Access to Justice
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March 06, 2026
Ontario’s auto insurance shift to the LAT and access to justice: Consistency, oversight and reform
Ontario’s decision to move most statutory accident benefits disputes from the courts to the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT) has undoubtedly reshaped accident benefits litigation culture, including how quickly disputes move and how parties evaluate risk. The question of whether those changes have improved access to justice for claimants or simply redistributed systemic pressure into a forum remains.
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March 06, 2026
Ottawa councillor’s trial highlights need for better judicial resource management
On March 5, Ottawa councillor Matthew Luloff was found guilty of impaired driving, a verdict that closes one chapter of public accountability while raising a broader question about how Ontario’s courts allocate their most finite resource: time.
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March 06, 2026
Saskatchewan Appeal Court considers Gladue factors in sentencing for child abuse
Should an Indigenous mother receive a lighter sentence when she abuses her children? K.M. appealed her convictions for failing to provide the necessaries of life, unlawful confinement, assaulting J.K. with a weapon and assaulting L.D., and she also appealed the sentence. The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal decision was delivered on Jan. 6 (R. v. K.M., 2026 SKCA 3).
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March 05, 2026
Has Ontario’s auto insurance shift to the LAT improved access to justice or restricted it?
Ontario’s decision to move most statutory accident benefits disputes from the courts to the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT) is now close to a decade old. With that distance comes a clearer view of what the tribunal model has achieved and what it has complicated.
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March 05, 2026
How post-incarceration ‘punishment by press release’ undermines rule of law
It is happening all over again.
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March 04, 2026
N.W.T. drug conviction appeal delineates limits of preliminary inquiries
Sometimes, even a judgment on a matter that has become moot may prompt a reanalysis of our laws.
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March 03, 2026
OpenAI and the Tumbler Ridge tragedy
Tumbler Ridge is a district municipality located in northeastern British Columbia, established in 1981 as a planned community to support coal mining development. The town has a population of around 2,500 and is notable as Canada's first UNESCO Global Geopark, designated in 2014 due to its significant paleontological discoveries, including dinosaur fossils.
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March 02, 2026
Decision to drop charges in home-intrusion case reinforces self defence contextual in Canada
Charges were withdrawn this week against Jeremy David McDonald in Kawartha Lakes. An earlier indication that the charge might be dropped emerged after the Toronto Star reported that McDonald’s lawyer, Steven Norton, said the case had been adjourned to allow the standard review of evidence and discussions, including whether there is a reasonable prospect of conviction. The decision to charge McDonald had reignited a familiar, emotionally charged debate: how far can Canadians go in defending themselves at home?
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February 27, 2026
Nova Scotia proposes list of changes to child protection laws
Nova Scotia is proposing new child welfare legislation that would outlaw the use of social media to identify a child involved in a court proceeding, extend publication bans beyond the end of a court case and widen the pool of those to be entered into the province’s child abuse register.
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February 26, 2026
Alberta sex assault appeal focuses on text messages, child’s testimony
As the recent disclosure of the Epstein files illustrates, being accused or suspected of pedophilia can destroy an individual’s reputation. How difficult is it to be convicted of such a crime?