In-House Counsel
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March 23, 2026
Class conflicts in corporate COVID-19 claims: Alberta court weighs limits of one class
Class actions promote litigation efficiency and access to justice, but they can also expose tensions between groups of plaintiffs whose interests do not fully align. In Ingram v. Alberta, 2025 ABKB 420, (Ingram) the Alberta Court of King’s Bench (the court) showed how those tensions can become a certification issue when a proposed class definition sweeps together businesses with potentially opposite economic interests.
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March 23, 2026
Seismic Bill 21 case draws record counsel & intervener presence at this week’s four-day SCC hearing
This week’s blockbuster Bill 21 appeal at the Supreme Court involves 140 counsel of record — with 64 of them slated to make oral argument over four days on behalf of the seven main party groups and the record 51 interveners.
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March 23, 2026
Bill C-265 aims to streamline Canada’s Special Access Program
The Special Access Program (SAP) provides a regulatory mechanism under the Food and Drug Regulations, Part C, Division 8, sections C.08.010 and C.08.011, and the Food and Drugs Act, allowing practitioners to request access to drugs not authorized for sale in Canada.
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March 20, 2026
Ontario proposes legislative amendments to cap ticket resale prices
The Government of Ontario has proposed amendments to the Ticket Sales Act, 2017 to “combat overpriced ticket resale prices.” According to a government release issued March 20, the new legislative changes would “make it illegal for tickets to concerts, cultural, sports and other live events in Ontario to be resold for more than their original cost.”
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March 20, 2026
‘Strict enforcement’ arbitration clauses don’t limit jurisdiction to interpret
Applications to set aside international arbitral awards frequently reflect a familiar dynamic. As no appeal on the merits is available, applicants often recast complaints about the tribunal’s conclusions as jurisdictional error or procedural unfairness. Respondents, in turn, characterize such efforts as impermissible appeals in disguise. Courts are therefore tasked with maintaining a careful balance: exercising a limited supervisory role while preserving arbitration’s defining features of finality, efficiency and expert adjudication.
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March 19, 2026
New Brunswick introduces pay transparency law and expands illness leave benefits
New Brunswick has introduced legislation that is set to increase pay transparency and require employers to provide up to 27 weeks of job-protected unpaid leave for workers recovering from illness or injury.
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March 19, 2026
Consumer protection requirements for direct selling contracts
Consumer protection laws are in place across Canada’s provinces and territories to protect consumers purchasing goods or services elsewhere than at a traditional retail store. Among other things, these laws set out certain informational disclosure requirements in sales contracts/order forms of direct selling companies (DS contracts).
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March 18, 2026
World Anti-Doping Agency agrees to limit athlete data use after federal privacy probe
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has agreed to take steps to ensure that sensitive personal information collected from athletes that is under its control is not used for purposes beyond anti-doping, as part of a compliance agreement with the federal privacy commissioner.
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March 18, 2026
Manitoba moves to ban personal data-driven price increases for consumers
The government of Manitoba is set to amend the Business Practices Act to ban retailers from using consumers’ personal data to charge higher prices, according to a March 17 release.
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March 17, 2026
Court removes counsel over dual role in subrogated and coverage claims
The Alberta Court of King’s Bench has removed a lawyer as counsel in subrogated actions brought in the name of an insured, finding that despite the absence of a solicitor-client relationship, his concurrent representation of the insurer against the insured created a substantial risk of impaired representation.