Family
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November 21, 2025
Federal judges say they’ll take Ottawa to court over rejection of independent pay commission’s recommendations
The association representing Canada’s federally appointed judges decided this week to seek judicial review of Ottawa’s rejection of an independent judicial pay commission’s two key recommendations — including the commission’s advice that a $28,000 salary boost (on top of mandatory annual indexing) is necessary to keep attracting outstanding lawyers to the bench.
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November 21, 2025
TikTok faces class action over alleged misuse of Canadians’ data
TikTok is set to face a proposed class action over allegations that it collected and used users’ sensitive personal information, including data from children and minors, without their consent, to sell advertisements.
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November 21, 2025
Balancing enforcement and fairness: Default hearings in Ontario family law
In Ontario (Director, Family Responsibility Office) v. Petersoo, 2025 ONCJ 569, Justice Stanley Sherr delivers a compelling and instructive decision on the enforcement of child support arrears under the Family Responsibility and Support Arrears Enforcement Act.
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November 21, 2025
New Brunswick Court of Appeal confirms modern approach to the ‘armchair rule’
In Canada, there is somewhat of a divide when it comes to the armchair rule. When interpreting a will in some provinces, including Ontario and Manitoba, it is now the norm for courts to apply the armchair rule at the outset, even if a will is not patently ambiguous, and consider surrounding circumstances that existed when the will was made. Interpreting a will this way is often referred to as the modern approach to the armchair rule.
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November 21, 2025
Ontario’s impaired-driving restitution proposal: Legal and policy challenges ahead
As reported by Law360 Canada, the Ontario government is exploring a new measure that would require impaired drivers who kill a parent or guardian in a motor vehicle accident to make ongoing financial support payments to the victim’s surviving children. The idea mirrors Bentley’s Law in Texas, enacted in 2023, which mandates long-term restitution — essentially child support — whenever an impaired driver is convicted of what Texas law refers to as “intoxication manslaughter” (the Canadian analogue most closely maps to “Impaired Operation Causing Death” under s. 320.14(3) of the Criminal Code).
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November 20, 2025
Ontario Superior Court issues AI guidelines for civil, family cases
The Ontario Superior Court has published new artificial intelligence (AI) practice directions for both civil and family law proceedings.
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November 20, 2025
TREATIES AND AGREEMENTS - Construction and interpretation - Treaty moneys and annuities
Appeal by Peepeekisis Cree Nation (Nation) from chambers judge’s decision regarding seizure of Settlement Agreement monies. Stonechild was a member of the Nation. He was obligated to pay child support to Ms. Whitecalf under the terms of an order of a judge of the Court of King’s Bench (Maintenance Order).
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November 18, 2025
Ontario to hold impaired drivers accountable for child support if they kill a parent
The Government of Ontario is creating new measures that would “require impaired drivers to pay ongoing child support if they kill a child’s parent or guardian.”
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November 18, 2025
B.C. appoints 6 new judges
The federal Department of Justice has announced the appointment of six new judges to British Columbia courts.
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November 18, 2025
Proposed reforms of civil procedure: Refreshing reboot or more of the same?
I was an articling student and had my work cut out for me. I worked on a client file to prove adverse possession for a right of way across a house that had existed since the 50s but was being enforced by a neighbour. I brought all the files I had researched myself — surveys of the land, blueprints rolled up, ancient texts, photos I took of the property, transcripts of examinations.