In-House Counsel
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November 12, 2025
Climate litigation, causation and Canadian courts
Causation is a contentious issue in climate litigation, both domestically and internationally. In short, “causation” in this context refers to the nexus between a particular government or private actor’s conduct, or lack of conduct, and the harms alleged to be suffered by the claimants or those they represent.
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November 12, 2025
Tilly Norwood: As AI actor takes the stage, Hollywood A-list erupts
She wasn’t discovered at a soda shop or spotted by a casting director on a cigarette break, but Tinseltown newcomer Tilly Norwood can squeeze out a tear on cue, deliver a perfect close-up, and doesn’t demand perfect lighting. Agents are said to be in a conga line to sign her. But, unless the Oscar judges have turned into tech billionaires, nobody’s polishing a tiny golden man for Tilly. Yet.
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November 11, 2025
The limits of biometric surveillance
A recent decision by Quebec’s privacy regulator highlights the risks that organizations face when implementing biometric surveillance systems. In 2024, Metro Inc., a Canadian retailer, announced the launch of a biometric surveillance system in some of its Quebec stores. Metro planned to build a database of facial scans of the people visiting its stores based on the footage captured by Metro’s in-store security cameras. Metro hoped to use this database to identify shoplifters to protect itself from theft.
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November 11, 2025
Putting people at the centre of criminal justice advocacy
Last week, while I was up north for a trial where a relatively young client was facing significant incarceration, something small but deeply significant happened during a sentencing hearing.
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November 10, 2025
Judicial vacancies hit 5%, threatening more trial delays and backlogs
Ottawa is lagging again in filling the country’s federal benches, hitting a five per cent vacancy rate on Nov. 1, 2025 — mostly in the critical trial courts of Ontario, B.C. and Quebec, which are constitutionally obliged to conduct trials within a reasonable time or face the prospect of staying criminal cases.
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November 10, 2025
Canada’s 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan: Toward sustainable immigration
As I discussed in my Nov. 5, 2025, article, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) released the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan, a comprehensive strategy aimed at stabilizing Canada’s immigration intake after years of record growth. Recently the government published a supplemental report to the plan with new information, which I’ve included in this updated article.
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November 10, 2025
Why we have regulatory bodies over professions like the law
Regulatory bodies exist to protect the public, uphold the rule of law and maintain the integrity of professions such as law. Because lawyers exercise power over people’s rights, freedoms and livelihoods, their work must be governed by high standards of competence, ethics and accountability. In Canada, law societies ensure that legal services are provided by qualified ethical professionals.
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November 07, 2025
Court permits pleading amendments in RBC closet indexing class action, dropping fraud claims
The B.C. Supreme Court has allowed plaintiffs in a closet indexing class action against RBC to amend their pleadings to expressly disclaim fraud and refocus their case on the defendants’ alleged failure to disclose the fund’s closet indexing strategy and related risks.
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November 07, 2025
Power at the door: Bouncers and the use of force, part two
Bars, lounges, nightclubs, et cetera are public stages for private enterprise; lively, necessary, sometimes combustible places where the safety of staff and patrons is paramount. At the door stands the bouncer: an individual whose presence reassures staff and is said to reassure customers as well. They enforce house rules and must, on occasion, confront disorder.
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November 07, 2025
Court rejects bid to overturn Quebec Terrebonne election result
Federal elections can feature close contests within electoral districts. A winner may receive only a few votes more than the second-place candidate. In narrow victories, federal, provincial and territorial election laws generally provide for an automatic judicial recount, which can result in a reversal of an election-night result.