The Complete Brief
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March 13, 2026
Cross-border clarity: How U.S. franchise reform could affect Canadian brands
The American Franchise Act (AFA), a bipartisan bill currently moving through U.S. Congress, could help bring clarity to franchising as a business model, with implications for Canadian operators.
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March 12, 2026
Feds provide update on assisting Canadians out of the Middle East
Canada has provided an update on the situation in the Middle East, outlining its efforts to help Canadians return home or depart to a safe third country.
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March 12, 2026
Competition Bureau clears Chartwell’s $432M retirement home deal with divestiture
The Competition Bureau has reached a consent agreement with Chartwell Master Care LP allowing the company to proceed with its $432-million acquisition of six Ontario retirement homes on the condition that it divest a Waterloo, Ont., property to address competition concerns.
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March 12, 2026
B.C. ban on arbitration clauses in consumer contracts is retrospective, not retroactive: court
The B.C. Court of Appeal has ruled that amendments to the province’s Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act (BPCPA) banning arbitration clauses in consumer contracts do not apply retroactively, upholding a stay of proceedings against Rogers Communications Canada Inc. in favour of arbitration.
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March 12, 2026
Nova Scotia man convicted of making 3D firearms, CBSA announces
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has announced that a Nova Scotia man has been sentenced to six years in prison for manufacturing 3D firearms, according to a March 12 statement.
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March 12, 2026
Health Canada adds five fentanyl precursors to list of permanent controlled substances
Health Canada’s addition next month of five chemicals to the list of permanent controlled substances that are precursors to the manufacture of fentanyl prompted a question to Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, asking why Canada, unlike the U.K. and the U.S., does not also list under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) the animal tranquillizers that frequently contaminate fentanyl.
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March 12, 2026
Ontario Superior Court of Justice abolishes Zoom hearings for Toronto family law cases
In a sweeping policy shift poised to dramatically increase the cost of separation and divorce for thousands of Toronto families, the Family Branch of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice has announced that, effective April 2, 2026, all family law motions at the Toronto courthouse will presumptively proceed in person — and no longer by Zoom.
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March 12, 2026
Patel v. Bhatt: A model for child abduction under the Hague Convention
International child abduction cases are a matter of great concern to Canadian and international courts alike. The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (the Convention) was designed to secure the prompt return of children who were wrongfully removed to or retained in any contracting state, and to ensure that the rights of custody and access under the law of one contracting state are effectively respected in the other contracting states.
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March 12, 2026
B.C. proposing faster environmental assessment process
B.C.’s Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) is seeking feedback on an expedited environmental assessment process aimed at reducing assessment timelines and supporting more efficient decision-making for major projects.
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March 12, 2026
Peter Danner joins McCarthy Tétrault’s Calgary office as partner
McCarthy Tétrault has added Peter Danner as a partner in its M&A group in Calgary.