Family
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July 14, 2025
Delay costs father on urgent motion over mother’s no-notice relocation
A recent Divisional Court decision suggests that parents left behind after an unauthorized relocation must act quickly to object — and stay actively involved in the child’s life — if they hope to prevent the new living arrangements from solidifying before trial.
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July 14, 2025
Managing a family law practice on two tracks: Digital practices and court processes
As a family lawyer practising in Ontario, I find myself navigating two distinct worlds simultaneously. One world moves quickly, dynamically driven by digital tools, client expectations of immediacy, and the efficiency required to manage multiple cases effectively. The other world moves at a very different pace, governed by the established timelines, procedures and rhythms of the courts. Balancing these two realities is both a challenge and an essential skill for any lawyer aiming for professional success.
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July 11, 2025
Choosing a mediator/arbitrator: Balancing expertise v. bias
Choosing a mediator/arbitrator with subject-matter expertise requires extra care to avoid potential conflicts arising from existing professional relationships between the arbitrator, parties’ counsel and experts.
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July 11, 2025
Quebec immigration shift: Skilled worker program revamp, family sponsorship freeze
Quebec’s immigration landscape is undergoing a profound transformation with the long-anticipated launch of the new Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ) and a contentious suspension of family reunification sponsorships for certain categories. These changes collectively mark a strategic recalibration of the province’s immigration priorities — one that strongly emphasizes economic integration while drawing criticism for restricting family unity pathways.
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July 10, 2025
What’s in a name? Including femicide in the Criminal Code
Recently, federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser indicated he would be “open” to including the term “femicide” in the Criminal Code, possibly as part of a number of reforms he expects to present to Parliament in the fall.
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July 10, 2025
‘External monitor’ sees progress & challenges in military’s handling of its sexual misconduct crisis
Ottawa has renewed its pledge to abolish, for the most part, the military justice system’s jurisdiction over sexual offence investigations and prosecutions involving military members. Meanwhile, the military has not delivered on the government’s aim to transfer most existing military sexual offence cases to Canada’s civilian courts — explaining that complainants and provincial authorities have not agreed to the transfers, according to a new report released by the Department of National Defence (DND).
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July 09, 2025
From duty to liability: The evolution of trustee responsibility in Ontario courts
The recent case of MacBeth Estate from the Ontario Court of Appeal (MacBeth Estate v. MacBeth, 2025 ONCA 360) is a reminder of the personal liability that estate trustees may be exposed to if their actions warrant it — and an example of how the court will address estate disputes where there has been a breakdown in trust between the estate trustee and a beneficiary.
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July 07, 2025
A common mistake in statutory interpretation
In the training that I deliver on statutory interpretation, I caution against relying on prior interpretations of a statutory provision or a related provision without first doing your own interpretive analysis of the provision. In Pepa v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2025 SCC 21, the Supreme Court of Canada overturned a tribunal decision that made this mistake.
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July 04, 2025
High-conflict divorce drives up legal costs unnecessarily
While high-conflict family law trials are not the norm, they continue to overwhelm the justice system in numbers that seem to be escalating. J.P. v. K.S., 2025 BCCA 112 is such a case.
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June 30, 2025
Saskatchewan furthering commitment to national plan tackling gender-based violence
Saskatchewan is providing more than half a million dollars to several initiatives as part of the province’s ongoing rollout of a national plan to eradicate gender-based violence — with a chunk of the funds going toward an event promoting the “exchange of ideas” between lawyers, law enforcement and advocates.