The Complete Brief

  • October 22, 2026

    Academics, scientists seek major projects bill changes to protect environment

    Over 50 academics and scientists from across the country have signed an open letter urging the federal government to reform its major projects law. The scholars, all fellows of the Royal Society of Canada, say Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act, raises serious concerns about environmental impacts and risks causing “costly and potentially irreversible harm” to Canada’s natural heritage.

  • October 22, 2026

    Cassels welcomes Farzad Forooghian in Vancouver

    Farzad Forooghian has joined Cassels as a partner in its capital markets group in Vancouver.

  • October 22, 2026

    Express Entry reset: How 2026 selection changes will reshape applicant prospects

    Canada’s Express Entry system is undergoing its most consequential recalibration in several years. The 2026 changes operate on two levels: an expanded and more demanding category-based selection framework introduced in February, and a significant redesign of the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) that will take effect on Nov. 3, 2026.

  • October 22, 2026

    Coldcard hack: How CRA treats stolen cryptocurrency for tax purposes

    Beginning on July 30, 2026, attackers drained bitcoin from wallets secured by Coldcard, a bitcoin-only hardware device manufactured by Coinkite, a Canadian technology company. The theft was traced to a March 2021 firmware defect that produced predictable rather than genuinely random seeds. Across four waves ending on Aug. 3, Galaxy Research traced roughly 1,816 bitcoin, approximately $116 million, of which 1,083 bitcoin went missing in the first 41 minutes.

  • October 22, 2026

    I prompt, therefore I bill: If AI does our thinking, what are we billing for?

    Lawyers have spent years explaining that finding an answer online is no substitute for legal advice. We are now buying subscriptions to software that finds answers and helps us write the advice. We should probably prepare for a few follow-up questions.

  • October 22, 2026

    The economics of collaboration in cultural property restitution and estate asset recovery

    Within the practice of cultural property restitution and estate asset recovery, fiduciary litigators and trust administrators frequently encounter unique administrative challenges.

  • October 22, 2026

    Comprehensive guide to corporate immigration pathways: Temporary Foreign Worker Program

    The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) is one of Canada’s central pathways for employers to hire foreign talent when no Canadians or permanent residents are available to fill a position. Unlike the International Mobility Program, which is LMIA-exempt, the TFWP requires employers to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) before a foreign worker can be hired. This LMIA process ensures that the employment of a foreign national will not negatively affect Canadian workers.

  • October 22, 2026

    Beyond the algorithm: Financing the AI infrastructure boom

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly moving beyond experimentation and into broad enterprise adoption at remarkable speeds. Once confined largely to niche technology companies, research institutions and startups, AI now sits at the centre of many traditional industries, reshaping sectors such as financial services, health care, manufacturing, logistics, energy and professional services, while creating ripple effects across global markets. Statistics Canada reported that AI adoption among Canadian businesses increased from 6.1 per cent in the second quarter of 2024 to 12.2 per cent a year later. By Q2 2026, adoption rates had reached 19.2 per cent.

  • October 22, 2026

    TERMS - Express terms - Acceleration and minimum payment clauses

    Appeal by the appellants from the decision dismissing their originating application for the balance allegedly payable under a Services Agreement, and cross-appeal by the respondents from the judge’s failure to decide their procedural dismissal application.

  • October 22, 2026

    POWERS OF SEARCH AND SEIZURE - Search - Warrantless searches - Search incidental to arrest

    Appeal by the Crown against acquittals of Singh and Grewal. An RCMP officer stopped their vehicle. Based partly on information received from another RCMP member, and partly on observations, the officer formed the belief that Singh and Grewal possessed controlled substances for the purpose of trafficking and arrested them.

  • October 21, 2026

    Manitoba cuts ‘above-guideline’ residential rent increases

    Manitoba has set new limits on “above-guideline” residential rent increases landlords put in place for capital expenses. The provincial government is “changing regulations” to cut above-guideline rent increases by up to 40 per cent in a bid to “strengthen protections for renters.”

