The Complete Brief
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December 10, 2025
Court lifts stay in payment dispute, orders funds to be paid before appeal
The Ontario Court of Appeal has lifted a stay in a case concerning the sale of a video game, ordering that 855,155 euros be paid to the vendors ahead of an appeal.
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December 10, 2025
Prison lawyers: Contraband smugglers or misunderstood advocates?
The main gate phone rang; it was the shift supervisor: “We got Milano’s lawyer comin’ in at 13:30, make sure you check him good!”
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December 10, 2025
Will relaxed bank regulation help jump-start Canada’s economy?
Canada’s economic growth has slowed in recent years, with business investment lagging and productivity measures falling behind peer economies. Ottawa has hinted that any meaningful revival may need to start with the institutions that have remained resolutely strong: Canada’s major banks.
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December 10, 2025
Acquiring Canadian citizenship by descent under Bill C-3
The Canadian government has taken the final steps to overhaul its citizenship by descent rules, officially passing Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025). This landmark legislation restores Canadian status to thousands of individuals worldwide who were previously excluded by an unconstitutional restriction known as the “first-generation limit” (FGL).
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December 10, 2025
TYPES OF DAMAGES - For personal injuries - Cost of future care - Loss of earning capacity - Non-pecuniary loss
Appeal by King from trial judge’s award for past and future loss of earning capacity. Cross-appeal by Karpenko from awards for non-pecuniary damages, past and future loss of earning capacity, and cost of future care. Karpenko was rear-ended while merging onto a highway and sustained chronic soft tissue injuries.
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December 09, 2025
Federal Protecting Victims Act proposes wide-ranging & some contentious criminal law changes
The federal government has introduced a wide-ranging “Protecting Victims Act,” which proposes, among many things: the expansion of various offences and punishments; new restrictions impacting the current interpretation of the Charter rights of accused persons to speedy trials and to make full answer and defence in sexual assault and other prosecutions; the creation of a number of novel Criminal Code offences; and the effective “restoration” for future sentencing (via a new judicial discretion “safety valve”) of “all” unconstitutional Criminal Code mandatory minimum penalties (MMPs) that were struck down as cruel and unusual punishment by various courts.
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December 09, 2025
Ontario urged to rethink ban on restorative justice in sexual offence cases
A number of legal organizations are calling for the Ontario government to change a policy that bans the use of restorative justice as an alternative to the criminal justice system in cases involving sexual offences.
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December 09, 2025
Court finds Canada owes a duty to First Nations regarding supply of clean drinking water
In a class action proceeding, the Federal Court has recognized a sui generis fiduciary duty owed by Canada to the Shamattawa First Nation, addressing the long-standing issue of inadequate access to safe drinking water on reserves.
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December 09, 2025
Legal problem or leadership problem?
I am going to tell you a story that was told to me by a law firm partner who cannot risk telling it herself.
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December 09, 2025
Ontario Court of Appeal upholds vexatious-litigant order against IP company and officer
The Ontario Court of Appeal has upheld an order declaring a corporation and its sole officer vexatious litigants, citing years of meritless court proceedings, hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid costs awards and multimillion-dollar lawsuits that ultimately settled for nuisance-level amounts.