In-House Counsel
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March 24, 2026
Generative AI not immune from potential legal action
The use of AI chatbots by self-represented litigants and lawyers has raised alarms in the justice system because the chatbots are prone either to hallucinate cases or to cite a legitimate case for a proposition which simply cannot be found in that case. With respect to lawyers, in general, the courts have awarded personal costs sanctions against them and are beginning to refer them for potential disciplinary penalties. A lawyer has a duty to not mislead a court.
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March 24, 2026
When does an email settlement become binding? Lessons from JH Drilling in Alberta
Settlement negotiations increasingly happen by email, often before a formal agreement is signed. In JH Drilling Inc. v. Barsi Enterprises Ltd., 2026 ABKB 48 (JH Drilling). The Alberta Court of King’s Bench confirmed that an email correspondence may constitute a contract binding upon the parties. As a binding contract, the parties’ settlement agreement may preclude further litigation.
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March 24, 2026
Midnight in the garden of good and evil logic
AI now pervades civilization and the legal system. As AI becomes our “partner in understanding” we must interrogate what these systems might be thinking — or valuing. We sometimes want something from them and get something completely unintended. We ask AI to produce as many paperclips as possible and in order to secure the materials and power it decides to destroy humanity. Computer scientists, perhaps underwhelming, call this the alignment problem.
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March 23, 2026
A few questions about the Law Society of Ontario’s mandatory Indigenous law requirement
It is déjà vu all over again at Ontario’s legal regulator.
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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 10 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.