In-House Counsel
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January 30, 2026
SCC gives guidance on interpreting insurance contracts, interplay of endorsements & exclusions
Elaborating on how to interpret insurance contracts, the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed 7-2 the appeal of two homeowners who sought to compel their insurer to fully pay for rebuilding their flood-destroyed house, despite an exclusion for “compliance costs” and the ancillary exception that caps the compliance costs payout at $10,000 “for the increased cost of demolition, construction, or repair to comply with any law regulating the zoning, demolition, repair or construction of any insured buildings.”
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January 30, 2026
Court rebukes Binance for renewed bid to revive barred arbitration in class action
Ontario’s Superior Court rebuked cryptocurrency platform Binance for attempting to revive arbitration against the representative plaintiffs in a certified class action against it, despite repeated rulings barring it from doing so.
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January 30, 2026
Legal career reflections: Three things I wish I had known 50 years ago
In 1975 I was a young and enthusiastic teacher in a progressive middle school in rural eastern Ontario. By then I had aggressively completed my bachelor’s degree at night school and summer school, once knocking off five full courses in one calendar year, the same as if I had been a full-time student. I had written both the LSAT (law) and the GMAT (business) entrance tests with flattering scores, with dreams of a career either in law or management. At the same time, my then school principal was mentoring me to become a principal, giving me more responsibilities and coaching toward becoming qualified. The world, it seemed, was my oyster.
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January 30, 2026
PBO: Extended EI benefits to cost $853M, minimal impact on EI premiums
Temporary measures extending Employment Insurance (EI) benefits by up to 20 weeks for long-tenured workers are expected to cost $853 million over five years, according to a legislative costing note released by the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO).
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January 30, 2026
Ontario court orders new law licence review for man who admitted to sexually abusing children
Ontario’s top court has ordered a new law licence assessment for a man who admitted to the sexual abuse of children, saying a fresh look is required to determine whether he is of the “good character” required of a lawyer.
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January 29, 2026
Ransomware attacks rising in Canada as AI fuels evolving threats: Cyber Centre report
Ransomware attacks are on the rise in Canada and are expected to remain a significant threat over the next two years as cybercriminals leverage artificial intelligence and expand their targets beyond large organizations, according to a new report by the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (Cyber Centre).
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January 29, 2026
Balancing transparency, privacy in municipal governance: Analysis of the Planning Act and MFIPPA, part two
Transparency and privacy are two core principles of municipal governance. In Ontario, laws regulating municipal activities such as the Municipal Act, 2001, and the Planning Act, require administrators to ensure openness and transparency to foster public participation in governance and municipal activities. The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) imposes obligations to protect personal information. These requirements often create the perception of legal conflict.
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January 29, 2026
B.C., Tahltan approve Eskay Creek mine reopening under Declaration Act framework
British Columbia and the Tahltan Nation have jointly agreed to the reopening of the Eskay Creek gold-silver mine near Stewart, B.C., in a move that is expected to eventually create approximately 1,000 construction jobs and more than 770 operational jobs, according to a B.C. government release.
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January 29, 2026
Ontario Court of Appeal reasserts evidentiary discipline in anti-SLAPP motions
The Ontario Court of Appeal’s decision in Yates v. Iron Horse Corporation, 2026 ONCA 38, released Jan. 23, is a clear course correction in the application of Ontario’s anti-SLAPP regime. The court reaffirmed that the public-interest “weighing” exercise under s. 137.1(4)(b) of the Courts of Justice Act is not a discretionary or case-management inquiry, but a tightly constrained statutory test anchored in evidence of harm and causation.
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January 29, 2026
Dating rules as learned in criminal law practice
Dating advice is as old as ancient Rome itself. Ovid, the first-century poet, devoted an entire manual — The Art of Love — to the subject. His guidance was straightforward: wear a clean toga, mind your hygiene and present yourself well. Other advice, however, such as persistent pursuit or ignoring rejection, would today be more likely to attract police attention than romantic success.