Access to Justice

  • July 29, 2026

    OBA, Toronto business association partner on pro bono support for small businesses

    On July 29, the Ontario Bar Association (OBA) and the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA) announced a new partnership to “connect the rising entrepreneurs behind emerging small businesses with pivotal pro bono legal support” through the OBA’s Pro Bono Portal.

  • July 23, 2026

    N.W.T. brings more laws into force to protect victims of family violence

    The Northwest Territories has new legislation to better support victims of family violence, including laws that formally recognize stalking, give people greater ability to protect themselves and allow victims to sue perpetrators.

  • July 23, 2026

    Family law: Looking out for yourself or the client

    Eleanor practised family law. She was good at the technical stuff, but not so good at dealing with clients. Especially vulnerable clients, such as people getting divorced.

  • July 23, 2026

    Illusion of AI neutrality: Predictive policing, algorithmic accountability and constitutional rights

    The accelerating development of artificial intelligence, both domestically and internationally, provides important lessons for the responsible implementation of predictive policing systems within criminal justice frameworks. This is particularly evident in the governance challenges associated with algorithmic policing technologies, including regulatory lag, surveillance arbitration, symbolic compliance and weak oversight.

  • July 23, 2026

    Family law: Separation preparedness for the public

    Is it time to acknowledge and address the gap in practical education, practical readiness and practical understanding for the public in family law matters?

  • July 22, 2026

    Mentorship as resistance: Building Black legal leaders from the ground up

    Let’s be honest: the legal profession was never built with Black people in mind. While progress has been made, too many Black students still walk into law schools, courtrooms and boardrooms wondering if they truly belong. That’s exactly why mentorship is more than guidance; it's resistance.

  • July 22, 2026

    Intermediary dilemma: The structural architecture behind public service delivery impasses

    Public service delivery strikes are routinely framed in popular discourse as localized, binary disputes between individual employers and their workforces. Yet, when these disruptions hit independent delivery networks, the stalled bargaining tables reflect a much broader systemic crisis.

  • July 21, 2026

    View from prison: Working with a lawyer

    When facing a criminal charge, the person representing us as a lawyer is fundamentally important. For most of us, our lawyer is our guide to the arcane processes and rules of the justice system. She or he tells us what our choices are and has a huge influence on what we decide to do — which in most cases is to plead guilty. More than that, lawyers are often a main source of emotional support for those facing the overwhelming power of the criminal justice system and the huge anxiety that comes with the destruction of our life that being arrested represents.

  • July 21, 2026

    How 249 Canadian courts and tribunals are addressing AI use

    By now, the problem is well-known. In March, we reported in Law360 Canada that Canadian courts and tribunals had flagged fictitious case citations in more than 111 decisions, a number that has reached 186 as of early July. In a June article, we showed that the consequences for the people who file them are inconsistent. This article asks the third and final question: what are the courts and tribunals themselves doing about it?

  • July 21, 2026

    How are our judges feeling about work?

    Canada’s federal judiciary is an important population whose day-to-day burdens have rarely been studied despite their institutional importance. For all the gravity of their role, we are only now uncovering how Canada’s judges are managing their mental health.

  • July 17, 2026

    Feds to spend $607M in next phase of plan to end gender-based violence

    Canada’s government is spending more than half a billion dollars to support the next phase of its decade-long push to eradicate gender-based violence. On July 16, it was announced that Ottawa will be investing $607.4 million into its ongoing National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence — a 10-year initiative where participating provinces and territories sign on to the plan and, in exchange, receive funding to help implement the plan in their respective jurisdictions.

  • July 16, 2026

    CIVIL PROCEDURE - Constitutional issues - Parties - Class or representative actions - Certification - Common interests and issues

    Appeal by appellants from an order dismissing their application to certify a class proceeding arising from Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) enforcement of the Fairy Creek injunction.

