August 18, 2026
There is a moment in COVID-benefit judicial review that recurs so often it has become diagnostic. Counsel for the Attorney General is asked, from the bench, to point to the place in the decision where the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) officer engaged with the applicant’s central submission. And counsel cannot point to it because it is not there — so counsel explains instead why the officer did not need to.
August 18, 2026
In the case of Northcut v. The King, 2026 TCC 136 (Northcut), an appeal under the Tax Court of Canada’s informal procedure, the amount in dispute was less than $25,000 for each taxation year. Nonetheless, it is a complicated and interesting decision analyzing the intersection of Canadian and United States law, the Canada-U.S. tax treaty including Article XVIII:1 and Article XXV the non-discrimination clause, the Mutual Agreement Procedure (MAP) and the Canadian and U.S. taxation of pension income.
August 18, 2026
The Federal Court of Appeal has set aside a three-month compensation award for an unjustly dismissed Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officer trainee who spent nearly eight years out of the job, ruling that the labour board failed to explain why it limited her compensation.
August 18, 2026
On July 3, 2026, the Nova Scotia Supreme Court released a significant decision in Halifax (Regional Municipality) v. Rank Inc., 2026 NSSC 217 that clarified certain limits of municipal taxing authority over real estate transactions in the province. The ruling addresses a sometimes-asked question: whether transferring corporate control or partnership interests in entities that hold real property triggers municipal deed transfer tax payable pursuant to the Municipal Government Act (MGA) and, by extension, the Halifax Regional Municipality Charter.
August 18, 2026
Appeal by Sandhu from his conviction for sexual assault. The complainant and Sandhu were alone in a hotel room for approximately 20 to 30 minutes after their friends, R.E. and U.K., left to obtain food. The complainant testified that while she was intoxicated, Sandhu did something to her vagina that caused pain, that she repeatedly told him to stop, and that she later found herself in a bathroom without her pants or underwear.
August 17, 2026
The Federal Court has declined to stay the removal of a former senior Iranian government official “because Canada’s interest in removing persons who participated in regimes that systematically violate human rights outweighs any harm that might befall him upon returning to Iran.”
August 17, 2026
Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced an agreement with Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec and the Innu Nation, as well as Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro and Hydro-Québec, guaranteeing $10 billion in financing for “largest clean energy investment in North American history.”
August 17, 2026
The Alberta Court of Appeal has allowed an appeal, ruling that the investigative receiver PricewaterhouseCoopers Inc. overstepped its neutral role in litigation by seeking to bind parties to its legal opinion in a dispute relating to more than 100 allegedly fraudulently transferred vehicles.
August 17, 2026
A coalition of legal and civil rights groups has launched a constitutional challenge to Ontario’s new cash bail requirements, arguing the rules create a “two-tier” justice system that favours people who can afford to pay for their release. Changes to the bail system came into effect on Aug. 17, and among other things require a cash security deposit in the full amount pledged to be paid once an accused person is released into custody, with payment due within two business days of release.
August 17, 2026
The Ontario Superior Court has set aside a $573,820 default judgment, finding that the order removing the defendants’ former counsel failed to inform them of the consequences of not appointing new counsel and noting that the award far exceeded the amount claimed.