Access to Justice

  • 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.”

  • July 06, 2026

    Convictions quashed, acquittal entered in reminder that convictions cannot rest on suspicion alone

    The Alberta Court of Appeal has delivered a powerful reminder that criminal convictions cannot rest on suspicion alone, acquitting Jatinder Singh after finding that the evidence left too many unanswered questions to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The decision in R. v. Singh, 2026 ABCA 219 held that the trial judge failed to apply the Supreme Court of Canada’s guidance on reasonable inferences in criminal cases.

  • July 03, 2026

    Milestones and practice: Commentary on the IBA’s Canada report on women and equality

    The International Bar Association’s (IBA) recent report marks a meaningful demographic milestone: women now form a majority of the Canadian legal profession. Combined with the historic female majority on the Supreme Court of Canada, it signals progress that deserves recognition.

  • June 30, 2026

    P.E.I. schools adopt new sexual misconduct policy — as called for in report

    Public schools in P.E.I. have adopted a new sexual misconduct policy in a bid to better protect students by focusing on prevention, early intervention and a uniform complaints process.

  • June 30, 2026

    Ontario names 27 new justices of the peace

    The Ontario government has appointed 27 new justices of the peace to the Ontario Court of Justice, effective July 8, 2026.

  • June 30, 2026

    B.C. Court of Appeal upholds certification of class action against opioid companies

    The B.C. Court of Appeal has upheld the certification of a class action against opioid manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers over health-care costs arising from the opioid crisis, rejecting arguments that the plaintiffs were required to produce more detailed evidence to support certification.

  • June 29, 2026

    Trial delay is not neutral: Why Ontario’s civil court backlog prejudices plaintiffs’ claims

    Ontario’s civil courts continue to struggle with post-pandemic delays. The problem is not just administrative. In personal injury litigation — and especially in motor vehicle collision cases — delay changes the financial value of a claim. For plaintiffs, longer times to get to trial do not simply postpone compensation. They can reduce it.

  • June 29, 2026

    Need for trauma-informed intakes and the practice roadmap

    While the Ahluwalia decision solidified a groundbreaking civil framework for addressing coercive control, Parliament simultaneously built a parallel carceral one (Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia, 2026 SCC 16). The federal intention behind Bill C-16 is well-intentioned — aiming to intervene early, recognize psychological containment as violence, and treat coercive control as a precursor to lethal escalation.

  • June 26, 2026

    Federal Court notes ‘historic backlog’ in update to immigration case guidelines

    The Federal Court has announced that as of June 26, a special order will extend the deadline to file an applicant’s record from 45 to 90 days in immigration proceedings. The court said it was “required to take this additional step in light of increasing caseload, budget restrictions, and insufficient resources.”