Access to Justice
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April 01, 2025
Alberta’s proposed auto insurance model creates system where ‘insurers call the shots,’ lawyer says
Alberta is proposing what it calls a “care-first” automobile insurance system aimed at moving away from court battles and providing more affordable coverage for drivers, but legal observers are saying it would take too many rights away and put too much power in the hands of insurance companies.
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April 01, 2025
What I know about halfway houses | Michael Crowley
The use of halfway houses has been a part of the fabric of the criminal justice system in Canada for many years and will continue for the foreseeable future.
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March 31, 2025
Court approves $30-million settlement in securities class action against cannabis firm Aphria
The Ontario Superior Court has approved a $30-million settlement in a securities class action against cannabis company Aphria Inc., stemming from allegations of misrepresentations regarding certain acquisitions that unfairly benefited company insiders at the expense of non-insider shareholders.
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March 31, 2025
Inmate abuse underscores need for jail change | John L. Hill
They just let an inmate die. Three guards and a supervisor were charged with criminal negligence, but the prosecution was dropped after a preliminary hearing. A warden and deputy warden were fired. That was the outcome after Ashley Smith died gasping for air while correctional officers observed her suicide attempt at Kitchener’s Grand Valley Institution but did not intervene.
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March 31, 2025
Defending the rights of the worst to ensure they’re there for the rest | Justin D. Rochester
Many times, when I’m teaching the summary offences course at Centennial College in Toronto, students ask me, “How can you defend people who break the law?” My response is always the same: everyone deserves a defence, and we defend the rights of the worst of us to ensure they’re there for the rest of us.
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March 28, 2025
Bay bankruptcy rekindles labour lawyer’s campaign for better worker protections in insolvencies
The historic collapse of Canada’s 355-year-old retail icon, the Hudson’s Bay Company, has rekindled a Toronto employment lawyer’s quiet campaign to improve Canadian bankruptcy law to better protect workers.
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March 28, 2025
Manitoba to have independent seniors advocate
Manitoba will soon have a dedicated seniors advocate. On Nov. 1, the province’s government will proclaim its Seniors Advocate Act, which will create “a new independent seniors advocate who will represent and advocate on behalf of seniors” in the province, states a March 28 news release.
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March 27, 2025
Time for ‘made in Canada’ criminal justice | Catherine Latimer
It is unlikely that much-needed criminal justice system reforms will be included in any party platform for the 2025 federal election. There is nevertheless the possibility of linking positive reforms in the criminal justice system to current priorities.
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March 27, 2025
The problem with immigration detention | John L. Hill
Many Canadians are feeling apprehensive since the election of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States. We fear for our economy with on-again, off-again threats of tariffs. We become angered at suggestions of annexation to become the 51st state. Few of us have felt the oppression of concerted state action affecting our daily lives.
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March 26, 2025
B.C. Court of Appeal rules forum selection clause doesn't apply in defamation case against X
A forum selection clause in the social media platform X’s terms of service does not apply to a defamation lawsuit brought against it over content posted on X, the B.C. Court of Appeal has ruled.
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.