Real Estate

  • November 11, 2026

    Luke Lynett-Howes joins Nika Law as an associate

    An October 2026 call and a 2025 graduate of the University of Saskatchewan College of Law, Luke Lynett-Howes has joined the boutique Nika Law.

  • November 11, 2026

    Foreign buyer ban set for extension but with new housing exemption

    On Nov. 5, the federal government tabled Budget 2026: Masters of Our Destiny (Budget 2026), which includes a plan to extend the existing prohibition on non-Canadians purchasing residential property in Canada for an additional two years, to Jan. 1, 2029. The proposed extension includes a carve-out for new residential properties.

  • November 11, 2026

    Intention matters when determining whether GST/HST must be charged on the sale of a home

    In Ontario, a common tax law subject is whether a taxpayer should have charged GST/HST on the sale of a home and remitted same to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). At the core of the issue is whether the home was constructed or substantially renovated for residential purposes or for profit. If the latter, was the taxpayer engaged in a business or an adventure or concern in the nature of trade? A business characterization involves identifying ongoing commercial activity while an adventure or concern in the nature of trade may result from a single transaction.

  • November 10, 2026

    Payments to subcontractors without liens cannot reduce lien security: Ontario Court of Appeal

    An owner cannot rely on payments made to subcontractors who do not have a lien to reduce the security posted to vacate a general contractor’s lien, Ontario’s top court has ruled.

  • November 10, 2026

    Restructuring lawyer Scott Bomhof joins Davies as partner

    Scott Bomhof has joined Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP as a partner in its financial restructuring and insolvency practice in Toronto.

  • November 10, 2026

    Ontario Court of Appeal quashes appeal filed in wrong court, refuses transfer

    The Ontario Court of Appeal has quashed an appeal for lack of jurisdiction and declined to transfer it to the Divisional Court after finding that the appellant had failed to bring it before the proper court despite being fully aware that the appeal had been filed to the wrong court.

  • November 10, 2026

    Ontario proposes changes to property tax exemptions and assessment roll transparency

    On Oct. 29, Ontario released A Plan to Protect Ontario: 2026 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review. As part of the measures announced in the fall economic statement, the provincial government introduced Bill 143, Plan to Protect Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2026 (No. 2), which proposes several important amendments to the Assessment Act affecting property tax exemptions and public access to property assessment information.

  • November 10, 2026

    CONDOMINIUMS - Condominium corporation - Right to sell unit for unpaid maintenance fees - Lien rights of condominium corporation

    Appeal by appellant from order declaring him in default of strata fee obligations, granting judgment for arrears and providing respondent with exclusive conduct of sale of his strata lot if the judgment remained unpaid.

  • November 09, 2026

    Missed deadline in B.C. Court of Appeal decision: Brutal reality in real estate litigation

    A multimillion-dollar land deal collapses due to a chaotic procedural failure. A high-stakes legal case, involving six titles comprising 64 acres of land in Mission, B. C., ensues. This appeal concerns foreclosure proceedings and a refusal to extend the redemption period (Grace Mtn. Land Company, Ltd. v. 1055249 B.C. Ltd., 2026 BCCA 349).

  • November 09, 2026

    Young lawyers and the residential real estate myth: Practical considerations

    If you have read the first two articles in this series, you will know that I think that new lawyers who start their new solo practices by doing residential real estate when they really want to specialize in some completely different area of law are, to be charitable, misguided.

  • November 06, 2026

    Legal observers say new Ontario red tape bill would gut public environmental rights

    Legal observers are raising alarm bells about Ontario’s new omnibus red tape bill, saying it will largely eliminate the ability of people to hold the government accountable for decisions that could impact the environment and their communities.

  • November 05, 2026

    Prime minister says 2026 federal budget aims at ‘affordability, opportunity, sovereignty’

    Capping bank customers’ liability for unauthorized transactions, extending the ban on foreign ownership of residential real estate and an enhanced capital gains exemption — along with new and stiffer penalties for environmental and fisheries violations — are among the myriad legislative changes the Carney government has proposed in its second budget.

