The Complete Brief
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August 25, 2025
With law firms, there’s no such thing as a free ice cream cone
Those of you who read my stuff know I am not the world’s biggest fan of law firms who address mental health issues by offering pizza and yoga classes, while refusing to acknowledge that the principal cause of their people’s suffering is overwork.
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August 25, 2025
Developments in employment law: Courts reinforce strict approach to termination provisions
Recent Ontario court decisions continue to reinforce a strict approach to termination provisions in employment contracts. We will discuss two of these cases, along with a third case where a termination provision was upheld.
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August 25, 2025
Appeal court confirms conviction in failed crossbow hit case
An Ontario Superior Court judge, Justice Jennifer Woollcombe, sentenced Roger Jaggernauth, then 53, to 16 years in prison in October 2023. Following a judge-alone trial, Jaggernauth was convicted of orchestrating a failed “contract hit” on his ex-common-law partner, Marlene Pimenta.
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August 22, 2025
Natural resources, tech firms drive Canadian deal flow increase despite tariff uncertainty
Investment activity in Canada has accelerated in recent months despite persistent concerns over U.S. tariffs and global economic headwinds, with deal flow expanding across natural resources, technology and energy, according to Cassels Capital Markets partner Jonathan Sherman.
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August 22, 2025
Feds table annual report on UNDRIP Act, outline progress
Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada Sean Fraser has tabled the fourth annual progress report on Canada’s implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UNDRIP), discussing various advancements and areas for improvement.
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August 22, 2025
PM removes tariffs on U.S. goods covered by CUSMA, 85% of trade with U.S. now tariff-free
Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced today that the Canadian government is removing all of Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods specifically covered under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). The decision will become effective Sept. 1 and matches what the United States has implemented. “In short, Canada and the U.S. have now re-established free trade for the vast majority of our goods,” the prime minister said in a press conference.
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August 22, 2025
International disputes: SCC revisits contract-based jurisdiction for Canadian courts
A Canadian court can assume jurisdiction over a foreign dispute if a real and substantial connection exists between the claim and the forum in which it is brought. Whether that connection exists is governed by the two-stage test set out by the Supreme Court of Canada in Club Resorts Ltd. v. Van Breda, 2012 SCC 17 (Van Breda).
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August 22, 2025
Yukon court gets new judge
Yukon’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General Tracy-Anne McPhee announced that Yesterday David James Christie has been appointed a judge of the Territorial Court of Yukon.
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August 22, 2025
Ontario law society seeking input from paralegals on future growth; registration for AGM open
The Law Society of Ontario (LSO) is seeking input from paralegals to support the sustainability and growth of the profession, and at the same time is preparing for its annual general meeting (AGM) in September.
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August 22, 2025
How a $1,000 compromise can cost your firm millions
Financially motivated cybercrime continues to surge, and Canada has emerged as a prime target on the global stage. The country consistently ranks among the most attacked nations, second only to the United States for ransomware incidents. For the Canadian legal industry, which holds vast amounts of sensitive client data, this trend presents a growing risk.