The Complete Brief
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December 04, 2025
Ontario Court of Appeal weighs real public risk against public opinion
There is significant public pressure to deny bail after a person is arrested for a criminal offence. It is also reasonable to expect that this pressure could influence a Court of Appeal judge to refuse bail when an application for bail pending appeal is made, especially if the conviction involves a serious offence.
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December 04, 2025
MORTGAGES - Mortgage agreement - Terms - Mortgagee’s remedies - Foreclosure order - Right to redemption
Appeal by Innovation Federal Credit Union Limited from chambers judge’s decision disallowing property insurance expenses. Innovation entered into a mortgage agreement with the respondents under which Innovation provided loan financing to the respondents who, in turn, granted a mortgage over their property to Innovation to secure repayment of the loan.
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December 04, 2025
A manually actuated excavation device and other excuses for legal bafflegab
Let’s call a spade a manually actuated excavation device. Why? Well, I can think of at least four reasons.
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December 03, 2025
Federal judges ‘reluctantly’ take Carney gov’t to court in dispute over pay, judicial independence
In a pay dispute with Ottawa that raises questions about the requirements for judicial independence, the Canadian Superior Courts Judges Association (CSCJA) and the associate judges of the Federal Court separately filed Federal Court applications seeking judicial review of the Carney government’s recent refusal to implement the recommendations of an independent judicial pay commission, including its advice that a $28,000 salary boost (on top of mandatory annual indexing) is necessary to keep attracting outstanding lawyers to the federal benches.
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December 03, 2025
Ottawa releases world’s first standard for accessible, inclusive AI design
Accessibility Standards Canada has released what it says is the world’s first standard on accessible and equitable artificial intelligence (AI), aimed at enabling the development of AI systems that are accessible to people with disabilities.
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December 03, 2025
New Alberta law sparks debate on regulatory freedom
Alberta’s legislative move to limit the disciplinary authority of professional regulatory bodies has stirred controversy, with legal analysts debating its implications for professional independence and the broader regulatory landscape.
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December 03, 2025
How to interpret undefined common words in a statute
The Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in Lundin Mining Corp. v. Markowich, 2025 SCC 39 is not just about securities law.
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December 03, 2025
Valerie Prather joins McCarthy Tétrault in Calgary
McCarthy Tétrault has welcomed Valerie Prather as a partner in its litigation and dispute resolution group in Calgary, according to the firm.
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December 03, 2025
Sales and excise tax measures in Canada’s 2025 federal budget
The Government of Canada’s long-awaited budget (Budget 2025) includes important sales and excise tax measures — and confirms the government’s intention to proceed with several other measures that had been announced previously.
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December 03, 2025
Federal Court of Appeal rejects percentage-based costs in IP appeal
The Federal Court of Appeal has declined to award costs based on a percentage of actual fees in an appeal arising out of a complex intellectual property (IP) dispute, finding that extending the elevated lump-sum trial approach to the appellate proceeding was not justified in the case.