Civil Litigation

  • November 21, 2025

    Federal judges say they’ll take Ottawa to court over rejection of independent pay commission’s recommendations

    The association representing Canada’s federally appointed judges decided this week to seek judicial review of Ottawa’s rejection of an independent judicial pay commission’s two key recommendations — including the commission’s advice that a $28,000 salary boost (on top of mandatory annual indexing) is necessary to keep attracting outstanding lawyers to the bench.

  • November 21, 2025

    TikTok faces class action over alleged misuse of Canadians’ data

    TikTok is set to face a proposed class action over allegations that it collected and used users’ sensitive personal information, including data from children and minors, without their consent, to sell advertisements.

  • November 21, 2025

    Balancing enforcement and fairness: Default hearings in Ontario family law

    In Ontario (Director, Family Responsibility Office) v. Petersoo, 2025 ONCJ 569, Justice Stanley Sherr delivers a compelling and instructive decision on the enforcement of child support arrears under the Family Responsibility and Support Arrears Enforcement Act.

  • November 21, 2025

    New Brunswick Court of Appeal confirms modern approach to the ‘armchair rule’

    In Canada, there is somewhat of a divide when it comes to the armchair rule. When interpreting a will in some provinces, including Ontario and Manitoba, it is now the norm for courts to apply the armchair rule at the outset, even if a will is not patently ambiguous, and consider surrounding circumstances that existed when the will was made. Interpreting a will this way is often referred to as the modern approach to the armchair rule.

  • November 21, 2025

    Kitties in court: Like herding cats

    It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was a time to growl, it was a time to purr. It was a time to bark, it was a time to hiss. No, this story is not about the Toronto Blue Jays. Let’s start with Istanbul, Turkey.

  • November 21, 2025

    Ontario’s impaired-driving restitution proposal: Legal and policy challenges ahead

    As reported by Law360 Canada, the Ontario government is exploring a new measure that would require impaired drivers who kill a parent or guardian in a motor vehicle accident to make ongoing financial support payments to the victim’s surviving children. The idea mirrors Bentley’s Law in Texas, enacted in 2023, which mandates long-term restitution — essentially child support — whenever an impaired driver is convicted of what Texas law refers to as “intoxication manslaughter” (the Canadian analogue most closely maps to “Impaired Operation Causing Death” under s. 320.14(3) of the Criminal Code).

  • November 21, 2025

    CIVIL PROCEDURE - Parties - Class or representative actions - Certification - Common interests and issues

    Appeal by appellants from decision of the motion judge rejecting their motion for certification. The appellants alleged that for decades, many young players in major junior hockey leagues endured serious abuse.

  • November 20, 2025

    Saskatchewan proposes changes to animal protection legislation

    Saskatchewan has introduced new animal protection legislation in a bid to better address suffering, set a code of conduct for animal welfare officers and further educate both the public and those in the livestock industry.  

  • November 20, 2025

    Ontario Superior Court rules delayed medical malpractice case can move forward

    The Ontario Superior Court has ruled that a delayed medical malpractice lawsuit over the death of a patient can proceed, finding that plaintiffs had adequately explained procedural delays and that the case was ready to be set down for trial following mediation.

  • November 20, 2025

    Canadian law firms integrate with DWF

    Whitelaw Twining, a litigation law firm and Barnescraig & Associates, an insurance claims management and adjusting business, have united with DWF, a global legal and business services firm.