Insurance

  • August 05, 2026

    Solicitor-client-privileged advice not a registerable ‘foreign influence activity’: commissioner

    Foreign Influence Transparency Commissioner Anton Boegman has issued guidance about when “licensed legal professionals” are required to register their work for foreign principals as “influence activities” in the new public foreign influence registry. The new commissioner issued five interpretation bulletins — including one specifically for lawyers — to give guidance on how to comply with the obligations under the Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act (FITAA) and its regulations, which came into force Aug. 4.

  • August 05, 2026

    Ontario auto insurance changes leave public facing gaps in coverage, lawyers say

    Lawyers are saying Ontario’s recent overhaul of standard auto insurance coverage is leaving potential accident victims exposed to major gaps in benefits — a situation they may not be aware of. As of July 1, the only statutory accident benefits (SABs) automatically included in Ontario’s standard automobile policy are medical, rehabilitation and attendant care benefits.

  • August 04, 2026

    Court approves federal government data breach class action settlement

    The Federal Court has approved a class action settlement relating to alleged privacy breaches of Government of Canada online accounts, including the Canada Revenue Agency’s “My Account” and “Represent a Client” accounts, My Service Canada accounts and other accounts accessed using GCKey.

  • July 31, 2026

    SCC takes deep dive into ‘spoliation’ for the first time in more than a century

    The Supreme Court of Canada has unanimously set out the presumptions, procedure and remedies applicable to litigated claims of “spoliation” — i.e., claims against parties who engage in the “intentional destruction, alteration, mutilation, or concealment of evidence with a view to subverting the truth-finding process during litigation.”

  • July 31, 2026

    Canada’s AI strategy sets the stage for growth, governance and data sovereignty

    Artificial intelligence is reshaping economies, industries and the global competitive landscape at an unprecedented pace. Recognizing both the opportunities and the risks presented by this technological shift, the federal government launched Canada’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy: AI for All on June 4, 2026.

  • July 30, 2026

    Privative clause struck down; judicial review for ‘legality’ is constitutionally guaranteed: SCC

    In an administrative law landmark that addresses the scope of the Constitution’s guarantee of judicial review, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled 9-0 that legislatures cannot validly use privative clauses to bar “legality review” by courts — i.e., the availability of curial review is constitutionally guaranteed for all aspects of delegated administrative decisions, including on questions of law, fact or mixed law and fact.

  • July 30, 2026

    CIVIL PROCEDURE - Disposition without trial - Dismissal of action - Delay or failure to prosecute

    Appeal by appellants from a decision declining to dismiss a claim by Forgotten Treasures International Inc. (respondent) for want of prosecution. The underlying action arose from the denial of an insurance claim for allegedly stolen sculptures and included claims in contract and tort against insurers and brokers.

  • July 27, 2026

    Crystal ball gazing: B.C. Supreme Court rules on insurer’s duty of good faith

    In 1048977 B.C. Ltd. v. Aviva Insurance Company of Canada, 2025 BCSC 1532 (Aviva), the British Columbia Supreme Court was asked to engage in a measure of “crystal ball gazing” as it assessed the lost profits of a restaurant and event venue that never opened.

  • July 23, 2026

    Crystal ball gazing: B.C. Supreme Court on lost business income and the Murano framework

    In 1048977 B.C. Ltd. v. Aviva Insurance Company of Canada, 2025 BCSC 1532, the British Columbia Supreme Court was asked to engage in a measure of “crystal ball gazing” as it assessed the lost profits of a restaurant and event venue that never opened and considered whether the insurer had breached its duty of good faith in handling the resulting business interruption claim.

  • July 22, 2026

    Appeal court remits personal injury case after mistrial for jury discharge

    The British Columbia Court of Appeal has allowed an appeal and sent a lengthy personal injury trial back to the lower court which had labeled it a mistrial after the jury was discharged due to potentially prejudiced comments made by counsel. 

  • July 21, 2026

    AI poised to save separating families millions of dollars and years of time

    The results of a recent study by an Ontario university and a non-profit organization have been published, and the conclusions are startling: the use of AI in family law disputes could produce legally accurate and fair outcomes at a fraction of the cost usually incurred — in most cases, in less than three minutes.

  • July 20, 2026

    RSS welcomes Edmundo Andres Frias Navarrete to its insurance law group

    Robinson Sheppard Shapiro LLP (RSS) had added Edmundo Andres Frias Navarrete to its insurance law group in Montreal.

