The Complete Brief
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November 24, 2025
Humans practising law inhumanely
It is not what a lawyer tells me I may do, but what humanity, reason, and justice tell me I ought to do. — Edmund Burke
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November 21, 2025
Federal judges say they’ll take Ottawa to court over rejection of independent pay commission’s recommendations
The association representing Canada’s federally appointed judges decided this week to seek judicial review of Ottawa’s rejection of an independent judicial pay commission’s two key recommendations — including the commission’s advice that a $28,000 salary boost (on top of mandatory annual indexing) is necessary to keep attracting outstanding lawyers to the bench.
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November 21, 2025
Supreme Court decision fundamentally changes how courts treat internal prison decisions
Lawyers practising prison law have a new and very powerful arrow added to their quiver.
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November 21, 2025
Federal inmates can use habeas corpus to challenge refusals to lower security rating: SCC
Canada’s high court has ruled that federal inmates can use the tool of habeas corpus — a claim of unlawful detention — to challenge in court a denial of their request to be transferred to a lower-security setting.
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November 21, 2025
Ontario seeks input on budget as key sectors face tariff headwinds
The Ontario government is inviting businesses, workers and communities to provide input on the 2026 budget as the province contends with disruptions in key industries, including the automotive and steel manufacturing sectors, caused by U.S. tariffs.
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November 21, 2025
TikTok faces class action over alleged misuse of Canadians’ data
TikTok is set to face a proposed class action over allegations that it collected and used users’ sensitive personal information, including data from children and minors, without their consent, to sell advertisements.
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November 21, 2025
Balancing enforcement and fairness: Default hearings in Ontario family law
In Ontario (Director, Family Responsibility Office) v. Petersoo, 2025 ONCJ 569, Justice Stanley Sherr delivers a compelling and instructive decision on the enforcement of child support arrears under the Family Responsibility and Support Arrears Enforcement Act.
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November 21, 2025
Miller Thomson names 2 new leaders to business services team
Miller Thomson has appointed John Esvelt as chief technology officer and Jessica Watkins as chief administrative officer.
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November 21, 2025
New Brunswick Court of Appeal confirms modern approach to the ‘armchair rule’
In Canada, there is somewhat of a divide when it comes to the armchair rule. When interpreting a will in some provinces, including Ontario and Manitoba, it is now the norm for courts to apply the armchair rule at the outset, even if a will is not patently ambiguous, and consider surrounding circumstances that existed when the will was made. Interpreting a will this way is often referred to as the modern approach to the armchair rule.
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November 21, 2025
Kitties in court: Like herding cats
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was a time to growl, it was a time to purr. It was a time to bark, it was a time to hiss. No, this story is not about the Toronto Blue Jays. Let’s start with Istanbul, Turkey.