Family

  • May 06, 2026

    Privacy Commissioner of Canada issues new age assurance guidance for organizations

    After extensive public consultation, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has issued new guidance on age assurance intended for “operators of websites and online services as well as age assurance developers.”

  • May 06, 2026

    Exit on your terms succession planning for family business owners

    For many family businesses, especially those built across generations, the business is more than an asset. It represents decades of effort, risk-taking, and personal investment, which forms part of the family’s identity and legacy. Many family businesses are passed down among generations, with the ownership and management of such businesses often governed by family shareholder agreements. Yet, other family businesses may lack a clear succession plan when the next generation is not willing or capable of stepping into an owner-manager role.

  • May 06, 2026

    When AI and intellectual property threaten estate planning: Practical strategies

    By now, it should be abundantly clear that modern estate planning — particularly for clients with intellectual property — is less “tidy will and testament” and more “multidimensional chess played against the future.” The good news? There are strategies. The less-good news? They require actual planning.

  • May 05, 2026

    Former SCC justice Louise Arbour named Canada’s next governor general

    Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced that former Supreme Court of Canada justice Louise Arbour will become Canada’s next governor general. Arbour will become the first former judge of the top court to take on the vice-regal role.

  • May 05, 2026

    Anti-SLAPP decision clarifies line between ‘public’ and ‘private’ expression

    Ontario courts continue to refine the boundaries of the province’s anti‑SLAPP regime, particularly at the threshold stage where a defendant must show that a proceeding arises from an expression relating to a matter of public interest. While the test is designed to be a modest one, recent decisions demonstrate that its application can still present difficulties where the line between “public” and “private” expression is blurred.

  • May 04, 2026

    Bill C-223 won’t ‘fix’ relocation law, it’ll distort the burden of proof

    Let’s start with the burdens of proof in the 2021 amendments which I discussed in my October 2025 article (“Bill C-223: Bad ideas on child relocation”). The burdens of proof are intended to give structure to the analysis of the best interests of the child, based upon what we do and don’t know about the impact of relocation upon children.

  • May 01, 2026

    Bill C-223 won’t ‘fix’ relocation law, it’ll ruin it

    I wrote about Bill C-223’s proposed relocation changes in October 2025 (“Bill C-223: Bad ideas on child relocation”). Law360 Canada published a two-part defence of the bill by Suzanne Zaccour and Joanne Moser on April 22-23, 2026 (“Relocation law is stacked against mothers — Bill C-223 can fix it”; “Relocation law is stacked against mothers — Bill C-223 can fix it: Addressing bias”). Zaccour is one of the architects of the bill, in her role at the National Association of Women and the Law (NAWL).

  • May 01, 2026

    Bar says it ‘likely’ will appeal B.C. ruling that lawyer independence doesn’t require self-regulation

    Heralding a significant shift in the Canadian legal landscape, the British Columbia Supreme Court has rejected the legal profession’s constitutional challenge to the B.C. Legal Professions Act — legislation that would end more than 150 years of lawyer self-governance and self-regulation by benchers elected from the provincial bar.

  • May 01, 2026

    CUSTODY, PARENTING, AND ACCESS - Primary residence - Removal of child from jurisdiction

    Appeal by D.S. from interim parenting order placing the parties’ nine‑year‑old child in the primary care of K.C. The 2021 Trial Judgment denied K.C.’s prior relocation request and required the child to reside primarily with D.S. in a specific Saskatchewan town, with detailed parenting time provisions and joint decision-making.

  • April 30, 2026

    B.C. expands early resolution program for family law matters

    British Columbia is expanding its early resolution process for family law matters to 35 additional provincial court locations, aiming to help more families resolve disputes outside of court and reduce pressure on the court system.