Family
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July 16, 2025
View from inside prison: Opening the box
I’m not a person who is hugely attached to things. I have no trouble throwing out or giving away old clothes or furniture or even books. But I do tend to hang on to reminders of my past life, such as letters and pictures.
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July 16, 2025
Prepare for change: The plain language legal writing standard is coming
What lawyer has not heard that legal writing should be clear and concise? Everyone wants legal documents to be straightforward, client-oriented and “crisp.” Yet, cryptic memoranda, wordy submissions, legalese-filled judgments and insurmountable walls of text in contracts and policies remain common. Even with clarity in mind, writing clearly is hard without knowing the rules to guide the process.
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July 15, 2025
To marry or not?
Because family law in Canada is regulated at both the federal and provincial/territorial levels, some inconsistencies exist from one part of the country to another. For example, not all provinces and territories have made changes to their statutes to align them with the 2021 changes made to the federal Divorce Act provisions dealing with child-related issues, meaning families have access to different legal regimes depending on where they live.
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July 15, 2025
Home sweet home? Legal, practical guide to LTC vs. retirement homes
As individuals get older, the idea of transitioning to a long-term care home or retirement home becomes relevant depending on the circumstances of the individual. This article will dive into the differences between long-term care and retirement homes and the legal perspectives of such.
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July 14, 2025
Federal Court judge strikes SRL’s submission in employment dispute over AI hallucination citation
In another sign of AI’s growing impact on the law, the Federal Court has ordered that a self-represented respondent’s motion record be removed from a court file because it relied in part on a non-existent court decision hallucinated by an artificial intelligence (AI) research tool.
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July 14, 2025
Federal Court quashes ISC denial of $200,000 Jordan’s Principle mould remediation funding request
The Federal Court set aside an Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) decision denying a $200,000 Jordan’s Principle funding request for mould remediation, ruling that ISC wrongly rejected the request due to lack of comparable public services without assessing the concerned children’s health needs.
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July 14, 2025
Alberta giving $1.25 million to groups in bid to end gender-based violence
Alberta is launching a new grant program through which more than $1 million will be available to community organizations as part of the province’s ongoing bid to tackle gender-based violence.
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July 14, 2025
Self-funded LTD plans cause conflict of interest and leave workers vulnerable
Insurers serving as both claim adjudicator and benefit payer creates an inherent conflict of interest that must be addressed by the Ontario government.
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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.