In-House Counsel
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May 16, 2025
Competition Bureau releases 2025-26 annual plan, builds on legislative changes
The Competition Bureau has released its annual plan for 2025-26, saying it will continue to build on previous legislative changes aimed at enhancing competition, especially in the face of “rapid shifts in trade, market dynamics and technology.”
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May 16, 2025
Federal Court extends deadlines for immigration JRs due to surging cases, inadequate gov’t funding
Contending with far too many immigration cases for its tight budget, the Federal Court this week extended by 45 days its regulation 30-day deadlines for litigants to perfect their applications for leave and judicial review of immigration decisions (ALJRs). Why? Because the registry’s beleaguered staff simply can’t keep up, and now often needs weeks rather than days to intake and process the ALJRs — which have more than quadrupled the average volume the court experienced over the five years immediately preceding the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
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May 16, 2025
Surrey bookkeeper sentenced for nearly $1 million in GST/HST evasion
A Vancouver hotel bookkeeper who masterminded a goods and services tax evasion scheme worth almost $1 million has received a conditional sentence of two years less a day and two years’ probation, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has announced.
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May 16, 2025
Ontario budget includes $5 billion support fund, tax deferrals for businesses amid U.S. tariffs
Ontario’s 2025 budget includes a $5 billion “Protecting Ontario Account” and a suite of tax deferral measures aimed at supporting businesses affected by recent U.S. tariffs.
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May 16, 2025
B.C. Court of Appeal caps opioid appeal factums at 195 pages per side
The B.C. Court of Appeal has capped factums in the province’s national opioid class action appeals at 195 pages per side, rejecting the defendants’ bid for nearly 300 pages and ordering aligned parties to co-ordinate submissions to avoid duplication and inefficiency.
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May 16, 2025
Red tape reduction in Canadian hemp landscape
On March 12, 2025, the Regulations amending certain regulations concerning cannabis (streamlining of requirements) and the Order Amending Schedule 2 to the Cannabis Act (collectively, the Amendments) came into force, which had the effect of amending the Industrial Hemp Regulations (IHR) to allow for more permissive activities with hemp seed derivative products and certain other plant materials. Updated to the Canadian hemp legislative regime are relatively rare and these Amendments have been generally welcomed by industry.
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May 15, 2025
Ottawa welcomes ‘historic’ international ruling that Russia shot down Malaysian civilian airliner
As Canada pursues a separate case against Iran at the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) — for the illegal downing of a Ukrainian civilian airliner in 2020 — Ottawa said it “welcomes” the ICAO’s recent determination that the Russian Federation shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in 2014, in breach of Russia’s obligations under international law.
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May 15, 2025
Alberta severance award for COVID vaccine non-compliance may be a first, lawyer says
An Alberta judge has awarded a former WestJet employee just over $65,000 for wrongful dismissal in a decision that one lawyer involved says breaks new ground in Canadian jurisprudence.
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May 15, 2025
Federal Court upholds Alexion patent, blocks Amgen biosimilar launch until 2027
The Federal Court has upheld the validity of a patent held by Alexion Pharmaceuticals on a drug for the treatment of a rare blood disorder and granted an injunction blocking Amgen Canada from launching a competing product until 2027.
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May 14, 2025
New federal Cabinet ministers talk tax cuts, lowering trade barriers, work-life balance and Gaza
Newly minted federal Cabinet ministers spoke for the first time about their portfolios with Hill media on May 14, as Prime Minister Mark Carney vowed that the Liberals’ promised “middle-class” tax cut will be in place by July 1, 2025, and Finance and National Revenue Minister François-Philippe Champagne disclosed that the minority Liberal government has no plans for a federal budget this year — but intends to deliver an economic statement on an unspecified date in fall 2025.