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January 21, 2026
Alternate dispute resolution continues to grow in popularity in family law matters. The reasons are well known: avoiding delay, choosing your “judge,” and the avoidance of multiple expensive procedures within the court system that may not lead to resolution. However, with this trend comes a number of real concerns.
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January 21, 2026
Before dawn on a winter morning in Calgary, a brief encounter in a deserted school parking lot set in motion a chain of events that would carry a 20-year-old man from street-level allegations to years of appellate scrutiny and a penitentiary sentence measured in years.
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January 21, 2026
When you are arrested and placed in a police cell, the police take your watch along with other personal possessions such as your wallet and phone — even your wedding ring. You soon realize there are no clocks in or visible from the cells, and no windows, so you have no idea what time it is.
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January 20, 2026
Following a handful of recent hate-related incidents, Manitoba’s government is launching a $1-million fund for cultural groups and places of worship to enhance safety and security.
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January 19, 2026
Legal advocates in British Columbia are gearing up for Access to Justice Week, which will run from Feb. 2 to 6.
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January 19, 2026
A recent CBC News report stated that overcrowding at the Niagara Detention Centre in Thorold, Ont., reached its highest level since 2019 in the first half of 2025. Its occupancy rate stands at 136 per cent. The report further states that, in 2024, 89 per cent of the jail’s population were awaiting trial and presumed innocent. It also quotes University of Ottawa criminology professor Justin Piché as saying, “Several of those folks will exit prison, never having been convicted of anything.”
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January 16, 2026
New Brunswick’s Liberal government is opening an anti-racism office to promote “equity and inclusion” in the province — and is now stating it has completed a little more than half the recommendations made in a commissioner’s report on the prevalence of systemic racism.
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January 16, 2026
The cynical remark “No good deed goes unpunished” will be remembered by Joacquin Rowe. He did a good deed, but he was punished for it.
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January 15, 2026
The Law Foundation of Ontario has appointed Eric S. Block to its class proceedings committee.
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January 14, 2026
Cold cases dredge up years of history. In a review of a finding of guilt in a cold case, the Alberta Court of Appeal delivered a lesson in legal history through its own dredging up of legal precedents.
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January 13, 2026
Supreme Court of Canada Justice Sheilah Martin, a former University of Calgary law dean and one of the apex court’s criminal and constitutional law experts, will retire May 30, 2026, after working at the high court for more than eight years.
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January 13, 2026
Saskatchewan’s legal regulator is kicking off the new year with a handful of conference sessions examining child-inclusive mediation, family violence and 20 years of Regina’s Drug Treatment Court.
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January 13, 2026
The Ontario Superior Court has ordered Binance to pay nearly $262,000 in substantial-indemnity costs after finding that its attempt to launch a Hong Kong arbitration was abusive litigation conduct aimed at undermining a certified class action.
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January 12, 2026
The Parole Board of Canada is an administrative body that makes decisions regarding the release of individuals who are serving prison sentences of more than two years.
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January 12, 2026
In the same week that the case was argued, the Court of Appeal for Ontario delivered its written decision (Hamblett (Re), 2026 ONCA 9) on Friday, Jan. 9, 2025, regarding an appeal by Camelott Hamblett.
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January 08, 2026
The Quebec Superior Court is set to consider a proposed settlement for a class action concerning alleged door handle defects in Fiat 500 vehicles from model years 2012 to 2019, according to a release.
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January 08, 2026
Nova Scotia has released its first 2SLGBTQIA+ action plan, which includes addressing that community’s lack of trust in the province’s justice system. A Jan. 8 news release describes the action plan as a “co-ordinated road map to advance equity, improve access to services and supports, and build safer, more inclusive communities.”
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January 08, 2026
2025 was another eventful year in employment law. As with previous years, the enforceability of termination clauses continued to dominate courts’ time, but a more balanced approach to these clauses emerged this past year. We also saw our courts address the duty to mitigate, pre-employment inducement and, right before the holidays, claw back clauses, giving those practising in this area clear guidance on these issues. The following is part two of the top Ontario employment law decisions of 2025.
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January 07, 2026
Ontario’s courts are seeking feedback on how to improve services for persons with disabilities. The Ontario Courts Accessibility Committee is asking individuals who have a disability and have used an Ontario courthouse to take a survey on their experience.
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January 07, 2026
We are all familiar with the fact that trials of Indigenous accused require reviewing what have been called Gladue principles, which can lead to a shorter sentence (R. v. Gladue, [1999] 1 S.C.R. 688). How those principles play out when a court reviews a dangerous offender application was recently the focus of a Saskatchewan Court of Appeal decision (R. v. Sewap, 2025 SKCA 114).
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January 06, 2026
2025 was another eventful year in employment law. As with previous years, the enforceability of termination clauses continued to dominate courts’ time, but a more balanced approach to these clauses emerged this past year. We also saw our courts address the duty to mitigate, pre-employment inducement and, right before the holidays, claw back clauses, giving those practising in this area clear guidance on these issues. The following are the top employment law decisions of 2025.
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January 06, 2026
An important case was argued before the Ontario Court of Appeal on Jan. 5, 2026. The appellant, Camelott Hamblett, is a middle-aged Black man who has spent half his life locked in a small cell in a maximum-security psychiatric facility. He has had treatment-resistant schizophrenia since his teens and continues to experience highly distressing hallucinations.
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January 05, 2026
Seneca’s words “Every new beginning comes from another beginning’s end” have resonated for centuries. As we transition to 2026, a remarkable year of renewal and transformation awaits us. This fresh chapter encourages individuals and communities alike to prioritize service, empathy and support as the driving forces behind the evolution of our society.
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January 02, 2026
Manitoba has brought into force new road safety laws in a bid to better protect snowplow operators, tow truck drivers and cyclists.
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January 02, 2026
Gov. Gen. Mary Simon has made 80 new appointments to the Order of Canada, including two former Supreme Court judges and six prominent members of the legal profession, according to a Dec. 31 news release from Rideau Hall.