In-House Counsel
-
August 13, 2025
What to make of the Wapekeka courtroom shooting, part two
Systemic issues run deep. The longstanding failure of Canadian policing systems to address the needs of Indigenous communities has been documented in numerous reports and legal inquiries. For instance, Canada’s Supreme Court affirmed in Quebec (Attorney General) v. Pekuakamiulnuatsh Takuhikan, [2024] S.C.J. No. 39 that Quebec’s refusal to adequately fund First Nations policing violated its duty to negotiate in good faith and breached the honour of the Crown.
-
August 13, 2025
Frye estate ruling highlights risks in shareholder agreements
Shareholders’ agreements often include restrictions on the shareholder’s ability to transfer their shares without the approval of other shareholders. This is particularly common in the case of owner-managed and closely held corporations, where the shareholders are keen on preventing unwanted third parties from acquiring shares of the corporation. Shareholders’ agreements for these types of corporations therefore tend to limit the persons to whom, and circumstances under which, shares may be transferred.
-
August 12, 2025
Ontario Court of Appeal upholds unlimited liability in 2020 Ukraine International Airlines disaster
In what one lawyer describes as a “turning point” for global aviation safety,” the Ontario Court of Appeal has upheld a trial judge’s finding that Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) was negligent in allowing Flight PS752 to depart Tehran on Jan. 8, 2020, confirming the airline faces unlimited liability under the 1999 Montreal Convention for the deaths of all 176 people on board when the aircraft was shot down by Iranian missiles.
-
August 12, 2025
Privacy Commissioner of Canada issues guidance for businesses, feds on biometrics
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) has issued “new guidance on protecting privacy in biometric initiatives,” noting the rise in organizations using biometric technologies “such as facial recognition and fingerprint scanning to verify identity and provide services.”
-
August 12, 2025
Maggie Williams new associate at Roper Greyell
After her 2025 call to the British Columbia bar, Maggie Williams has been named an associate at labour and employment law experts Roper Greyell.
-
August 12, 2025
What to make of the Wapekeka courtroom shooting, part one
On July 31, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers in Wapekeka First Nation fatally shot 23-year-old Tyresse Kenny Padro Cree Roundsky during a court proceeding at the community’s Youth Centre. This is not an isolated tragedy. Over the past 18 months, at least three members of this small community have died in encounters with law enforcement.
-
August 12, 2025
Employers suing employees for negligence
Whether acting as counsel, mediator or arbitrator, I almost always tell employers the same thing: do not sue your employee just because they did a bad job. The law makes it very difficult to succeed and the attempt can backfire badly. Some courts have even awarded bad faith damages when a counterclaim was seen as nothing more than retaliation (e.g. “He has the nerve to sue us? Well, we are going to file a counterclaim!”).
-
August 12, 2025
What has Ontario’s law society’s CEO salary scandal really cost us? Part two
Upon reflection, I realized there is a wonderful opportunity here for the law society to demonstrate its commitment to transparency by simply advising the profession how much this has all cost us. If I had to guess, I would put the global price tag in the seven-figure range. But I shouldn’t have to guess. The fees of the external human resources specialists, private law firms, Mr. O’Connor, the image consultants and the governance reviewer, among others, are paid by us — the licensees. We are entitled to see what we got for that money. And we are entitled to know what we spent.
-
August 11, 2025
B.C. Court of Appeal overturns lower court ruling related to temporary foreign worker class action
In a split decision, the B.C. Court of Appeal has rejected a lower court ruling that found one of Canada’s largest convenience store chains was vicariously liable for illegal fees that an immigration consultant hired by Mac’s Convenience Stores Inc. charged to hundreds of temporary foreign workers who were recruited for jobs at the chain, now known as Circle K.
-
August 11, 2025
‘The fight of our lifetime’: ABA president receives award for defending rule of law
“This is the fight of our lifetime,” said American Bar Association (ABA) president William Bay while receiving the Ontario Bar Association’s (OBA) President’s Award on behalf of American lawyers on Aug. 7. The award comes as the ABA has launched a lawsuit against the United States federal government for allegedly using its powers to coerce lawyers and law firms to abandon clients, causes and policy positions President Donald Trump opposes.