The Complete Brief

  • August 04, 2026

    Prediction markets and tax law: What tax category do prediction markets belong to?

    Prediction markets are not gambling. They are not securities markets. They are not derivatives exchanges. They exhibit characteristics of all three simultaneously, and that ambiguity is precisely what makes them one of the most analytically interesting problems in Canadian tax law today.

  • August 04, 2026

    SCC clarifies path for misfeasance claims against public officials in Resler v. Anglin

    The Supreme Court of Canada’s decision to allow a claim for misfeasance in public office against Alberta’s chief electoral officer to proceed to the merits in Resler v. Anglin, 2026 SCC 23 highlights the boundary between public and private law remedies for acts of public officials, the challenges of striking a far-fetched but properly pleaded claim, and the trade-offs in finding the right case to resolve unsettled legal issues like loss of chance damages.

  • August 04, 2026

    Ontario Court of Appeal decision shines light on often overlooked truth about justice system

    Most people assume that once a judge has decided a case, writing the reasons is merely a matter of putting pen to paper. The Ontario Court of Appeal has now reminded us that the law views it differently.

  • August 04, 2026

    PROCEEDINGS IN CONTRACT - Practice and procedure

    Appeals by developer from orders finding it liable for breach of real estate contracts of purchase and sale. The respondents agreed in 2016 to buy lots in a planned subdivision from the developer. The contracts were later amended by a second addendum which provided that completion would occur 30 days after the City of Abbotsford accepted building permit applications for the properties.

  • August 04, 2026

    Partners: Trying to be the smartest person in the room

    A quote attributed to Confucius states: “If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room.”

  • August 04, 2026

    Federal labour law update: CIRB interprets new replacement worker restrictions

    The Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) has released its first merits decision interpreting the new replacement worker provisions under the Canada Labour Code, which were introduced in 2025 through Bill C-58. The decision clarifies that the new rules do not create a blanket prohibition on the use of replacement workers in unionized federally regulated workplaces but instead restrict the use of specified categories of persons during lawful strikes and lockouts.

  • July 31, 2026

    SCC takes deep dive into ‘spoliation’ for the first time in more than a century

    The Supreme Court of Canada has unanimously set out the presumptions, procedure and remedies applicable to litigated claims of “spoliation” — i.e., claims against parties who engage in the “intentional destruction, alteration, mutilation, or concealment of evidence with a view to subverting the truth-finding process during litigation.”

  • July 31, 2026

    Immigration consultant given new trial due to delay between ‘bottom-line’ verdict and written reasons

    An immigration consultant accused of misrepresentation in relation to the sponsorship of refugees has been given a new trial after it was found the trial judge took too long to deliver written reasons for finding him guilty.

  • July 31, 2026

    Law Commission of Canada names three Emerging Scholars

    The Law Commission of Canada (LCC) has selected Kaitlyn Blaser, Marie-Pier Jolicoeur and Leanna Katz as Emerging Scholars for its spring-summer 2026 term.

  • July 31, 2026

    Changes to B.C. labour dispute complaint process take effect Aug. 1

    British Columbia’s amendments to its Employment Standards Act and the Temporary Foreign Worker Protection Act will be in effect as of Aug. 1. The changes aim to improve the complaint and dispute-resolution process at the Employment Standards Branch.

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