Constitutional

  • September 01, 2026

    Legal groups welcome injunction in Ontario cash bail constitutional challenge

    An Ontario Superior Court judge has put the brakes on the province’s new requirements on cash bail, granting an injunction to keep them from being enforced while a constitutional challenge of the rules plays out.

  • August 28, 2026

    Federal Court of Appeal upholds Human Rights Act’s $20,000 compensation caps

    The Federal Court of Appeal has dismissed a constitutional challenge to two $20,000 compensation caps under the Canadian Human Rights Act — one for pain and suffering and the other for wilful or reckless discrimination — rejecting arguments that the limits violated successful complainants’ equality rights.

  • August 27, 2026

    Lawyers for homeless man eyeing options after N.S. changes its rules on enhanced welfare benefits

    Lawyers in Nova Scotia are examining whether a legal challenge could be launched against the province after it made what they called the “cruel” move of amending income assistance regulations to make homeless people living in tents and cars ineligible for an enhanced welfare benefit.

  • August 27, 2026

    Groups in Manitoba must work together to break down A2J barriers: law society

    The inability to afford a lawyer remains the biggest barrier to legal services in Manitoba, but obstacles also arise when various bodies operate in silos rather than coming together to serve the “whole person,” an official says following the release of a survey on access to justice in the province. Earlier this month, the Law Society of Manitoba (LSM) released its “What We Heard from Community Report” as part of its ongoing Access to Justice (A2J) Initiative.

  • August 25, 2026

    Alberta Court of Appeal Justice Frans Slatter retires

    Justice Frans Slatter has retired from the Alberta Court of Appeal after 25 years on the bench.

  • August 24, 2026

    Carney government says judicial pay hikes it rejected would cost almost $321 million over 6 years

    A $28,000 lump sum salary boost recommended for Canada’s 1,200 judges last year would have cost Ottawa almost $321 million over six years had the government not rejected the advice from an independent judicial pay commission, the Carney government asserts in defending a novel lawsuit launched by the Canadian Superior Courts Judges Association (CSCJA) and the Association of Federal Court Associate Judges.

  • August 24, 2026

    CCLA launches Charter challenge over Manitoba criminal legal aid funding

    A national civil liberties group has launched a Charter challenge against what it calls the “chronic” underfunding of criminal legal aid in Manitoba. And a leading voice for criminal lawyers in the province is echoing the sentiment that funding has long stagnated.

  • August 24, 2026

    EVIDENCE - Admissibility - Private communications

    Appeal by the appellant from convictions for two counts of sexual assault and one count of assault with choking.

  • August 21, 2026

    Decision in Toronto bike lane case ‘troubling,’ but legal observers divided

    Legal observers are mixed in their reaction to a decision by Ontario’s top court to overturn a finding that the provincial government’s plans to remove three downtown Toronto bicycle lanes violated the Charter, with some calling it a correct interpretation of constitutional principles but others saying it is troublesome for future cases.

  • August 17, 2026

    Ontario cash bail requirements challenged as creating ‘two-tier’ system

    A coalition of legal and civil rights groups has launched a constitutional challenge to Ontario’s new cash bail requirements, arguing the rules create a “two-tier” justice system that favours people who can afford to pay for their release. Changes to the bail system came into effect on Aug. 17, and among other things require a cash security deposit in the full amount pledged to be paid once an accused person is released into custody, with payment due within two business days of release.

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