Pulse

  • August 05, 2026

    Statutory privative clauses are dead

    A unanimous decision of the Supreme Court of Canada has struck down a privative clause that restricted the grounds for judicial review of an exercise of statutory authority: Democracy Watch v. Canada (Attorney General), 2026 SCC 28.

  • August 04, 2026

    Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice LouAnn Chiasson retires

    Justice C. LouAnn Chiasson has retired from the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia after a 34-year legal career, including 11 years with the court’s Family Division. According to the province, Chiasson’s retirement took effect Aug. 1, 2026.

  • August 04, 2026

    Ottawa’s foreign influence registry opens with penalties up to $1M; registration now required

    New legal requirements to register foreign influence activities kicked in today, with the entry into force of the Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act and its regulations. On Aug. 4, the federal government stood up its long-awaited public registry of foreign influence activities, implementing an election promise made by the previous Justin Trudeau-led Liberal government.

  • August 04, 2026

    B.C. law society seeks candidates for 2 bencher seats

    Those interested in running for two open seats on the Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC)’s bencher table should be aware they have less than two weeks left to throw their hat in the ring.

  • August 04, 2026

    N.S. provincial court to start work on ‘digital transformation’

    Nova Scotia’s provincial court is beginning work on an electronic filing and digital document management system for those frequenting the court. According to a recent news release, work on the court’s “digital transformation” will start immediately.

  • August 04, 2026

    Kerrie Blaise receives Law Foundation’s 2026 Guthrie Award

    The Law Foundation of Ontario has awarded the 2026 Guthrie Award, which recognizes exceptional access-to-justice champions, to Kerrie Blaise.

  • August 04, 2026

    Bronson Toy appointed administrative judicial justice in B.C.

    British Columbia has appointed Bronson Toy as an administrative judicial justice for a one-year term, from Aug. 1, 2026, to Aug. 1, 2027.

  • August 04, 2026

    Law Society of Ontario orders 6-month suspension for misuse of AI

    Rules of professional conduct are an important tool in regulating the ethical conduct of professionals and protecting the public. A professional who chooses to not abide by the rules of their respective profession can face severe sanction, including the revocation of their licence. In the legal profession, the continued misuse of generative artificial intelligence to conduct legal research and assist in the drafting of factums or legal briefs has caused courts worldwide to impose costs sanctions against offending lawyers and to refer them for discipline to their respective regulatory body.

  • August 04, 2026

    Partners: Trying to be the smartest person in the room

    A quote attributed to Confucius states: “If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room.”

  • July 31, 2026

    Law Commission of Canada names three Emerging Scholars

    The Law Commission of Canada (LCC) has selected Kaitlyn Blaser, Marie-Pier Jolicoeur and Leanna Katz as Emerging Scholars for its spring-summer 2026 term.