The Complete Brief

OIL AND GAS - Lease or license for production - Working interest - Overriding royalties

Appeal by Yangarra Resources Ltd. from trial judge’s decision. Yangarra was the successor in interest to a Crown petroleum and natural gas lease encumbered by an eight per cent overriding royalty held by PrairieSky Royalty Ltd. Yangarra was unaware of the encumbrance when it purchased the leasehold interest.

Carney pauses 2026 EV mandate amid tariff stress, announces comprehensive Buy Canadian policy

Prime Minister Mark Carney has paused the 2026 electric vehicle (EV) mandate target for automakers and auto importers as part of a strategy to support sectors impacted by U.S.-imposed tariffs. The automobile sector in Canada has been one of the hardest hit by the imposition of U.S. tariffs, with Canadian cars facing 25 per cent tariffs in the U.S. Carney said that protectionist measures put in place by the U.S. were fundamentally reshaping all its trading relationships but noted that Canada currently has the best deal of any U.S. trading partner, with 85 per cent of trade between the two countries being tariff-free.

Court finds request for audited statements time-barred despite company never providing them

The Ontario Court of Appeal has found that the demand by a shareholder to request audited financial statements from a corporation dating back over a decade is time-barred by two years, despite the company never having complied with the obligation to provide audited statements.

The Friday Brief: Editor-In-Chief’s must-read items from the past two weeks

Here are my picks for the top stories we’ve published over the last two weeks.

P.E.I. opens applications for anti-racism grants for 2025-26

Groups such as charities and non-profits in Prince Edward Island can now apply for the next round of anti-racism grants — which will include funding for projects promoting positive relationships between youth and the criminal justice system.

B.C. top court orders new trial in contractual dispute, finding trial errors on mitigation, damages

The B.C. Court of Appeal has set aside a ruling that denied an equipment maker a set-off for costs and lost profits in a dispute over partial payments for a manufacturing contract repudiated by the buyer.

Even in civil cases, court is no place for chickens

Court finds foreign service union did not adequately consider grievance on children’s education

The Federal Court of Appeal has upheld a decision by the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board, finding that the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers failed to adequately consider a grievance related to an education allowance for a member’s stepdaughters, thereby breaching its duty of fair representation.

Tax compliance considerations for notional cash pooling

Cash pooling arrangements are used by multinational organizations to centralize cash management and reduce financing costs. Cash pooling arrangements are primarily split between physical and notional cash pooling arrangements.

Do judges remember what it was like to be a lawyer?

In the case of Comeau v. Fox, 2025 ONSC 4318, Justice Alex Pazaratz did not mince words about lawyers who do not go on the record in a court matter.