Access to Justice
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January 24, 2025
B.C. Supreme Court certifies national class action against opioid manufacturers, distributors
The B.C. Supreme Court has certified a national class action brought by British Columbia against companies allegedly involved in the manufacture, marketing or sale of opioid-related products in Canada.
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January 23, 2025
SCC judge’s 13-year track record shows concern for fairness, privacy rights & access to justice
Supreme Court of Canada Justice Andromache Karakatsanis rarely attracts headlines, but her low public profile belies her impact on the legal landscape over the past 13 years in judgments that enforced the Charter rights of Canadians and pushed to expand access to justice, court watchers say.
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January 24, 2025
B.C. Premier’s mandate letter to AG emphasizes improved access to justice, focus on crime
A new year, a new mandate for members of B.C.’s cabinet. Months after an extremely narrow election victory that saw the NDP win a one-seat majority in the provincial legislature, B.C.’s Premier David Eby has given marching orders to his executive council by issuing mandate letters, which outline the agenda he expects them to follow over the coming months.
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January 24, 2025
Auto accident benefits adjudication: Backlog reduction but troubling trends | David Muir
In its latest annual report, Tribunals Ontario is proclaiming the end of the backlog at the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT). The LAT deals with a wide range of issues, but the vast majority of its applications — more than 96 per cent in 2023-24 — are to its Automobile Accident Benefits Service (AABS), which resolves disputes between people injured in car accidents and their own insurance company, over such benefits as medical treatment and income replacement. The rest of the cases before the LAT go to its General Service, which deals with cases under more than three dozen statutes.
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January 24, 2025
Top Ontario employment law decisions of 2024, part two
Compared with the last few years, 2024 was a somewhat uneventful year in employment law. However, we still saw our courts take some surprising stances on important issues, and in at least one case, our Court of Appeal chose not to take a stance at all. The following is part two of the top Ontario employment law decisions of 2024.
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January 23, 2025
Supreme Court of Canada to hear challenge against Quebec’s secularism law
The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to hear a constitutional challenge against a Quebec law that prohibits certain public workers from wearing religious symbols while performing their duties.
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January 23, 2025
Alberta court certifies class action over alleged abuse of Indigenous students at school
An Alberta court has certified a class action over the alleged physical, emotional and sexual abuse of Indigenous children at a school in Bonnyville, Alta. between 1966 and 1974.
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January 23, 2025
Understanding the latest amendments to Ontario’s Family Law Act: More key changes for 2024
In 2024, significant updates to Ontario’s Family Law Act were introduced through c. 28, Schedule 9, ss. 1-3, which bring notable changes to specific areas of family law. These amendments aim to simplify legal processes, enhance the enforceability of arbitration awards, and provide greater clarity in legal language. Understanding these changes is crucial not only for legal professionals but also for families navigating Ontario’s legal system.
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January 23, 2025
Top Ontario employment law decisions of 2024
Compared with the last few years, 2024 was a somewhat uneventful year in employment law. However, we still saw our courts take some surprising stances on important issues, and in at least one case, our Court of Appeal chose not to take a stance at all. The following is the first half of a two part series on the top Ontario employment law decisions of 2024.
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January 23, 2025
Duty to consult does not include right to veto land transfer, Ontario court rules
Two First Nations have been dealt a setback in their legal fight against the province’s transfer of land to a northwestern Ontario municipality, with a court saying the government was not required to get their consent in order to make the move.
Access to justice: The language of the litigant counts | Ruphine Djuissi
Access to justice in French is a critical issue for Francophones across Canada, particularly with respect to the availability of legal services in French, the quality of interpretation and translation, and equal language rights. It also includes access to French-speaking lawyers and court documents written in French. It is important to ensure that Francophones have access to legal services in their mother tongue or first official language.
Ontario committed to expanding Unified Family Courts but Toronto still lacking
Ontario’s government is vowing to continue working towards the expansion of Unified Family Courts across the province. But a local lawyer says that until a UFC is placed in the Toronto area, millions are being left to navigate a confusing, “two-tiered” family court system.