In-House Counsel

  • March 02, 2026

    Canada maintains pre-merger notification threshold at $93M this year

    The Competition Bureau announced on March 2 that Canada’s pre-merger notification threshold will remain at $93 million in 2026, following the requisite annual review and decision by Minister of Industry Mélanie Joly.

  • March 02, 2026

    PBO’s analysis of immigration plan forecasts flat population growth in 2026

    Canada’s population won’t grow this year under the federal government’s current immigration levels plan, but the number of temporary residents in Canada remains at historically high levels, according to the latest analysis by the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO), which provides independent economic and financial analysis to Parliament.

  • March 02, 2026

    Purim, the Esther trap and why the age of court politics is over

    As Jews around the world mark Purim this March, roughly 2,800 years after the events it commemorates, it is worth asking whether the political lesson many Jews draw from the story still holds. The uncomfortable answer is that it does not.

  • March 02, 2026

    More than 85,000 Canadians registered in Middle East as Iran war disrupts air travel in region

    Ottawa says more than 85,000 Canadians have registered their presence in the Middle East with the Department of Foreign Affairs, urging those still in Iran to “shelter in place.”

  • March 02, 2026

    Emergence of a ‘New Iran’: Legal implications of a democratic transition

    In early 2026, as Iran experienced widespread unrest amid economic collapse and inflation (exacerbated by the recent bombings by the U.S. and Isreal), Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last shah of Iran, outlined a comprehensive vision for a post-Islamic Republic “New Iran.”

  • March 02, 2026

    Assessing Ontario tax increases, deadlines and relief options

    Property owners in Toronto and across Ontario face a number of important developments in 2026 that may impact their tax obligations. This bulletin outlines the City of Toronto’s proposed tax rate adjustments, notes important deadlines for tax relief applications and provides guidance on managing Ontario’s property tax obligations in the coming year.

  • February 27, 2026

    Top judge, bar leaders call on profession to intensify defence of judicial independence, rule of law

    To defend against the rising attacks on the rule of law in Canada, members of the bar and bench must step up their efforts to support judicial independence and counter misinformation and political interference with the courts, say Canada’s top judge and bar leaders.

  • February 27, 2026

    Ontario court enforces settlement despite unexecuted release

    In Stribling v. Starbucks Coffee Canada Inc., 2026 ONSC 1030, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice confirmed that employers and employees can form a legally binding agreement even where the agreement provides that a full and final release will be executed later. The decision illustrates that once the essential terms of a settlement are clearly set out and accepted, courts will hold the parties to those terms.

  • February 26, 2026

    Ontario Court of Appeal confirms bankruptcy orders appealable as of right

    The Ontario Court of Appeal has confirmed that bankruptcy orders are appealable as of right, rejecting arguments that its recent endorsement of a restrictive approach to insolvency appeals means leave is required to challenge a bankruptcy order.

  • February 25, 2026

    What the Ontario Court of Appeal wants you to know about commercial contracts

    One of the fundamental rules of contract interpretation is that courts adopt a practical, common-sense approach that is not “dominated by technical rules of construction” (Sattva Capital Corp. v. Creston Moly Corp., 2014 SCC 53 at para. 47). The contract is read as a whole, giving the “words used their ordinary and grammatical meaning, consistent with the surrounding circumstances known to the parties at the time” of contract formation.