The Complete Brief
-
April 22, 2026
Alberta law institute report maps out how children can be heard in court
An Alberta-based legal institute has issued a report it says will help lawyers and the public understand the ways in which the voice of the child can be heard in family court proceedings.
-
April 22, 2026
Kim Ferreira joins Dickinson Wright in Toronto as partner
Dickinson Wright has added Kim Ferreira as a partner in its Toronto office.
-
April 22, 2026
Carney names Annette Ryan as parliamentary budget officer
Prime Minister Mark Carney has appointed Annette Ryan as Canada’s parliamentary budget officer, effective April 22.
-
April 22, 2026
When courts turn back the clock: Rethinking the return to in-person family hearings
A recent article by Steve Benmor (The Zoom paradox: When a judge’s words and his court’s actions collide) draws attention to an emerging inconsistency within Ontario’s family justice system — one that warrants closer examination.
-
April 22, 2026
Relocation law is stacked against mothers — Bill C-223 can fix it
Lucy is a 10-year-old child who spends most of her time in the care of her mother but also spends significant time with her father. Lucy’s mother just got a job across the province and asks the court to authorize the relocation of the child. The father objects.
-
April 22, 2026
Nova Scotia failed to consider impact of 2025 woods ban on rights: lawyer
People’s constitutional rights “cannot be ignored by government decision-makers — period,” says the lawyer of a man ticketed during Nova Scotia’s controversial woods ban. That man, Jeffrey Evely, was the face of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia’s April 17 ruling in Evely v. Nova Scotia (Minister of Natural Resources), 2026 NSSC 118, in which it was found the province failed to consider people’s Charter-protected mobility rights when it prohibited them from entering forested areas for a period last summer.
-
April 22, 2026
What can happen when flawed young lawyers meet AI
Vicky was my associate many years ago. She was bright and ambitious. She wanted to learn and she worked hard. If you taught Vicky how to do something once, she would get it right every time after that. But Vicky had a flaw.
-
April 22, 2026
Viable claim in civil conspiracy requires more than a franchise relationship
Ontario appellate courts continue to hold that civil conspiracy claims cannot be used to circumvent corporate separateness. In Cervantes v. Pizza Nova Take Out Ltd., 2026 ONSC 713 (Cervantes), the Ontario Divisional Court reaffirmed that an agreement is the core element of a civil conspiracy claim.
-
April 22, 2026
CRIMINAL CODE OFFENCES - Offences against person and reputation - Homicide - Second-degree murder
Appeal by George from her conviction for second-degree murder arising from the stabbing death of her uncle, Beaver. The Crown’s case at trial was that George organized a home invasion intending that Beaver be killed, with her boyfriend, Cavanagh, as the stabber.
-
April 22, 2026
‘Pig butchering’ scams leave Canadian victims with few recovery options
A Canadian who wires six figures to what appears to be a legitimate investment platform — only to discover it is fictitious — faces a stark reality. The funds are gone, and the perpetrators are often unidentified.