  • July 20, 2026

    A brief history of no-fault experiments with auto insurance in North America: An Albertan perspective

    No other machines used by so many people in Canada are as dangerous as cars, trucks and motorcycles. Globally, approximately 1.19 million people die each year in road crashes, which are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5-29 in the rest of the world (see World Health Organization, Road traffic injuries, July 2026).

  • July 17, 2026

    Ontario court confirms COVID-19 limitation suspension applies to priority dispute notice period

    Although six years have passed since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, legislation enacted during that period continues to influence how courts interpret statutory provisions. Echelon Insurance v. Zenith Insurance Company, 2026 ONSC 1214 is a recent reminder that the legal effects of the pandemic continue to influence the interpretation of legislation enacted in response to those unprecedented circumstances.

  • July 16, 2026

    UN convention on cybercrime a step closer to coming into force as Canada signs on

    Canada is now the 79th signatory to the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, a groundbreaking treaty aimed at providing a legal basis for international cooperation in the fight against cybercrime.

  • July 15, 2026

    Federal Court overturns CAF refusal to refer home-equity loss claim to Treasury Board

    The Federal Court has set aside the Canadian Armed Forces’ (CAF) refusal to refer a retired officer’s request for reimbursement of a nearly $190,000 home-equity loss arising from a military posting, ruling that the decision failed to grapple with whether the catastrophic loss and the inadequacy of the relocation policy warranted referral to the Treasury Board.

  • July 10, 2026

    Ontario court says insurability rule has no time limit

    Ontario’s top court has ruled that a section of the provincial Insurance Act that allows insurers to deny coverage due to changes in a person’s circumstances is not time-limited.

  • July 10, 2026

    Many trial judges overworked and stressed — but not as much as lawyers: new national survey

    Many federally appointed trial judges report stress from excessive workloads, limited control over their time in the workplace and too few support resources, according to a new national survey of judges’ physical and psychological health. On July 9, the Canadian Judicial Council (CJC) reported on extensive research commissioned from the Université de Sherbrooke between 2024 and 2026 by the council of 44 chief and associate chief justices.

  • July 10, 2026

    Ripe for disaster: Ontario court reiterates importance of causation analyses in coverage disputes

    The recent Ontario Court of Appeal decision in Green Rise Foods Inc. v. N. V. Hagelunie, 2026 ONCA 334 (Green Rise) serves as a helpful reminder of the importance of a careful causation analysis in insurance coverage disputes where several factors arguably caused or contributed to the claimed loss.

  • July 09, 2026

    When the presumed dead return: SCC’s ruling on declaration of death in Riddle v. ivari

    What happens when someone declared legally dead turns out to be very much alive? On April 10, 2026, the Supreme Court of Canada confronted precisely that question in Riddle v. ivari, 2026 SCC 9, issuing a unanimous ruling on the annulment of a declaratory judgment of death with significant implications for Quebec civil procedure and life insurance litigation.

  • July 08, 2026

    RISK - Causation - Exclusions - Multiple causes - Chain of causation

    Appeal by appellant from summary judgment dismissing its coverage claim under a standard form greenhouse insurance policy (Policy). The appellant’s greenhouse tomato crop was destroyed after a boiler malfunction emitted excessive carbon monoxide that was not detected by a malfunctioning monitor. The appellant claimed indemnity under the Policy for the loss of its tomato plants.

  • July 06, 2026

    Prime minister appoints new chief justices of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice & Federal Court

    Prime Minister Mark Carney has appointed new leaders to head two of Canada’s major trial courts. On July 6, Justice Alan Diner was appointed chief justice of the Federal Court, the national superior trial court that decides disputes in the federal domain. He succeeds Paul Crampton, who retired from the post Oct. 31, 2025.

  • July 06, 2026

    Growing systemic problem in Ontario’s auto insurance regime

    Would you buy insurance that only helps you 10 per cent of the time? The Ontario Trial Lawyers Association says that is what accident victims face at the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT), where insurers win about 90 per cent of coverage disputes.

  • July 03, 2026

    Canada ratifies protocol for U.K.’s accession to Pacific trade pact

    The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) will come into force between Canada and the United Kingdom on Sept. 1, Global Affairs Canada says.

  • July 02, 2026

    McDougall Gauley adds Munir Abdulhadi, Jill Wolkowski

    Munir Abdulhadi and Jill T. Wolkowski have joined McDougall Gauley LLP as associates in its Regina and Saskatoon offices, respectively.

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