Apr 16, 2020Ontario Regulators and COVID-19 This bulletin is intended to provide a few highlights of some of the steps the province has taken in the face of COVID-19.[1] It also provides some…
Apr 15, 2020Holding an AGM During the Global Pandemic of COVID-19: New CSA, TSX, TSX-V and Legislative Measures Provide Guidance to Public Companies To mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Public Health Ontario recommends practicing physical distancing, which includes avoiding large gatherings. In light of these recommendations, reporting issuers must re-consider…
Tips for Preparing for E-Litigation E-litigation—litigation that is either paperless or virtual—is the way of the future. This was already becoming true when we conducted the first paperless trial in the history…
Transportation Notes:Proposed Class Action Claims Refunds for COVID-19 Cancellations Air Canada, WestJet, Air Transat, Sunwing, and Swoop are facing a proposed class-action for offering vouchers and credits in lieu of refunds for flights that were cancelled…
Apr 13, 2020Helping Employers Understand the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy On April 11, 2020, the COVID-19 Emergency Response Act, No. 2, which includes the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (the “CEWS”), received Royal Assent and is now available…
The Impact of COVID-19 on Estate Planning and Administration In a matter of weeks, the COVID-19 outbreak has changed the world in completely unprecedented ways. The vast majority of us are staying home and practicing social…
The Uncertainty is Over: It is Time to Register Your Liens and Allow Holdback to be Released From the moment the Government of Ontario declared a state of emergency—closing all non-essential business and suspending limitation periods and the timelines for taking steps in legal…
Apr 6, 2020Ford Government Tightens Lockdown on Ontario Businesses: New Truncated List of Essential Workplaces Released On Friday April 3, 2020, the Ontario provincial government released a new, truncated list of essential workplaces exempted from the mandatory emergency closure order. This measure was…
Apr 2, 2020The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy: What All Employers Need to Know On April 1, 2020, Finance Minister Bill Morneau provided details regarding the federal government’s Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy that was initially announced on March 27, 2020. Consistent…
Mar 30, 2020Blanket Relief for Certain Regulatory Filings as a Result of COVID-19 As previously discussed, the Canadian Securities Administrators (the “CSA“) issued notices laying out measures the CSAs would take in order to assist market participants with the challenges…
Mar 27, 2020COVID-19: Real Estate Update As of Tuesday, March 24, 2020 all of Ontario’s “non-essential services” were required to close in response to the growing COVID-19 pandemic in the province. This mandatory…
Mar 26, 2020Navigating Ontario’s Closure of Non-Essential Businesses On March 24, 2020, the Ontario provincial government passed Regulation 82/20 under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. This regulation ordered the closure of all “non-essential”…
Mar 25, 2020Tax-Effective Charitable Giving: RRSPs and RRIFs, Public Securities and Life Insurance While the most common method of philanthropic giving is a gift of cash, Canadians should note other options for giving to charity both during their lifetimes and…
Mar 23, 2020Ontario Litigation Update: COVID-19 COVID-19 is impacting all aspects of life including Ontario’s Courts. Thanks to the hard work, and responsiveness of the various justices, court staff, legislators, and other stakeholders…
Privacy in the AI Era? OPC Launches Consultation on Regulation of AI American writer Kurt Vonnegut once penned the line, “You asked the impossible of a machine and the machine complied.” Our society has voraciously devoured the possibilities offered…
Protecting Limitation Periods During COVID-19 The last two weeks have been unprecedented for every person and business in Canada. Courts across Canada have been shutting down many of their operations in order…
Mar 20, 2020Municipal Business in the Face of an Emergency: Ontario Enacts the Municipal Emergency Act, 2020 Yesterday, the Ontario government enacted the Municipal Emergency Act, 2020 which amends the Municipal Act, 2001 and the City of Toronto Act, 2006 to provide that, during…
A Novel Type of Leave in the Wake of COVID-19: The Ontario Government’s Changes to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 On March 19, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ontario Legislature passed Bill 186, the Employment Standards Amendment Act (Infectious Disease Emergencies), 2020 (”Bill 186”).…
COVID-19 Updates: Canadian Securities Regulators and Exchanges As the world fights to stop the spread of COVID-19 by implementing social distancing measures, companies are faced with the challenges of ensuring the health and safety…
Keeping the Lights On: Preventing and Responding to Work Refusals in the Wake of COVID-19 While some employers have chosen to temporarily suspend operations, or have been ordered to do so, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many others, will do their…