The Complete Brief

  • August 31, 2026

    Court upholds former Blue Jays’ exclusion of RCAs from Canadian taxable income

    The Federal Court of Appeal has dismissed a Crown appeal involving former Toronto Blue Jays stars Russell Martin and Josh Donaldson, affirming that the players correctly excluded contributions to their retirement compensation arrangements (RCAs) from their Canadian-sourced income for tax purposes.

  • August 31, 2026

    Can tariffs excuse performance of a commercial contract in Ontario?

    On Aug. 22, the United States imposed 50 per cent tariffs on a broad list of Canadian goods under s. 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, which is a provision essentially unused for the better part of a century.

  • August 31, 2026

    CBA Alberta welcomes new president Sept. 1

    The Canadian Bar Association Alberta Branch (CBA Alberta) will have a new captain at the helm Sept. 1.

  • August 31, 2026

    What keeps me up at night and keeps me in family law

    This past July, the Ontario Bar Association’s family law section executive held its annual planning and insights meeting to help prepare for the year ahead. One of the questions we were asked was: What issues keep you up at night? As someone who has struggled with insomnia for basically my entire adult life, this wasn’t a straightforward question. But it did get me thinking about some of the serious challenges facing family lawyers today. This is not my typical research-heavy article. Instead, I wanted to share some of my reflections on my top three issues.

  • August 31, 2026

    McKenzie Lake’s Alf Mamo retires after 50-year career

    Alf Mamo has retired from the London, Ont., office of McKenzie Lake Lawyers, effective Aug. 28, following a legal career spanning more than five decades.

  • August 31, 2026

    Linda Chen joins Lindsay Kenney in Vancouver

    Linda Chen has joined Lindsay Kenney LLP in its Vancouver office, practising with the firm’s estate planning and business law groups.

  • August 31, 2026

    A minute about minutes and professional ethics

    I was doing annual minutes for my teeny tiny corporation today, and I got to thinking.

  • August 31, 2026

    MUNICIPAL BOARDS AND TRIBUNALS - Jurisdiction - Planning and development - Development permits

    Appeal by 1381034 Alberta Ltd. (developer) from a decision of Calgary Subdivision and Development Appeal Board (SDAB) overturning a development permit issued by City of Calgary Development Authority (Development Authority).

  • August 31, 2026

    Optometrist’s machine, part two: The inevitable evolution of AI

    Anyone who has had a modern eye examination has encountered some version of “the machine,” which is formally known as an autorefractor. Before the optometrist begins the familiar process of asking whether one lens is clearer than another, the autorefractor takes an initial measurement of the eye.

  • August 31, 2026

    Birdman of Osborn a cautionary tale of fallibility of criminal convictions

    Francis Clifford Smith was sentenced to death in Connecticut in 1950. He was 25 years old. He was granted a last meal eight times. Each time, his execution was stayed. Smith died in prison on June 25, 2026, at the age of 101, having spent more than 70 years in prison and, by some accounts, becoming the longest-serving prisoner in the United States.

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