  • July 15, 2026

    N.L. residents invited to give feedback on review of privacy, access-to-info legislation

    Residents and public bodies in Newfoundland and Labrador are being invited to provide feedback as part of a review of the province’s privacy and access-to-information laws. According to a July 15 news release, it is time for a review of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act — something required every five years.

  • July 15, 2026

    Death penalty: Canada marks 50 years of abolition; U.S. marks 50 years since resumption

    The date July 14, 2026, marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most consequential human rights decisions in Canadian history: Parliament’s 131-124 vote to abolish the death penalty from the Criminal Code in 1976. In a striking historical contrast, less than two weeks earlier, on July 2, 1976, the U.S. Supreme Court had cleared the way for executions to resume (Gregg v. Georgia | 428 U.S. 153 (1976) | Justia U.S. Supreme Court), ending a four-year period where the death penalty was ruled unconstitutional by SCOTUS (Furman v. Ga., 1972 U.S. LEXIS 169).

  • July 14, 2026

    Some random thoughts to improve the family law system

    Claims for a joint family venture (JFV) arising from a plea of unjust enrichment have become increasingly popular in family law courts in Ontario.

  • July 13, 2026

    Miscarriage of justice in the Gerald Klassen case

    Canada rightly prides itself on having one of the world’s fairest criminal justice systems. Yet one of its greatest shortcomings is revealed not when an innocent person is convicted, but when the government refuses to make that person whole after admitting the conviction cannot stand.

  • July 10, 2026

    B.C.’s racist incident helpline expands to support 2SLGBTQIA+ callers

    British Columbia’s Racist Incident Helpline is expanding support to those experiencing hate based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

  • July 09, 2026

    B.C. to expand family law network with 2 new clinics

    British Columbia has announced plans to open two new family law clinics to bring more in-person legal services to survivors of family violence. The new clinics, which will support people in Kamloops and Prince George, B.C., are part of the Family Law Centre network, a provincially funded service that provides free, trauma-informed legal support to people experiencing family violence.

  • July 09, 2026

    Alberta Court of Appeal assesses where provincial highway overlaps federal criminal law

    The term “cooperative federalism” is rarely used nowadays. It is a concept that both federal and provincial lawmakers need not work in “watertight compartments.” Each level of government can enact laws addressing specific problems within its own jurisdiction.

  • July 08, 2026

    A day wasted driving to court

    Last week, I had a settlement conference scheduled at the Milton, Ont., courthouse on one of my “remaining” litigation files.

  • July 08, 2026

    P.E.I. library hotspots could help residents access virtual court: province

    Prince Edward Island is bringing internet access to those who lack it with portable hotspot devices available through the library — and there is “no reason” they could not be used for virtual court appearances, says a government spokesperson.

  • July 08, 2026

    B.C. Court of Appeal addresses variance of terms, change in duration of sex offender designation

    Sex offender prohibition orders can continue long after an offender re-enters the community. Section 161 of the Criminal Code allows for variance of the terms of such orders. Does the variance of terms allow a change in duration? That question was raised in a recent British Columbia Court of Appeal decision, R. v. S.C.W., 2026 BCCA 180.

  • July 07, 2026

    Legal Aid CEO Charlene Moore joins N.S. Supreme Court

    The federal government has appointed Charlene J. Moore as a judge of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia (Family Division) in Sydney.

  • July 06, 2026

    Opioid class actions to proceed to early 2028 trial after appeal rulings: B.C. Attorney General

    British Columbia’s opioid class actions against manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and consultants will proceed to trial in early 2028 after the B.C. Court of Appeal dismissed the final appeals challenging certification, Attorney General Niki Sharma said in a statement issued July 6.

  • July 06, 2026

    Ottawa looking for additional input on changes to federal labour policy

    Canada’s government is holding another round of consultations on revamping labour relations policies for workers in federally regulated industries — this time with a focus on grievance arbitration, bad faith bargaining, and strikes and lockouts. In a July 3 news release, Ottawa announced that “additional consultations will take place over the summer” in a bid to further “protect the rights of … workers, including the right to strike.”

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