Real Estate

  • May 22, 2026

    Alberta to vote on whether to hold binding separatist referendum

    Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has announced that, on Oct. 19, residents will be able to vote on whether they want to hold a binding referendum on separating from Canada, saying she was troubled by a recent court decision.

  • May 22, 2026

    Presale deals in a declining market: B.C. Supreme Court clarifies when buyers can refuse to close

    In a softening real estate market, few disputes become as costly, as quickly, as a failed completion on a presale condominium purchase. In the recent decision in Rhythm Living Ltd. v. Pereira, 2026 BCSC 555, the B.C. Supreme Court confirmed that purchasers cannot readily walk away from a residential transaction simply because negotiated extras remain unfinished or new concerns emerge shortly before closing.

  • May 22, 2026

    Lost opportunity, rising risk: Why the RNLUP must now move to decision

    In June 2023, following nearly two decades of consultation, revisions and public processes, the Nunavut Planning Commission (NPC) completed and submitted the Recommended Nunavut Land Use Plan (RNLUP). Under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement (NLCA) and the Nunavut Planning and Project Assessment Act (NuPPAA), the plan requires review and approval by three signatories: Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., the government of Nunavut and the government of Canada. Yet nearly three years later, the plan remains neither accepted nor rejected.

  • May 22, 2026

    TITLE - Boundaries

    Appeal by Village of Buena Vista (Village) from a decision dismissing its originating application. The application sought declarations that the bed and bank of Last Mountain Lake and the submerged portions of certain lakeside lots were owned by the Crown, together with orders redrawing the lot boundaries and directing the Registrar to issue new titles.

  • May 21, 2026

    Legislative pathway for natural hydrogen: Nova Scotia’s Subsurface Energy Resource Extraction Act

    The province of Nova Scotia recently passed legislation that establishes the legislative framework for the development of a natural hydrogen industry in the province.

  • May 20, 2026

    Ontario proposes amendments to allow quicker fines for illegal truck yards

    The Government of Ontario is proposing amendments to the Planning Act that would “help prevent illegal land uses, including for trucks and the operation of commercial trucking activities on land not zoned for industrial use.”

  • May 20, 2026

    Foreign criminal non-prosecution orders and Ontario civil litigation: Procedural lessons

    As commercial disputes increasingly cross borders, Canadian courts are more frequently asked to assess the legal effect of foreign judgments, prosecutorial decisions and parallel proceedings arising from unfamiliar legal systems. One recurring question is whether a foreign criminal or quasi-criminal decision should bar subsequent civil litigation in Ontario through doctrines such as res judicata, issue estoppel or abuse of process.

  • May 20, 2026

    Two stumbles forward, one back: Three wise men opine on Churchill Falls MOU after independent review

    Fifty-seven years ago, Hydro-Québec signed an advantageous contract with the Churchill Falls (Labrador) Corp. (CF(L)Co) for a large block of power at $2 per megawatt hour for 75 years. In December 2014, the premiers of Quebec and Labrador announced a proposed transaction for the existing dam plus 3,900-megawatt expansion products. Simultaneously, they released the Churchill Falls Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The document was not really a memorandum of understanding; it was a pastiche of draft contract sections plus schedules that reflected modelled quantities and prices.

  • May 19, 2026

    Carney announces members of Independent Advisory Board to help select next SCC judge

    On May 19, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the chair and members of the Independent Advisory Board for the Supreme Court of Canada Judicial Appointments.

  • May 19, 2026

    Commercial real estate insurance: When the lights go out and the policy falls short

    Commercial real estate has become increasingly dependent on technology. Power systems, utilities, data networks and digital infrastructure now play a direct role in whether a building can operate, tenants can remain open and rent continues to flow.