in this case were a married couple, Denise Browne and Ricky Browne, who had two children. They resided in the rented unit for more than 10 years.

  • October 13, 2026

    Ontario’s top court revives challenge to encampment bylaw, rejects stereotyped credibility findings

    The Ontario Court of Appeal has revived a constitutional challenge to a Hamilton bylaw prohibiting tents and sleeping in public parks, finding that the application judge failed to apply the legal tests for the alleged Charter breaches.

  • October 09, 2026

    Ottawa to provide heat pump rebate for up to 820,000 households

    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.

  • October 08, 2026

    Court rejects lawyer’s limitation defence over failed property purchase

    The Ontario Court of Appeal has upheld the dismissal of a lawyer’s limitation defence to a negligence claim over a failed property purchase, finding that the buyers’ knowledge that title had not transferred did not establish that they had discovered their claim.