Bill 68: Proposed Amendments Have Far-Reaching Implications

Bill 68, Modernizing Ontario’s Municipal Legislation Act, 2017, received second reading and was referred to the Standing Committee on Social Policy on March 23, 2017. Bill 68 proposes a number of amendments to the Municipal Act, 2001, the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act and the Municipal Elections Act which could have a significant impact on how municipalities and their councils function.

Contempt and Bankruptcy: Striking the Right Balance

In its recent decision in Walchuk v Houghton, 2016 ONCA 643, the Court of Appeal for Ontario clarified the interaction between the stay provisions of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA) and motions for contempt of court orders.

The Benefits of Brightfields Developments for Municipalities

The increasing viability and importance of distributed energy resources, and the content of the provincial government’s policies on climate change, make the use of brownfields sites for brightfields developments a compelling option for municipalities.*

B.C. Court of Appeal Upholds Regulatory College’s By-laws

The British Columbia Court of Appeal’s recent decision in Sobeys West Inc. v. College of Pharmacists of British Columbia[1] is an important decision for regulators in two respects. First, it recognizes the latitude regulators ought to be given when enacting by-laws. Second, it clarifies the nature of the evidence that regulators will need to provide when their by-laws are challenged on judicial review. On the whole, the decision comes as a welcome confirmation of the deference that courts will show to regulators when they enact by-laws in the bona fide exercise of their authority.