Family

  • June 11, 2026

    Revisiting Ahluwalia: Why mitigation and thin skull concerns miss the mark

    In his recent piece on Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia, 2026 SCC 16, Gary S. Joseph raises concerns about how concepts such as mitigation and the “thin skull rule” will operate in the context of intimate partner violence tort claims (“More concerns about the SCC’s Ahluwalia decision”). He frames these as open questions left unresolved by the Supreme Court, suggesting they could make litigation more complex. As someone who works outside courtrooms but has spent considerable time helping women who live inside the realities the decision describes, and who has lived there myself, I was intrigued by these questions.

  • June 11, 2026

    Am I a U.S. citizen if I was born abroad to a U.S. citizen parent?

    The United States constitution defines a U.S. citizen as any individual who is a citizen of the United States by law, birth or naturalization. But this isn’t always as clear as it may seem, as some individuals — particularly those born abroad to one or more U.S. citizen parents — may or may not be considered a U.S. citizen, sometimes without even knowing it.

  • June 11, 2026

    Recognizing homelessness as a ground of discrimination advances justice

    A recent judicial ruling recognizing homelessness as an analogous ground of discrimination under s. 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms has come under fire as “judicial activism.” (Waterloo (Regional Municipality) v. Dugas, 2026 ONSC 2971.)

  • June 10, 2026

    Top judge backs Jordan juggernaut, warns bar against filing fake AI-generated precedents in court

    The Supreme Court’s controversial Jordan decision, which has sparked the dismissal of thousands of cases due to unconstitutional trial delay, is still good law, but stays of proceedings are not a cure for undue systemic trial delay, Canada’s top judge says. “One stay of proceedings is too many,” Supreme Court of Canada Chief Justice Richard Wagner stressed at his annual press conference in Ottawa June 9.

  • June 10, 2026

    Ahluwalia: Understanding, identifying and proving coercive control

    For far too long coercive control was an insidious yet unrecognized form of social depravity and abuse, largely perpetrated against women in intimate relationships. Until recently, coercive control was ignored by professionals, including lawyers, though this is rapidly changing.

  • June 10, 2026

    Ontario names 3 new judges to provincial court bench

    Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey has appointed Boris Bytensky, Carson MacDonald Coughlin and Vincent André François Paris as judges to the Ontario Court of Justice, effective June 18, 2026.

  • June 10, 2026

    Firearms buyback program closes for businesses; amnesty period extended as SCC hears appeal

    The federal government has announced that the Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program has closed for businesses, while the amnesty period from criminal liability has been extended after the Supreme Court of Canada agreed to hear an appeal on the prohibition.

  • June 09, 2026

    N.L. giving greater powers to province’s seniors’ advocate

    Newfoundland and Labrador has passed legislation giving its seniors’ advocate the powers of “individual advocacy and investigation.” According to a June 5 news release, the move aligns the role of the province’s seniors’ advocate with that of “similar statutory officers,” such as the citizens’ representative and the child and youth advocate.

  • June 08, 2026

    Law Society of Saskatchewan annual report details limited licensing, public complaints portal

    The Law Society of Saskatchewan turned out a “solid” annual report for 2025 — and members should pay particular attention to the implementation of limited licensing in the province, says the regulator’s past president.

  • June 05, 2026

    Yukon court issues AI directive encouraging due diligence, warns of potential errors

    Yukon’s Supreme Court has issued a directive on the use of generative AI “in written and oral representations” in a bid to reinforce the “integrity and credibility of legal proceedings.”