July 17, 2026
A key principle of Quebec contract law is that for a contract to be validly formed, the parties’ consent must be free and enlightened. An error can sometimes vitiate that consent, giving the court grounds to step in, but not every error has that effect. As a rule, a party can’t get a contract annulled just because they later realized it wasn’t a good deal after all, or because they overestimated the economic returns of doing business with the other party.
July 16, 2026
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) has announced that the six-month trend for housing starts was down in June as compared to May, saying the country is on track to build fewer homes this year than last as uncertainty, costs and soft demand continue to weigh on new construction.
July 16, 2026
Jessica Bardakji has joined Langlois as a lawyer in its litigation group in Montreal.
July 15, 2026
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 14, 2026
The Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled that construction lien claimants’ priority over a building mortgagee is limited to the deficiency in the statutory 10 per cent holdback based on unpaid invoices, rather than total invoices, where no subcontractor lien claims exist.
July 13, 2026
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has spent considerable effort focusing on taxing GST/HST on home sales. If a taxpayer is considered to be a “builder” as defined in subsection 123(1) of the Excise Tax Act, R.S.C., 1985, c. E-15 (ETA), the respective income is treated as if on account of business and not capital. Therefore, GST/HST obligations apply. In Ontario, this means a taxpayer must charge 13 per cent GST/HST on the sale price and remit this amount to the federal government.
July 13, 2026
Ontario’s private mortgage market has evolved rapidly, with lenders increasingly offering prepaid interest reserves or capitalized interest structures (often called payment-in-kind or “PIK” arrangements) to attract borrowers facing liquidity constraints.
July 13, 2026
Appeals by multiple Canadian and Texas entities (appellants) from two decisions continuing and confirming proceedings under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA). The proceedings arose from two Texas real estate development projects, Fossil Creek and Hills of Windridge, financed through a complex structure involving Texas development LLCs and Canadian trusts, partnerships, and corporate entities.
July 10, 2026
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
When a franchisee walks away mid-term and takes 600 agents with it to a direct competitor, an interlocutory injunction can be the difference between a franchisor’s protected system and an open door for every other franchisee to follow.