In-House Counsel
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January 16, 2026
SCC’s packed winter session features momentous appeal on Charter s. 33 override provision
The Supreme Court of Canada began hearings in its very busy winter session this week, which features a potentially watershed constitutional appeal and the surprise announcement that Justice Sheila Martin, the court’s senior western judge, will retire next spring.
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January 16, 2026
Ford, Unifor warn China EV deal risks jobs as canola sector cheers
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and trade union Unifor are warning that Ottawa’s decision to open the Canadian market to Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) threatens domestic jobs, even as canola producers welcome tariff relief restoring access to the Chinese market.
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January 16, 2026
N.B. opening anti-racism office, launching website
New Brunswick’s Liberal government is opening an anti-racism office to promote “equity and inclusion” in the province — and is now stating it has completed a little more than half the recommendations made in a commissioner’s report on the prevalence of systemic racism.
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January 16, 2026
Tribunal denies first public-interest Competition Act leave application against Google, Apple
The Competition Tribunal has denied the first application for leave to bring a private case under the Competition Act on public-interest grounds, finding the applicant failed to show a genuine public interest, sufficient evidentiary support, or the capacity to advance a complex competition case.
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January 16, 2026
Pallett Valo, City of Mississauga launch articling student exchange program
Pallett Valo LLP and the City of Mississauga have announced the launch of a new articling student secondment program, with students rotating between private practice and municipal legal work.
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January 16, 2026
Ontario Civil Rules Review report calls for binding judicial dispute resolution
In my last article for Law360 Canada, I provided an overview of the Ontario Civil Rules Review (CRR), its Working Group and the Working Group’s final policy report (the Report), which called for, among other things, two reforms to the pre-trial process. That article explored the following reforms:
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January 16, 2026
Advising, coaching or mentoring?
It’s easy to confuse advising, coaching and mentoring, but they’re definitely not the same things. To be sure, while there is considerable overlap, there are also important differences.
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January 15, 2026
Federal Court upholds negative LMIA for trucking employer over recruitment failures
The Federal Court has upheld a negative labour market impact assessment (LMIA) issued by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), finding that the employer failed to justify the need to hire a foreign transport truck driver or demonstrate reasonable efforts to recruit Canadians.
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January 14, 2026
Charter rights trump requirement to take oath of allegiance
The concept of taking an oath of allegiance can be traced back to medieval times when people took oaths of fealty to pledge loyalty or faithful service to a monarch or a lord. Today, it is not uncommon for immigrants seeking citizenship in a new country to be required to take an oath of allegiance or oath of citizenship. Professional regulatory bodies, such as law societies, may also obligate members to take an oath of allegiance in order to be admitted.
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January 13, 2026
Supreme Court of Canada Justice Sheilah Martin to retire in May after eight years at top court
Supreme Court of Canada Justice Sheilah Martin, a former University of Calgary law dean and one of the apex court’s criminal and constitutional law experts, will retire May 30, 2026, after working at the high court for more than eight years.