The Complete Brief
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April 01, 2026
Feds extend excise duty relief, direct support to breweries, distilleries and winemakers
On April 1, the Government of Canada announced a two-year extension of alcohol excise duty relief to “protect brewers, distillers, and winemakers during a period of global uncertainty.”
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April 01, 2026
April Kosten joins McCarthy Tétrault as Calgary partner
McCarthy Tétrault has added April Kosten as a partner in its national labour and employment group in Calgary.
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April 01, 2026
Bill C 12: Reinforcing system integrity while testing the limits of immigration law
The passage of Bill C‑12, the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act, reflects a reality that immigration lawyers increasingly confront in practice. Canada’s immigration system faces persistent pressures from fraud, irregular migration and national security risks that legacy statutory tools were not designed to manage at scale. Against that backdrop, Parliament’s objective in enacting Bill C‑12 — strengthening border integrity, deterring abuse and maintaining public confidence — is not only legitimate, but necessary.
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April 01, 2026
Court grants $53M against CEO in cannabis securities class action
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has certified a securities class action granting default judgment of $53.6 million against a former CEO of a cannabis company for misrepresentations causing investor loss. In addition, he was also ordered to pay $200,000 in costs.
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April 01, 2026
Why parole boards must not be swayed by public opinion
As Easter approaches, we are reminded of a crowd’s shouts to “Give us Barabbas.” The Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, believed Jesus was innocent but capitulated to the pressure of the crowd to prevent a riot. Should public pressure influence the justice system? On March 27, Global News reminded us of a situation that unfolded in British Columbia in 2021 and is now recurring in 2026.
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April 01, 2026
Saskatchewan court examines ‘material change’ needed for changes to parenting order
If judges are going to change a parenting order, they must first do a “complete analysis” as to whether there has been a “material change” in the circumstances of the child, says the lawyer of a dad who took his ex to court after being shortchanged time with their son.
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April 01, 2026
ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION - Approvals, licences and orders - Water
Appeal by the Gwich’in Tribal Council (GTC) from the dismissal of its judicial review application. The application challenged the Gwich’in Land and Water Board’s (GLWB) decision to renew a Type B water licence for KBL Environmental Ltd.’s (KBL) soil treatment facility (STF) in Inuvik.
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April 01, 2026
Real estate: HST relief for buyers, although temporary
On March 25, the Ontario government announced some temporary relief for buyers who are purchasing new homes. The harmonized sales tax (HST) rebate in Ontario is being expanded to all buyers to a maximum of $130,000. Both provincial and federal governments will eat up the entire 13 per cent HST. The province will cover its eight per cent, and federal will cover five per cent of the HST.
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March 31, 2026
Judicial council sanctions handful of federal judges but rejects hundreds of conduct complaints
The Canadian Judicial Council (CJC), which oversees the professional conduct of the country’s 1,184 federally appointed judges, says that five judges were reprimanded or received other disciplinary sanctions last year.
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March 31, 2026
B.C. proposes new process to resolve First Nations issues in environmental assessments
British Columbia is proposing amendments to the Environmental Assessment Act that would introduce a new process for resolving issues raised by First Nations during environmental assessments.