The Complete Brief
-
March 03, 2026
Ontario law society mandates Indigenous cultural competency course
Law Society of Ontario (LSO) benchers have narrowly approved a mandatory Indigenous cultural competency course for all lawyers and paralegals, despite concerns it could lead to a repeat of the statement of principles drama that engulfed the law society several years ago.
-
March 03, 2026
McCarthy Tétrault adds Anne-Marie Panzini to M&A group in Montreal
McCarthy Tétrault has welcomed Anne-Marie Panzini as a partner in its M&A group in Montreal.
-
March 03, 2026
Emily Conte joins McCague Borlack in Ottawa
Emily Conte has joined McCague Borlack LLP as an associate in the firm’s Ottawa office.
-
March 03, 2026
Feds create plan to tackle workforce challenges in mining, mineral industries
The federal government has assembled key industry leaders to create a plan to “protect workers and industry from immediate pressures while helping them transition to the future,” which will advance the efforts of the new Mining and Minerals Workforce Alliance.
-
March 03, 2026
Ontario expands critical minerals list, releases new resource development strategy
In an effort to protect the province’s economy, the Government of Ontario has announced a plan to “overhaul and modernize Ontario’s Critical Minerals Strategy,” along with expanding the critical minerals list.
-
March 03, 2026
Crypto director fined $1M for fraudulent activities
The director of a group of companies that ran a now-defunct crypto trading platform has admitted responsibility for fraud and agreed to pay the B.C. Securities Commission (BCSC) $1 million.
-
March 03, 2026
Key considerations when using alter ego trusts for estate planning
When assisting clients aged 65 and older with estate planning, alter ego trusts merit consideration as a means to reduce estate administration tax and facilitate the transfer of assets on death. There are a number of benefits associated with the use of alter ego trusts; however, it is also important to be aware of these trusts’ complexity and potential tax consequences. This article reviews the core features of alter ego trusts, how they are taxed and examines who may benefit from using them.
-
March 03, 2026
OECD updates permanent establishment guidance for remote and hybrid work
On Nov. 19, 2025, the Organization for Economic Co‑operation and Development (OECD) released updates to the Model Tax Convention and its commentary, introducing an express analytical framework for assessing when a remote employee’s home office may constitute a “permanent establishment” (PE) of their employer in another jurisdiction. These changes are particularly relevant for organizations with cross-border remote or hybrid work arrangements.
-
March 03, 2026
Intellectual property: Admissibility of online surveys
Promotion in Motion, Inc. (PIM) sought to register the trademarks SWISSKISS and SWISSKISS & Design as shown here for use in association with “Chocolate of Swiss origin,” collectively, the “SWISSKISS Trademarks.” I discussed the decision of the Federal Court judge here.
-
March 03, 2026
BINDING ARBITRATION - Jurisdiction of the court to review - Standard of review - Reasonableness
Appeal by Purolator Canada Inc. from reviewing judge’s decision that the labour arbitrator’s award was reasonable. The issue on this appeal arose out of a judicial review of a labour arbitration grievance award. The arbitrator found that a COVID-19 mandatory vaccination policy imposed on a unionized workforce by its employer, Purolator, which remained in place between Jan. 1, 2022, and May 1, 2023, was unreasonable as of June 2022.