Family
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October 06, 2025
The Friendly Bar Series, No. 13: No brew, no bar
Recently, a friend lamented the loss of the Tim Hortons in the courthouse. At first, I dismissed it, being neither a coffee-shop enthusiast nor particularly invested in courthouse caffeine. Upon reflection, I saw it as a metaphor for the infrastructural and systemic flaws in the Ontario legal system.
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October 06, 2025
Saskatchewan to regulate non-lawyers in bid to increase access to justice
Saskatchewan has brought into force legislative changes that will allow “non-lawyer legal professionals” to deliver certain services to the public — something officials with the province’s law society say will enhance access to justice for “underserved” residents.
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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.”
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.