-
September 22, 2026
In mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions, there is a constant struggle between the vendor and purchaser regarding risk allocation. This tension often arises from uncertainty regarding future performance, issues identified during due diligence and disagreements regarding value. One common mechanism for bridging that gap is an earnout, which makes part of the purchase price contingent on the post-closing performance of the target business.
-
September 22, 2026
The chief difference between outstanding lawyers and those who just schlep along is how they prioritize the work and the clients they take. Many of us never think much about that, particularly if you live under the gun of monthly targets or run a dump truck practice. But if you look around you at the maestros of the profession, it always seems that they are working on interesting, consequential and financially rewarding matters. This is no accident.
-
September 21, 2026
The Carney government says its proposed “Building Canada Strong” legislation and supporting Cabinet directive will ensure that federal reviews and decisions on major project proposals are completed within one year of a “comprehensive” submission by the project’s proponents. The 243-page Building Canada Strong Act (Bill C-39) was introduced in the House of Commons Sept. 21 by Transport Minister and Government House leader Steven MacKinnon.
-
September 21, 2026
Judges in Atlantic Canada are confronting a rapid rise in the use of artificial intelligence in court proceedings, warning that unverified AI-generated materials, deepfakes and increasing volumes of submissions could threaten accuracy, privacy and the efficient administration of justice.
-
September 21, 2026
Counsel outside Quebec are generally sound on the threshold question. Asked whether the Charter of the French Language applies to a client’s operations, most get to the right answer, and the amendments introduced by Bill 96 have been analyzed at length since the principal commercial provisions came into force on June 1, 2025.
-
September 18, 2026
In the previous article, “Clashing swords over the black box of AI legal interpretation,” we looked at the problems with treating AI as if it can “think” or “reason” in the requisite sense. We also examined the controversy over using AI to determine “ordinary meaning.” This time, we shift the focus from what AI cannot do to what it can.
-
September 17, 2026
The hardest employment mediations I run are rarely hard because the law is complicated. They are hard because one side, sometimes both, arrives committed to a position the law no longer supports. Once a client has been told its case is strong, it is difficult to accept a different assessment later, even after an appellate court has shifted the ground.
-
September 17, 2026
Corinne Pereira appealed three B.C. Supreme Court orders arising from her proceedings against the B.C. Labour Relations Board: an order striking her petition for judicial review, an order declaring her proceedings vexatious, and an order dismissing her application to disqualify the chambers judge for alleged bias.
-
September 16, 2026
This week, federal, provincial and territorial privacy and information commissioners and ombuds met in Ottawa to “explore ways to continue to foster public trust in democratic institutions through transparency, privacy protection and independent oversight.”
-
September 16, 2026
As employers begin planning for 2027, they should take the opportunity to review the immigration status of their foreign national workforce. In addition to operational disruptions, employers may also face regulatory and compliance risks if foreign nationals work without legal work authorization.
-
September 16, 2026
A behind-the-scenes bid by federal chief justices to make future recommendations from the federal independent judicial pay commission process binding on Ottawa is on hold as representatives of Canada’s 1,200 federal judges and Federal Court associate judges sue the Carney government for allegedly not giving “meaningful effect” to the work and non-binding advice of the latest quadrennial Judicial Compensation and Benefits Commission (Giardini Commission.)
-
September 16, 2026
When a deceased’s assets are concentrated in a private corporation, the estate trustee often feels pressured to become a director of the company. Is there a conflict? Is it a prudent course for a professional estate trustee?
-
September 15, 2026
In Avalin Group FZE c. Lauzon -- Planchers de bois exclusifs inc., 2026 QCCA 651, the Quebec Court of Appeal overturned the decision of the Quebec Superior Court, which considered that the wording of the arbitration prevented any referral of the case at hand to arbitration.
-
September 15, 2026
On Nov. 26, 2025, British MP and then-Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves stood up in the House of Commons and cut Britain’s employee ownership trust relief in half. “I will reduce that relief to 50 per cent,” the chancellor said, “retaining a strong incentive for employee-owned companies.”
-
September 15, 2026
All employees in Alberta have rights under the Employment Standards Code, Occupational Health and Safety Act, Workers Compensation Act and Human Rights Act, right?
-
September 15, 2026
Over the past several years, I have bought a number of small, closely held businesses, including professional firms like law firms. Along the way our team has learned that the legal process of getting a deal done is not something to hand off entirely to counsel and wait. This is because many times, lawyers may have drafting and negotiation experience but aren’t too helpful at driving the transaction to its end while helping buyers make decisions. Buyers who understand what’s happening at each stage — and why — will close their transaction, on better terms, with less drama.
-
September 14, 2026
Justice Mary Lou Benotto’s recent review of Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) contains disturbing accounts of antisemitism. Jewish students, faculty and staff describe harassment, concealing their identity and feeling unsafe. Those accounts should be taken seriously, and TMU has an obligation to address them.
-
September 11, 2026
RBC’s new report, “A Smarter Immigration Strategy: Five Questions That Could Help Shape Canada’s Future,” arrives at an opportune moment. Published Sept. 1, it draws on consultations with more than 60 economists, demographers, policymakers and other experts.
-
September 10, 2026
The federal privacy commissioner has released guidance to help businesses assess third-party service providers’ privacy practices before working with them.
-
September 10, 2026
Canada has announced amendments to the Physical Activities Regulations (the Project List) under the Impact Assessment Act to streamline the review process for projects including pipelines, international and designated interprovincial power lines, and some offshore renewable energy projects.
-
September 10, 2026
The Ontario Court of Appeal has overturned a ruling in Panasonic Canada Inc.’s insurance coverage dispute with XL Specialty Insurance, finding that an endorsement governing cyber extortion and ransomware events with a US$3-million retention displaced the base policy’s US$1.5-million retention.
-
September 09, 2026
Nova Scotia has introduced legislative changes in a bid to fight tip theft, recover unpaid earnings owed to workers and ensure they are paid for overtime.
-
September 09, 2026
The Federal Court has found MediaTube Corp. and its principal, Douglas Lloyd, in contempt for repeatedly threatening to disclose and disclosing confidential litigation materials after MediaTube was unsuccessful in patent litigation against Bell Canada.
-
September 09, 2026
This is the first of two articles on the controversy surrounding the use of AI in legal interpretation. This article examines the battle lines and the critics’ case against AI. The second looks for common ground: how lawyers can use AI in legal interpretation without expecting it to provide the decisive answer it cannot provide.
-
September 08, 2026
Ottawa has agreed that the federal judiciary reasonably incurred more than $1 million in legal fees and disbursements to participate in the independent quadrennial process that is meant to depoliticize determinations of federal judicial remuneration and avoid pay disputes.