Family

  • October 06, 2025

    Family business succession: Don’t send in the clowns

    In an earlier article in our series on business succession, Murray Gottheil quoted these words from author Leo Tolstoy: “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

  • October 03, 2025

    Hague abduction case pits B.C. Supreme Court against Bulgaria’s District Court

    In Zahariev v. Zaharieva, 2025 BCCA 35, the British Columbia Court of Appeal considered a Hague Convention case that featured a contest between Bulgaria’s District Court and the British Columbia Supreme Court, in relation to the parties’ infant daughter, Neva.

  • October 02, 2025

    A divorce, a custody battle and an assassination: When people take the law into their own hands

    On July 18, 2014, Dan Markel, a respected Canadian-born law professor at Florida State University, was shot in the head in broad daylight outside his home in Tallahassee, Fla.

  • October 02, 2025

    Line crossed: IRCC’s proposed administrative monetary penalties should alarm all Canadian bars

    The federal government is quietly implementing a regulatory framework that should alarm every lawyer in Canada, regardless of practice area. Under the guise of addressing immigration “ghost consultants,” Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has crafted administrative monetary penalties (AMPs) that grant it unprecedented authority to discipline lawyers — the same lawyers who routinely challenge that department’s decisions in court.

  • October 02, 2025

    The legendary Jane Goodall and her influence on animal law

    It can rightly be said that few people achieve the status of legend in their own time: Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, UN Messenger of Peace and founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, was one such person. Goodall passed away on Oct. 1, 2025, at age 91 while on a speaking tour in the U.S. after leading a life that inspired many.

  • October 01, 2025

    Changes to the Federal Child Support Tables

    The new Federal Child Support Guidelines will come into effect on Oct. 1, 2025. Under the Divorce Act, the Federal Child Support Guidelines apply for children of married or formerly married parents. In Ontario, given that the Ontario Child Support Guidelines mirror the Federal Child Support Guidelines, the new Tables will also apply for children of unmarried parents or married parents who are separating and have child support claims under the Family Law Act.

  • September 30, 2025

    Navigating family business transitions through commercial mediation

    When families work together in business, they often share more than just financial interests — they share history, values and emotional investments. But when it’s time to make major decisions like winding down a business, planning for retirement or updating estate plans, those shared ties can become sources of tension.

  • September 29, 2025

    Manitoba Justice receiving support for bilingual access to victims’ programs

    Manitoba Justice is increasing access to bilingual support for victims of crime and domestic violence through a funding program aimed at bolstering French services in the province.

  • September 29, 2025

    UN and Palestine: Recognition, refugees and Canada’s role

    This week at the United Nations General Assembly, history was made. Several Western nations, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France and Portugal, formally recognized the State of Palestine. In doing so, these countries joined the overwhelming majority of UN members — now 157 of 193 — that formally acknowledge Palestinian statehood.

  • September 26, 2025

    Ontario opening of the courts ceremony highlights digitization, reform of Rules of Civil Procedure

    On Sept. 25, judges, attorneys general, leaders of law associations and others met for Ontario’s opening of the courts ceremony, discussing various strategies that have been and will be undertaken to improve access to justice. This included digitization and reformation of the Rules of Civil Procedure.