Other Areas of Practice
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December 09, 2025
Court finds Canada owes a duty to First Nations regarding supply of clean drinking water
In a class action proceeding, the Federal Court has recognized a sui generis fiduciary duty owed by Canada to the Shamattawa First Nation, addressing the long-standing issue of inadequate access to safe drinking water on reserves.
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December 09, 2025
Are Canadian courts fit for purpose?
With the Cowichan Tribes v. Canada (Attorney General), 2025 BCSC 1490 decision, the British Columbia Supreme Court cast aside nearly a millennium of certainty regarding land ownership. It did this by severely limiting the rights inherent to fee simple title. It additionally declared invalid land titles under the province’s Torrens land registry system (undermining the provincial guaranty inherent in Torrens systems). Given the nature of the claim, namely ownership and development of land that occurred in the absence of a formal treaty, this decision has nationwide implications.
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December 08, 2025
B.C. law society benchers adopt strategic plan, whistleblower policy
The Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC) has set its strategic objectives and goals for the next three years.
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December 08, 2025
Look out! Bait-and-switch tactics during the holiday season
The holiday season in Canada is a time for celebration, gift-giving and, sadly, an increased volume of deceptive advertising practices. As consumers navigate the wave of tantalizing promotions and discounts, it becomes essential to understand legal protections, particularly regarding bait-and-switch tactics, and to remain vigilant when making purchases.
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December 08, 2025
Lawyer’s desecration of Holocaust monument highlights rise of professional-class antisemitism
On Dec. 1, Justice Anne London-Weinstein of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice heard sentencing submissions for Iain Aspenlieder, an Ottawa municipal lawyer who vandalized Canada’s National Holocaust Monument. Her Honour said that Aspenlieder’s actions exemplify a growing and deeply unsettling reality: antisemitism in Canada is increasingly emerging not from the poor or uneducated, but from the educated and professionally empowered.
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December 05, 2025
Court upholds decision to not include Maple Leaf Foods in bread price-fixing class action
In litigation related to the alleged bread price-fixing conspiracy, the Ontario Court of Appeal has dismissed representative plaintiffs’ appeal of their motion to add Maple Leaf Foods as a defendant in a class action, citing the doctrine of res judicata.
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December 03, 2025
Success rate for injured applicants at Licence Appeal Tribunal continues to plummet
As a new associate chair with significant political connections is poised to take over, the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT) is facing criticism over the plummeting success rate for people injured in auto accidents who are appealing decisions by insurance companies — a success rate that has dropped precipitously to only eight per cent.
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December 02, 2025
Canada introduces code of conduct to end gender-based economic abuse
Canada has announced new investments and introduced a code of conduct as part of its commitment to ending gender-based violence, including economic violence.
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December 01, 2025
Editor’s Picks: Must-read items from last week
Last week we published the Law360 Canada Pulse survey. This marked Law360 Canada’s third deep dive into the feelings and thoughts that legal professionals have about their jobs. See our news coverage out of the survey:
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December 01, 2025
Ontario law society approves 2026 budget, amends reporting bylaw
Benchers of the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) have set the financial table for the upcoming year, approving the 2026 budget that includes a modest annual fee increase for lawyers and paralegals. Lawyers will pay a fee of $2,080, an increase of approximately two per cent over the 2025 fee level of $2,039. Paralegals will pay $1,037 — with the net fee payable being $1,007 after applying a $30 refund from the paralegal compensation fund. In 2025, paralegals paid $1,023.