The Complete Brief

  • March 25, 2026

    Canada must strengthen immigration security and close screening, enforcement gaps

    Recent reporting has raised concerns about the effectiveness of Canada’s immigration security screening and enforcement. Media accounts have described cases in which an individual allegedly appearing in an ISIS execution video later obtained refugee status and citizenship before being arrested in connection with an alleged plot in Toronto; a foreign national with a prior conviction for sexual offences entered on a visitor visa after failing to disclose that history; and individuals linked to the Iranian regime have entered and, in some cases, obtained status in Canada.

  • March 25, 2026

    Ontario Court of Appeal examines obligations of trial judge for self-represented accused

    What assistance should a self-represented accused expect from the presiding judge during a trial? That question was recently addressed in an appeal before the Ontario Court of Appeal.

  • March 25, 2026

    Parole hearings: A response to Dorson article

    It was with great interest that I started reading the article written by David Dorson in Law360 Canada on March 19.

  • March 25, 2026

    MOTOR VEHICLES AND HIGHWAY TRAFFIC - Driver licensing - Liability and offences

    Appeal by Gregory from a decision dismissing her statutory appeal of the Registrar of Motor Vehicles’ (Registrar) cancellation of her driver’s licence. The Registrar cancelled the licence following concerns raised by police and after Gregory failed two recent driving examinations.

  • March 24, 2026

    SCC judges probe what Charter s. 33 ‘override’ may mean for survival of Charter judicial review

    The argument that a legislature’s use of the Charter’s s. 33 “override” clause can temporarily prevent judges from striking down a law but not from reviewing the law’s constitutionality or stating that the law infringes Charter rights and freedoms sparked a lively exchange between counsel and the bench as the Supreme Court of Canada kicked off its inquiry into the constitutionality of Quebec’s controversial “secularism” (Bill 21) law.

  • March 24, 2026

    CBSA issues temporary halt on removals to UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar

    On March 24, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) issued a “temporary halt” on removals to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar.

  • March 24, 2026

    Ontario court backs municipality’s decision on controversial bus shelter ads

    Ontario’s top court has rejected efforts by a political party to put ads on municipal bus shelters expounding their views on gender issues, and a lawyer involved in the case is saying the decision provides a template for cities to follow when confronted with similar issues.

  • March 24, 2026

    Dalhousie U and King’s College to resurrect joint journalism-law program

    Two universities in Nova Scotia are re-launching a joint degree program combining law and journalism in a bid to create professionals able to “cut through the noise” of today’s world.

  • March 24, 2026

    Cineplex Inc. v. The King: Negative proceeds of disposition?

    In the decision of Cineplex Inc. v. The King, 2026 TCC 15, the primary issue was the characterization of a $26,610,551.98 payment related to a complex business restructuring. Was the payment on account of capital or income?

  • March 24, 2026

    The joint expert playbook: Why courts rarely let you walk away

    The first part of this series examined what Rules 20.1 and 20.2 of the Family Law Rules require, when joint expert retainers make sense, and what Numair v. Numair and Zantingh v. Zantingh tell us about how courts respond when the process breaks down. This part picks up from that foundation: once a joint retainer is in place, courts set a high threshold before permitting competing expert evidence — and several well-worn failure modes can derail the engagement before the report is ever finalized.

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