Family
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September 10, 2025
New OBA president hopes to bring ‘more conversational experience’ to position
The Ontario Bar Association (OBA) has a new leader at its helm. Katy Commisso took over the top job from former president Kathryn Manning at the beginning of September after serving a term as the first vice-president of the OBA, which is the professional association for Ontario's lawyers, judges and law students. She will serve for the 2025-26 term. Commisso, a native of Burlington, Ont., said she did not grow up wanting to be a lawyer.
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September 10, 2025
Mounting challenges of being ‘the solicitor of record’
My friend, lawyer Steve Benmor, hit a home run with his recent Law360 Canada article: “Do judges remember what it was like to be a lawyer?” I will not even try to expand upon his views; there is no need. He hits all the points I would have made and more. I agree entirely with him. Rather than a “rinse and repeat,” I want, in this article, to reflect and focus on his analysis of the mounting challenges of being “the solicitor of record.”
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September 09, 2025
P.E.I. looking to public input on changes to child support recalculation service
Prince Edward Island is looking for residents’ input on possible changes to legislation governing the province’s child support recalculation program.
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September 09, 2025
The benefits of AI in family law online dispute resolution
Family law disputes represent some of the most sensitive and emotionally charged conflicts within the legal system. Unlike many other areas of law, family law cases often involve deep emotional and psychological challenges, which can complicate negotiation and prolong resolution. The high personal stakes and interpersonal dynamics in family disputes necessitate processes that are not only legally sound but also emotionally supportive and efficient.
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September 05, 2025
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.
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September 04, 2025
Patricia Blair to lead CBABC as 2025-26 president
The Canadian Bar Association, B.C. Branch (CBABC) has announced Patricia Blair as president for the 2025-2026 membership term.
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September 03, 2025
Legal experts & advocates push PM Carney for urgent action to secure Canada’s ‘digital sovereignty’
Legal experts, advocacy organizations and prominent Canadians are asking Ottawa to urgently legislate and implement measures to counter the digital risks to Canada’s autonomy and democracy posed by artificial intelligence (AI), foreign interference and U.S. tech giants’ dominance of domestic digital infrastructure.
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September 03, 2025
A cautionary tale for farm succession planning
The Court of Appeal for Ontario’s recent decision in Metske v. Metske, 2025 ONCA 418 provides an important lesson to farming families and their professional advisers: good intentions and family loyalty, while laudable, are no substitute for clear, enforceable agreements. The decision narrows the scope of proprietary estoppel in the agricultural context and underlines the commercial reality that a succession plan must be both documented and financially achievable.
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September 02, 2025
LSM annual report a ‘comprehensive’ look at fiscal year, road ahead: president
As Manitoba’s law society takes stock of its most recent fiscal year, the regulator’s new president aims to continue the work of minding lawyers’ well-being as part of a new strategic plan. Law Society of Manitoba (LSM) president Kyle Dear recently sat down with Law360 Canada to discuss the recent release of the law society’s 2025 annual report — a 31-page snapshot of the regulator’s latest fiscal year, which ran from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025.
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August 28, 2025
Ontario court rejects off-reserve Indigenous child welfare class action as non‑justiciable
The Ontario Superior Court has dismissed a lawsuit alleging that Ontario and Canada systematically underfunded social services and operated a child welfare regime that separated off-reserve Indigenous children from their families causing them widespread harm.