  • October 21, 2026

    New judge appointed to Ontario court

    Sean Fraser, minister of justice and attorney general of Canada and minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, has announced that Karen P. Hulan has been appointed a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.

  • October 21, 2026

    New electoral coalition says Ontario law society has lost its focus

    A new electoral coalition has formed ahead of next year’s Law Society of Ontario (LSO) bencher elections saying the regulator has lost its focus and needs to go back to the basics. The team, which refers to itself as CORE, is focusing on four commitments — focusing on the law society’s core function of regulation of the legal professions, open and transparent decision-making, restored accountability and ethical leadership.

  • October 21, 2026

    Feds launch new directive to reduce regulatory charges, enhance competition

    The federal government has announced a new Cabinet Directive on Regulatory Competitiveness and Red Tape Reduction, requiring regulators “to reduce regulatory burden costs by $2 for every $1 added.”

  • October 21, 2026

    Dementia Justice Canada calls for mandatory legal assessment for any advance MAID requests

    Dementia Justice Canada is urging Parliament to require an independent legal assessment before medical assistance in dying is administered under an advance request, warning that people who have lost decision-making capacity need protection from coercion, undue influence and abuse.

  • October 21, 2026

    Law firms, legal AI users must learn to spot subtle but significant output errors: expert

    As law firms and in-house teams increasingly adopt and experiment with artificial intelligence tools, there are less obvious risks they need to look out for, including minor shifts in contractual language, inconsistent model behaviour and potential client-data exposure, according to a legal tech expert. 

  • October 21, 2026

    Gathering of the Innocence Canada warriors

    The evening Of Oct. 8 saw a gathering at the Law Society of Ontario's Convocation Hall of an eclectic mix of those at the forefront of the innocence movement in this country. The occasion was the 12th anniversary of International Wrongful Conviction Day.

  • October 21, 2026

    Norton Rose Fulbright opens new Calgary office

    Norton Rose Fulbright Canada has opened a new office in Calgary.

  • October 21, 2026

    When the mortgage comes due: Managing estate-owned property amidst estate disputes

    Estate litigation can take months or years to resolve, but mortgage obligations do not wait. For estate trustees and beneficiaries, the core challenge is preserving the value of estate property while competing claims are litigated.

  • October 21, 2026

    Royal commission on immigration would promote public understanding, dialogue and law reform: expert

    A royal commission or national commission of inquiry into immigration could boost Canadians’ understanding of hot-button immigration issues and generate positive public dialogue as well as needed policy reforms, says an expert on Quebec’s uniquely autonomous immigration regime that sparks envy from other provincial leaders.

  • October 21, 2026

    Evidence must be considered cumulatively and contextually: Saskatchewan Court of Appeal

    A police officer investigating suspected drug trafficking does not have to eliminate every innocent explanation for a suspect’s behaviour before making an arrest. But an officer’s training and experience alone cannot justify depriving someone of liberty.

  • October 21, 2026

    Franchise surrenders: Goodwill, secured creditors and key lessons from Chooch’s

    What happens when a struggling franchisee exits the system and leaves its debt behind?

  • October 21, 2026

    Estate freeze doesn’t turn a pre-marriage gift into excluded property

    For decades, the estate freeze has been a staple of succession planning for Canadian business families. The mechanics are familiar to any tax or estate practitioner: the owner exchanges growth shares for fixed-value preferred shares, and a newly settled family trust subscribes for fresh common shares that will capture all future growth. The tax benefits are well understood.

  • October 21, 2026

    LIMITATION OF ACTIONS - When time begins to run - Discoverability

    Appeals by the appellants from the orders granting the respondents summary judgment and dismissing their product-liability actions as statute-barred under the Limitations Act (Act).

  • October 21, 2026

    Honest departure posts from lawyers

    I recently wrote about the spate of AI-generated departure posts on LinkedIn, in which lawyers thank everyone in the wonderful firms that they are leaving, lauding their phenomenal experience, and teasing the “next chapter of their journey.” I called it malarkey, but only because it is malarkey.

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