Dec 22, 2020Web Series: Leading Questions – Presented by WeirFoulds Women Leading Questions is a new biweekly web series that explores everyday legal issues, hot topics in business and professional development, and more. The series is hosted by…
Dec 18, 2020Ontario’s New Regulation for Excess Soil On January 1, 2021, the On-Site and Excess Soil Management Regulation 406/19 passed by the Province of Ontario under the Environmental Protection Act will come into force…
Stop the Clock: Ontario Again Extends the Deemed COVID-19 Emergency Leave and Introduces Flexibility for Layoffs in Unionized Workplaces Ontario has once again extended the relief for employers from the temporary layoff provisions under the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) in the hopes of protecting…
Dec 17, 2020An Employer’s $115K Mistake in a Wrongful Dismissal Settlement On November 9, 2020, Brown J.A., writing for a unanimous Ontario Court of Appeal, released his decision in Kearns v Canadian Tire Corporation Limited, upholding the 2019…
Dec 11, 2020TSXV Introduces Changes to Capital Pool Company Program Introduction On December 1, 2020, the TSX Venture Exchange (“TSXV” or the “Exchange“) announced changes to its Capital Pool Company (“CPC“) program, effective January 1, 2021.[1] Revisions…
Seller Beware: Ontario Court of Appeal Confirms that a Purchaser’s Inspection does not always Relieve the Vendor of Liability for Misrepresentations The general rule regarding the purchase of real property is that the purchaser must satisfy himself or herself of the suitability of the property he or she…
Dec 9, 2020Rules Modernization in Ontario – O.Reg. 689/20 If there is a silver lining to the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic in the Ontario justice system, it is the modernization of the Court system…
Dec 8, 2020Transportation Notes: Filing of Insurance Certificates with the Canadian Transportation Agency Air carriers offering scheduled international services to/ from Canada are required, by virtue of the Canada Transportation Act, S.C. 1996, c. 10, to file proof of insurance…
Nov 25, 2020Webinar: Commercial Litigation – Professionalism Issues in a Virtual World In this webinar some of our commercial litigators discuss Professionalism Issues in a Virtual World (tailored for small firms and sole practitioners). Topics and speakers include: Panel…
Nov 18, 2020Transportation Notes: Should Expert Reports on the Interpretation of the Montreal Convention Be Allowed in Challenge to Canadian Air Passenger Protection Regulations? Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations (the “APPRs”) came into effect in two stages in July and December 2019. Even before the first tranche of provisions came into…
Nov 17, 2020Supreme Court Clarifies the Law on the Duty of Care for Pure Economic Loss A recent Supreme Court of Canada decision is a cautionary tale on the Court’s reluctance to award recovery in tort where parties fail to mitigate risks through…
Nov 16, 2020Bill C-9: An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act (Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy and Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy) 1. What is Bill C-9: An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act (Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy and Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy)? Bill C-9: An Act to…
Nov 6, 2020Transportation Notes: Air Passenger Rights Group Challenges CTA Statements on COVID-19 Vouchers In the wake of travel restrictions and sweeping flight cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian Transportation Agency (“CTA”) issued two public statements on its website…
Nov 4, 2020Reflections on Half a Century in the Commercial Litigation Trenches – Part I Articling Year I think that it is safe to say that I started my professional life as a commercial litigation lawyer the day I began my articles…
Nov 3, 2020Control beyond the grave: The use of testamentary trusts in estate planning Testamentary trusts are trusts that arise on and as a consequence of the death of a person, and are powerful tools if you wish to maintain a…
Oct 28, 2020“Arising out of”: Adding Another Definition to Your Contractual Terms Dictionary In Sky Clean Energy Ltd. (Sky Solar (Canada) Ltd.) v. Economical Mutual Insurance Company,[1] the Ontario Court of Appeal analysed a common feature of insurance arrangements in development projects…
Oct 20, 2020Proposed Regulation Update: Ontario Heritage Act On September 21, 2020, the Province published notice of a proposed regulation under the Ontario Heritage Act (“OHA”), to implement amendments passed as part of Bill 108, the More Homes, More Choice Act,…
Oct 15, 2020Community Benefits Charges: The New Section 37 The COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act, 2020 replaced the density bonusing scheme under section 37 of the Planning Act with a new regime, but with a transition to…
