The Complete Brief
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July 31, 2025
SCC rules Ontario court lacks jurisdiction over Ont. man’s tort claims against Italian defendants
In an important private international law judgment on the jurisdiction of Canadian courts over tort claims involving foreign defendants, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled 5-4 that an Ontario court does not have jurisdiction to determine tort claims launched against three Italian companies by an Ontario resident injured on a holiday in Venice. On July 31, 2025, Justice Suzanne Côté, writing for the top court’s majority, dismissed the appeal of injured plaintiff Duncan Sinclair and his spouse, Michelle Sinclair, from a 2023 Ontario Court of Appeal decision that stayed the plaintiffs’ Ontario Superior Court damages claims, for lack of jurisdiction: Sinclair v. Venezia Turismo, 2025 SCC 27.
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July 31, 2025
Small and medium banks failed to meet federal complaint handling standards, FCAC review finds
Canada’s consumer banking watchdog has found significant compliance failures among small and medium-sized banks in meeting federally mandated complaint handling requirements introduced under its Financial Consumer Protection Framework.
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July 31, 2025
Court denies production of children’s aid society files ahead of class action certification
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has denied a request for document production of files from children’s aid societies in a putative class action alleging that the defendants breached the standard of care owed to children in their care.
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July 31, 2025
Langlois names Xavier Beauchamp-Tremblay as chief innovation and transformation officer
Quebec-based firm Langlois has announced Xavier Beauchamp-Tremblay as its new chief innovation and transformation officer.
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July 31, 2025
Court enforces contracts despite claims of non-reading, awards $405K in sale-proceeds dispute
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has reinforced the importance of contract enforceability and limitation periods in a dispute involving the $20.75-million, 2012 sale of a Toronto commercial cleaning and food services company, awarding $405,199 to the plaintiff while rejecting claims that shareholder agreements were invalid due to a lack of understanding.
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July 31, 2025
Toronto renoviction bylaw ‘very close to being unconstitutional,’ lawyer says
Landlords in Toronto now require a licence before starting repairs or renovations that require a tenant to move out, but a lawyer is saying it may not be constitutionally compliant due to it conflicting with provincial legislation.
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July 31, 2025
Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut sign MOU to create territorial trade zone
The governments of Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on “improving trade across the North.”
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July 31, 2025
JURISDICTION - Determination of - Forum of necessity - Forum conveniens
Appeal by three Italian companies from a judgment of the Court of Appeal for Ontario, which unanimously allowed the appeal and held that it would be improper for Ontario to assume jurisdiction of an action seeking damages arising out of a water taxi accident that occurred in Italy.
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July 31, 2025
Lawyers Louis-Martin Aumais and Allison Stewart among new diplomatic appointments
Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand has announced four diplomatic appointments, including Louis-Martin Aumais, legal adviser and director general of the International Law Bureau and agent for Canada at the International Court of Justice, as well as Allison Stewart, who was most recently head of mission in Myanmar.
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July 31, 2025
Challenges to legal decisions using AI are coming: Onus on applicants will be high
The temptation for decision-makers like judges and tribunals to use artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLM) to reach a decision will increase significantly as administrative burdens swell.