Civil Litigation
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April 24, 2025
N.B. advocate warning against millions in cuts to child services
New Brunswick’s advocate for children, youth and vulnerable adults is sounding the alarm over tens of millions in cuts to child welfare services — a move he is calling “the most significant single-year reduction to services for vulnerable children in recent memory.”
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April 24, 2025
Quebec court approves Phoenix system class action settlement for non-union federal employees
The Quebec Superior Court has approved a settlement for a class action over compensation errors that non-unionized and casual federal public servants faced as a result of the Phoenix pay system, which was launched in 2016.
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April 24, 2025
Federal Court approves class action settlements of over $2M in alleged molded door price-fixing case
The Federal Court has approved class action settlements of over $2 million related to alleged price-fixing of interior molded doors.
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April 24, 2025
Alberta court rules UFCW Canada union not liable for allegedly toxic workplace at local affiliate
The Alberta Court of King’s Bench has rejected a constructive dismissal claim against an international union, finding that it was not a supervisor of employees at an affiliated union local and could therefore not be held liable for allegedly failing to prevent a toxic work environment.
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April 24, 2025
Only the holdback: When lien rights stop short at the owner’s door
The recent decision of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Hannan Custom Building Ltd. v. Irwin, 2024 ONSC 7230 highlights the need for owners, contractors and subcontractors alike to establish clear contractual relationships to prevent costly lien disputes.
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April 24, 2025
Ontario Place: Court is not forum for resolving political grievances
Along Toronto’s Lake Shore Boulevard, across from the Exhibition Place grounds, sits the iconic Ontario Place. Opened as an urban park in 1971, Ontario Place featured a Cinesphere with an IMAX cinema, several pavilions and other attractions. However, over time, the park became underutilized, and, in 2012, Ontario’s then-Liberal government closed most of Ontario Place’s attractions.
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April 24, 2025
British Columbia Supreme Court case exposes new civil liability risks for regulators
Unfair regulatory investigations and decisions now present more than just judicial review risks — the regulator may be exposing themselves, their staff and even legal counsel to civil liability. In Thmbran v. British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives, [2024] B.C.J. No. 479, the British Columbia Supreme Court permitted tort claims against both the College of Nurses and Midwives and individual staff members to proceed, establishing that statutory immunity offers limited protection where there is bad-faith handling of regulatory complaints.
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April 24, 2025
On or off the record: An arbitration dilemma
How do you get off the record when there is no record? With court proceedings, when the solicitor-client relationship breaks down or conflict arises, a motion is brought to the court with a request to get off the record. There is much case law that addresses when counsel can and cannot get off the record.
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April 23, 2025
Conservative and Liberal election platforms feature ‘tough’ approaches to crime but clash on the Charter
Ahead of the April 28 federal election, the Liberal contender for prime minister is promising to “stand up for the Charter,” for example by expanding the federal Court Challenges Program, while his Conservative rival for the post aspires to become the first prime minister to invoke the Charter’s “notwithstanding” clause, in order to shield his promised “life without parole” sentencing reforms for multiple murders from being struck down as a violation of the Charter’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
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April 23, 2025
Securities regulators pause work on new mandatory climate and diversity disclosures
Canadian securities regulators have paused work on the development of a new mandatory climate-related disclosure rule and amendments to the existing diversity-related disclosure requirements in the face of rising economic uncertainty, according to a release by the Canadian Securities Administrators.