Oct 11, 2020Ontario Introduces further COVID Restrictions and Promises $300 million to help Businesses Weather the Storm: What Employers Need to Know With COVID-19 cases on the uptick, the Ontario government has imposed modified Stage 2 restrictions in the Ottawa, Peel and Toronto regions. The following measures will be…
Oct 9, 2020Court of Appeal Decides Against Overruling its Prior Decisions on s. 7(6) of the Arbitration Act In Toronto Standard Condominium Corporation No. 1628 v. Toronto Standard Condominium Corporation No. 1636, 2020 ONCA 612, an appeal was brought from the order of a motion judge…
Oct 1, 2020New Minimum Wage for Employees in Ontario Effective October 1, 2020, the general minimum wage for employees in Ontario increased by 25 cents, to $14.25 per hour. This is the first time the minimum…
Sep 29, 2020Ontario Issues a New COVID-19 Screening Tool for Workplaces On September 25, 2020, the Ontario Ministry of Health issued Version 1 of the COVID-19 Screening Tool for Workplaces (Business and Organizations) (the “Screening Tool”). On September…
Uber Arbitration Agreement not so Uber Uber Arbitration Agreement not so Uber[1] In my April 16, 2018, blog,[2] I wrote about the Superior Court of Justice’s decision upholding the arbitration provisions in an…
Sep 23, 2020Parties Must Check their Biases at the Door When Exercising Contractual Rights In Elias Restaurant v Keele Sheppard Plaza Inc., 2020 ONSC 5457, Justice Morgan of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice commented on the racist overtones of the…
Sep 4, 2020A Cautious Reopening: Ontario Extends the Deemed COVID-19 Emergency Leave to January 2021 On September 3, 2020, the Ontario government extended the relief for employers from the temporary layoff provisions under the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) until January…
Aug 31, 2020The Collapse of a House of Cards: Estoppel by Convention and the Need for a Shared Assumption In Grasshopper Solar Corporation v Independent Electricity System Operator,[1] the Court of Appeal agreed that a contractual party has a right to terminate a contract without paying…
Aug 21, 2020Multiple Choice: Canada to Replace CERB with New and Revised Income Support Programs for Employees As Canadian businesses and workers continue to feel the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian government has announced several income support measures. The Canada Emergency Response…
Aug 20, 2020A Deal’s a Deal: The Enforcement of Settlements A short decision from the Court of Appeal for Ontario in Neilas (799 College St) Inc. v Houston Engineering & Drafting Inc.,[1] released on August 6, 2020,…
Aug 13, 2020Federal Government Extends the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy Program: What Employers Need to Know The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (“CEWS”) program was launched in April of 2020 to help mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to Canadian employers. Originally intended…
Aug 5, 2020The Clock is Ticking: The Expiration of the Deemed Infectious Disease Emergency Leave and Next Steps for Ontario Employers On July 24, 2020, the Ontario state of emergency quietly ended with the passing of the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020 (the “Act”).[1]…
Jul 28, 2020Waiver of Tort Is Dead, Long Live Disgorgement (Maybe) In Atlantic Lottery Corporation Inc. v Babstock[1] released on July 24, 2020, the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously held that “waiver of tort” was not a cause…
Jul 27, 2020Transportation Notes:Transportation Appeal Tribunal Unable to Consider Costs After Withdrawal The Federal Court of Canada recently upheld a decision of the Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada (“TATC”) finding that the tribunal did not have jurisdiction accept submissions…
Jul 20, 2020Transportation Notes: Passenger’s Fall Due to Unsteadiness Not an Accident Under the Convention The British Columbia Civil Resolution Tribunal (the “BCCRT”) – the equivalent of the Province’s Small Claims Court – recently ruled in favour of an air carrier, dismissing…
Jul 13, 2020Old Case, New Gloss: The Ontario Court of Appeal Clarifies the Rule in Foss v Harbottle The recent decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal in Tran v Bloorston Farms Ltd., 2020 ONCA 440, provides a helpful explanation and clarification of the rule…
Jul 9, 2020Ontario Court of Appeal Finds Unenforceable Language in “For Cause” Termination Provision to be Fatal Even When Employee Terminated “Without Cause” The Ontario Court of Appeal’s decision in Waksdale v. Swegon North America Inc.[1] was released on June 17, 2020 and is the latest in a series of…