The Complete Brief
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July 18, 2025
The Friday Brief: Editor-In-Chief’s must-read items from the past two weeks
Here are my picks for the top stories we’ve published over the last two weeks.
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July 18, 2025
Court appoints receiver in case relating to blueberry farm companies’ debt
The British Columbia Supreme Court has allowed the appointment of a receiver in a case that involved two blueberry farm owners and a trucking company that were unable to repay a debt worth more than $19 million.
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July 18, 2025
Indigenous leaders express ongoing concerns after PM’s First Nations Major Projects Summit
Some Indigenous leaders remain skeptical of the federal government’s Building Canada Act following Prime Minister Mark Carney’s First Nations Major Projects Summit on July 17, saying the legislation fails to uphold the principle of free, prior and informed consent.
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July 18, 2025
Court halts union representation vote count pending outcome of incumbent union’s application
The Federal Court of Appeal has ordered a halt to the counting of ballots in a union representation vote at Air Canada, finding that the incumbent union could face irreparable harm if it lost the vote but ultimately succeeded in its challenge to the order authorizing the vote.
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July 18, 2025
Pierre Moreau named government representative in the Senate
Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced the appointment of Pierre Moreau as government representative in the Senate.
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July 18, 2025
SCC clarifies sentencing standards under Youth Criminal Justice Act
The Supreme Court of Canada has overturned an adult sentence for a youth found guilty of murder, stating that under a proper interpretation of the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), the Crown must rebut the statutory presumption of diminished moral blameworthiness beyond a reasonable doubt.
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July 18, 2025
Federal Court of Appeal shuts down rare, longstanding film copyright reverse class action
For the second time, the Federal Court of Appeal has refused to certify a rare reverse class action proposed by Los Angeles-based film producer Voltage Pictures, setting aside the Federal Court’s finding that a class proceeding was the preferable procedure for resolving Voltage’s allegations that its film copyright was infringed through online sharing.
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July 18, 2025
Registered accounts: Designating beneficiaries
Individuals in Ontario may designate beneficiaries for their registered accounts — such as TFSAs, RRSPs, RRIFs and FHSAs (see Part III of the Succession Law Reform Act, RSO 1990, c S.26 (SLRA)). This designation ensures that, upon the account holder’s death, the proceeds are paid directly to the named beneficiary, thereby bypassing the estate. This not only avoids estate administration tax on those funds, but also often allows for a quicker distribution to the designated beneficiaries as well as regarding RRSPs and RIFFs creditor protection.
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July 18, 2025
Auto body repair fraud likely a nationwide problem
The famous quote “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark,” spoken by Marcellus in William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, signifies a deeper problem, often a sense of corruption or something fundamentally wrong, beneath the surface of appearances.
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July 18, 2025
Navigating AI in legal practice: Responsibilities, risks and realities, part two
We all know that AI has many upsides, and it’s taking the legal profession by storm. We also know that it must be used with caution. In the first segment of this three-part series, we took a look at some key initial concerns that can arise in connection with lawyers’ use of AI in their legal practices. These touched on legal ethics and potential bias, and how using AI can impact a lawyer’s professional responsibility obligations.