May 19, 2026
On May 19, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the chair and members of the Independent Advisory Board for the Supreme Court of Canada Judicial Appointments.
May 19, 2026
The release of the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal’s latest annual report sets the stage for an increase in webcasts and a push to educate people on the importance of judicial independence, says the province’s top judge.
May 19, 2026
In my handy Wilderness Survival Guide, there is a step-by-step guide to building the perfect bonfire. I was reminded of it as I read last week’s Supreme Court of Canada decision in Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia, 2026 SCC 16, which has created a new tort — the tort of family violence for coercive and controlling behaviour.
May 15, 2026
The Government of Ontario is introducing legislative changes to “strengthen protections for children in private and international adoptions by enhancing oversight of the adoption process, creating new compliance and enforcement tools and establishing better safeguards to prevent bad actors from entering the system.”
May 15, 2026
The Supreme Court of Canada has created 6-3 a new common law tort of “intimate partner violence” (IPV), which may be claimed separately or within family law proceedings. The far-reaching five-judge majority judgment, written by Justice Nicholas Kasirer (along with a separate lone concurrence by Justice Andromache Karakatsanis), not only recognizes a new tort, it elaborates on when novel torts should be created and on the roles of courts and legislatures in developing the law: Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia, 2026 SCC 16.
May 15, 2026
Appeal by appellant from a judgment of the Ontario Court of Appeal which set aside in part a trial judge’s decision. The appellant initiated divorce proceedings in which she proved that she had been the victim of abuse at the hands of her husband, the respondent, over the course of their marriage.
May 13, 2026
Case planning conferences and judicial management conferences in civil and family proceedings in British Columbia will now, by default, be held by videoconference, according to a May 13 release.
May 13, 2026
Practising in rural Ontario and the North gives me a perspective on the access-to-justice crisis we are currently facing. Many vulnerable people face child protection proceedings while also dealing with addiction, poverty, mental health challenges and isolation. These are real, human stories, families at risk of being separated, children caught in uncertainty and communities trying to help with fewer resources.
May 13, 2026
The vast majority of mediations in Ontario continue to take place virtually. Convenient and often cost-effective, virtual mediation is clearly here to stay — even if I personally would welcome a greater return to in-person mediations (more on that in an upcoming article). It is therefore worth thinking carefully about how virtual mediations can be structured to maximize effectiveness.
May 13, 2026
Appeal by Kelly from the dismissal of his motion for summary judgment. The motion sought to strike the petitioner Polowy’s claim for an accounting and equalization of family assets, including pensions, on the basis that the petition was filed outside the three‑year limitation period.