  • November 05, 2026

    Aleksandra Finelli joins Aird & Berlis as partner

    Aleksandra Finelli has joined Aird & Berlis as a partner with the firm’s real estate team.

  • November 05, 2026

    Public on paper, private on title: The curious case of a road that never was

    Can a road be a public highway even if nobody has ever driven on it, the municipality has never maintained it, and a private company is its registered owner? A recent Ontario Court of Appeal decision suggests the answer may be yes.

  • November 05, 2026

    MARITAL OR FAMILY PROPERTY - Third-party claims - Liability for spouse’s debts

    Appeal by appellant from the order granting the respondent summary judgment on her debt claim, and applications by both parties to adduce fresh evidence. During the appellant’s former relationship with the respondent’s son, the couple used advances from the respondent to finance residential property projects.

  • November 04, 2026

    Ottawa proposes new search and ministerial powers, offences & penalties targeting financial crimes

    The federal government has unveiled anti-financial-crimes legislation that would, among other things, make it a criminal offence to operate an unlicensed cryptocurrency automated teller machine (ATM) and enable “law enforcement” to search and seize mail.

  • November 04, 2026

    Young lawyers and the residential real estate myth: It’s not a stepping stone

    In part one of this three-part series, I wrote about young lawyers who think it makes sense to do residential real estate to generate cash flow when they launch a new legal practice, with a view to ultimately developing a practice in a different area of law.

  • November 03, 2026

    Entering Canada with confidence: A strategic approach to tax planning

    The recent Canada Investment Summit generated significant discussion about Canada’s ability to attract new investment and support long-term economic growth. For foreign companies and investors evaluating opportunities in Canada, tax planning is not merely a compliance matter. It can affect deal economics, financing flexibility, cash repatriation, treaty access and exit value.

  • November 02, 2026

    Saskatchewan lawyers talk benefits of limited licence practitioners

    Limited licence legal practitioners can “lighten the load” for lawyers — and in doing so allow for more people to access assistance, participants heard during a recent Law Society of Saskatchewan (LSS) webinar.

  • November 02, 2026

    Young lawyers and the residential real estate myth: The economics

    Many lawyers would agree that practising residential real estate is not the intellectual pinnacle of the legal profession. The argument goes that it is simple to do, the steps are repetitive, and it is properly the realm of law clerks, supervised (in theory) by qualified lawyers. Also, it has become a commodity, and clients are fee-sensitive. Simply put, it is difficult to get rich doing it, unless you can use clerks and support staff to process transactions in great volume, with experienced lawyers spending the minimum possible time on each matter.

  • October 30, 2026

    Langlois welcomes Nicolas Gagnon in Montreal

    Nicolas C. Gagnon has joined Langlois’ corporate and commercial law group in Montreal.

  • October 30, 2026

    Is independent asset verification becoming part of an estate trustee’s duty of inquiry?

    For generations, an estate trustee stepping into an administration has started with the paperwork in front of them: the will, the bank statements that happened to be lying around, the prior trustee’s inventory (if applicable). That starting point is not going away. But as estate trustees — and particularly neutral and succeeding trustees who inherit an administration someone else began — come under closer scrutiny, a question is emerging: is documented, independent verification of what the estate actually owns and owes becoming an expected part of the duty of inquiry?

  • October 29, 2026

    A legal system for the rich, and one (of sorts) for the poor

    Let’s face it folks. Our legal system caters to the rich and, on occasion, the middle class. Most of society cannot afford good lawyers and are on their own navigating our legal system. There is a simple reason for this. Lawyers like to earn good money. It is impossible to do that serving clients who cannot afford to pay hundreds — or thousands — of dollars an hour.

  • October 28, 2026

    Defendant’s third-party claim against plaintiff’s lawyer in breach of contract case dismissed

    Third-party contribution and indemnity claims against lawyers is a hot topic of contention among the professional liability bar because of the existence of two lines of authority that are used by courts to determine whether such a claim is allowed to proceed or is dismissed on the basis that it discloses no reasonable cause of action.

  • October 26, 2026

    Dunton Rainville enters Granby market in Ménard merger

    Dunton Rainville and Ménard Notaires have announced a merger that will expand the law and notarial firm into Granby, Que.