The Complete Brief
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December 19, 2025
PARTIES - Novation
Appeal by Ville de Sainte-Julie (City) and cross-appeal by Les Investissements Laroda inc. (Laroda) from a judgment of the Quebec Court of Appeal which ordered the City to pay Laroda $287,458.
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December 19, 2025
Buffone’s parole: A step toward exoneration?
In what may seem like Part II of a never-ending saga, the Parole Board of Canada granted Vito Buffone day parole to a community residential facility yet to be named.
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December 19, 2025
A season for sharing: The legal and moral case for ensuring everyone has enough food at Christmas
Every Christmas, families across Canada gather around warm meals that symbolize dignity, community and care. Yet for many households in Alberta and across the country, rising costs and winter pressures make it difficult to afford even the most basic groceries. Food insecurity turns what should be a season of comfort into a time of anxiety.
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December 19, 2025
CRIMINAL CODE OFFENCES - Weapons offences
Appeal by Crown from acquittal of respondent on firearms charges. A confidential informant told police that the respondent knew who was behind his fiancée’s murder and was planning to take matters into his own hands.
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December 19, 2025
Manitoba Court of Appeal tasked with determining psychological detention
Psychological detention occurs when a person submits to a police officer’s authority or is deprived of liberty, reasonably believing the choice to do otherwise does not exist (R. v. Tessier, 2022 SCC 35). One would expect that raising psychological detention on appeal from conviction would be a simple, fact-driven analysis. Yet the Manitoba Court of Appeal took 256 paragraphs to rule out psychological detention as a basis for Charter relief. The court’s reasons are in R. v. Francois, 2025 MBCA 93.
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December 18, 2025
Feds announce development of made-in-Canada sustainable investment guidelines
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne has announced that the Canadian Climate Institute has been selected to lead the development of the made-in-Canada sustainable investment guidelines, also known as a taxonomy, for issuing bonds.
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December 18, 2025
Staffing issues at N.L. provincial courts overdue for solutions: lawyers
Problems that have led to the recent stoppage of civil, traffic and other matters in some of Newfoundland and Labrador’s provincial courts should have been dealt with some time ago, say lawyers.
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December 18, 2025
Court allows misrepresentation claims to proceed in merger dispute against Dragon's Den investor
In a merger dispute case against Dragon’s Den investor Arlene Dickinson alleging misrepresentation and unjust enrichment, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled on her motion to strike, striking some pleadings and clarifying how claims should be made in cases involving a future financial forecast.
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December 18, 2025
Ottawa, Ontario reach agreement on streamlining environmental approvals
Ottawa and Ontario have signed a new co-operation agreement for natural resource projects aimed at streamlining environmental approvals and unlocking the mineral-rich “Ring of Fire” region.
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December 18, 2025
Is criminalization the way to go to address coercive control?
Gender-based violence is very much on the mind of Parliament this fall.