Supreme Court upholds 6-month mandatory minimum for soliciting or obtaining sex with children
Supreme Court of Canada Justices Suzanne Côté (left) and Michelle O’Bonsawin described the ‘sexual commodification of children’ as ‘a veritable scourge in Canada, one that the state has every interest in suppressing and severely punishing.’
Friday, July 10, 2026 @ 5:19 PM
The Supreme Court of Canada has affirmed 7-2 the constitutional validity of the mandatory minimum penalty (MMP) of six months’ incarceration for those who pay to obtain — or communicate to buy — sex with persons under age 18. On July 10, Justices Suzanne Côté and Michelle O’Bonsawin, in joint reasons for the majority, allowed the appeal of the Attorney General of Quebec and set aside the Quebec Court of Appeal’s 2024 decision that struck down s. 286.1(2)(a) of the Criminal Code as a violation of the Charter’s s. 12 prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment: Quebec (Attorney General) v. Denis, 2026 SCC 25. ... [read more]
Court limits holdback priority to unpaid invoices absent subcontractor claims
Tuesday, July 14, 2026 @ 5:13 PM
The Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled that construction lien claimants’ priority over a building mortgagee is limited to the deficiency in the statutory 10 per cent holdback based on unpaid invoices, rather than total invoices, where no subcontractor lien claims exist. ... [read more]
B.C. establishes protection area on treaty land to preserve caribou habitat
Tuesday, July 14, 2026 @ 4:57 PM
British Columbia has created the new K’ih t̲s̲aaʔd̲z̲e Protection Area under the Environment and Land Use Act to help conserve caribou habitat, boreal ecosystems and encourage ecological restoration on treaty land. ... [read more]
Ontario’s ban on political ads on rural highways violates Charter, court says
Tuesday, July 14, 2026 @ 4:31 PM
A three-judge divisional panel of the Ontario Superior Court has ruled that provincial restrictions on political advertising on certain rural highways violate the Charter’s free expression rights. ... [read more]
Misfeasance claims against fisheries ministers in salmon culling case to go to trial
Tuesday, July 14, 2026 @ 4:05 PM
The British Columbia Court of Appeal has found that claims against fisheries ministers for misfeasance in public office, negligence, and negligent misrepresentation due to a decision resulting in the alleged culling of millions of healthy salmon were appropriate for trial. ... [read more]