Family

  • July 13, 2026

    Quebec, Innu council sign agreement to replace Youth Protection Act

    Canada, Quebec and the Innu Takuaikan Uashat mak Mani-utenam (ITUM) council have signed the Tshisheuatishitau Child and Family Services Coordination Agreement, the first of its kind in the province to recognize the First Nation’s jurisdiction over these services. 

  • July 13, 2026

    100K backlog: Forcing timely Bill C-3 citizenship decisions

    When Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025), took effect last December, the federal government took a predictable victory lap. By passing the legislation, Ottawa permanently dismantled the “first-generation limit” that stripped Canadian citizenship from thousands of children born abroad to Canadian parents. Politicians hailed it as the ultimate remedy for the “Lost Canadians.”

  • July 10, 2026

    Supreme Court upholds 6-month mandatory minimum for soliciting or obtaining sex with children

    The Supreme Court of Canada has affirmed 7-2 the constitutional validity of the mandatory minimum penalty (MMP) of six months’ incarceration for those who pay to obtain — or communicate to buy — sex with persons under age 18. On July 10, Justices Suzanne Côté and Michelle O’Bonsawin, in joint reasons for the majority, allowed the appeal of the Attorney General of Quebec and set aside the Quebec Court of Appeal’s 2024 decision that struck down s. 286.1(2)(a) of the Criminal Code as a violation of the Charter’s s. 12 prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment: Quebec (Attorney General) v. Denis, 2026 SCC 25.

  • July 10, 2026

    Many trial judges overworked and stressed — but not as much as lawyers: new national survey

    Many federally appointed trial judges report stress from excessive workloads, limited control over their time in the workplace and too few support resources, according to a new national survey of judges’ physical and psychological health. On July 9, the Canadian Judicial Council (CJC) reported on extensive research commissioned from the Université de Sherbrooke between 2024 and 2026 by the council of 44 chief and associate chief justices.

  • July 10, 2026

    Cottage country access dispute: Ontario Court of Appeal upholds historic agreement

    This case deals with landlocked cottages and a dispute over a right-of-way within the Cressview Lakes Corporation.

  • July 09, 2026

    B.C. to expand family law network with 2 new clinics

    British Columbia has announced plans to open two new family law clinics to bring more in-person legal services to survivors of family violence. The new clinics, which will support people in Kamloops and Prince George, B.C., are part of the Family Law Centre network, a provincially funded service that provides free, trauma-informed legal support to people experiencing family violence.

  • July 09, 2026

    Privacy commissioner, G7 counterparts release statement on privacy-preserving age assurance

    On July 8, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) released a statement on privacy-preserving age assurance. The statement, adopted at the G7 Data Protection and Privacy Authorities (G7 DPAs) Roundtable, emphasizes a commitment to children’s privacy and raises several key data protection issues being considered globally.

  • July 08, 2026

    How to decide between arbitration and litigation

    Mediation doesn’t always end with a handshake. After 39 years of handling commercial and employment disputes, I can tell you that a failed mediation is not necessarily a failure of the process; often, it is useful information. It tells you something about where the parties actually stand, and it forces a decision that matters as much as anything that came before it: arbitration or litigation?

  • July 08, 2026

    A day wasted driving to court

    Last week, I had a settlement conference scheduled at the Milton, Ont., courthouse on one of my “remaining” litigation files.

  • July 08, 2026

    P.E.I. library hotspots could help residents access virtual court: province

    Prince Edward Island is bringing internet access to those who lack it with portable hotspot devices available through the library — and there is “no reason” they could not be used for virtual court appearances, says a government spokesperson.