Access to Justice
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March 20, 2025
B.C. Court of Appeal affirms B.C. jurisdiction over Quebec companies in opioid class action
The B.C. Court of Appeal has affirmed British Columbia’s jurisdiction over Quebec-based opioid suppliers in the province’s class action to recover healthcare costs linked to the opioid crisis.
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March 20, 2025
Federal plan aims to end over-criminalization of Indigenous people & support Indigenous legal orders
The minority Liberal government has rolled out its “Indigenous Justice Strategy”— the first federal roadmap toward revitalizing Indigenous laws and legal orders and ending the over-criminalization of Indigenous people in Canada, Ottawa says. The single-spaced 46-page document was developed by the federal government over more than four years, taking into account extensive consultations with Indigenous community members, representative organizations and governments, as well as with provincial and territorial governments.
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March 20, 2025
Family law appeals: Simplify the process | Gary Joseph
I have previously written about the complexities of family law appeals. I would certainly agree with those who argue that such appeals should be discouraged but let’s all agree that there are times when lower court results are not entirely in accord with accepted jurisprudence and family law litigants should have access to the appeal process to address legitimate concerns.
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March 20, 2025
Unreliability of ‘sexting’ in determining sexual intention | Elaine Craig
“Sexting” is a frequent form of sexual activity, including for young women — a group at higher risk of experiencing sexual violence. Unsurprisingly, the admissibility of sexual assault complainants’ sexual text messages (and other digital communications) has been at issue in numerous, recent appellate court decisions in Canada. This issue is one of substantial importance for the dignity, privacy and equality interests of sexual assault complainants, and society’s interest in encouraging sexual assault survivors to come forward.
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March 19, 2025
Ford announces new Ontario cabinet, most ministers remain in position
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has announced his new cabinet, emphasizing that they will deliver on the province’s mandate to “do whatever is necessary to protect Ontario in the face of tariffs from the United States.”
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March 19, 2025
Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson makes recommendations on Canada child benefit for temporary residents
The Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson François Boileau has released a review of an examination of issues that may prevent some temporary residents from receiving the Canada child benefit (CCB) in a timely manner. The main issue found was that the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) stopped paying CCB after a temporary resident’s status had expired in its system, despite them being eligible for the benefit.
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March 19, 2025
Are we seriously tackling anti-Black racism? Part two | Hodine Williams
Part one of this series (see below for link) looked at how anti-Black racism has been demonstrated in the legal system. I provided some statistics and examined the cases of R. v. Le, 2019 SCC 34 and R. v. Grant, 2009 SCC 32, which involved police searching individuals.
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March 19, 2025
Case illustrates why sentencing can include consideration of future harm
Should our criminal law be proactive in preventing future wrongdoing, or should it simply apply to wrongs that have been proven to have been committed? The Ontario Court of Justice was implicitly presented with this question.
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March 18, 2025
Federal Court dismisses $2.5B class action alleging anti-Black discrimination in public service
The Federal Court has dismissed a proposed $2.5 billion class action commenced by Black public servants who alleged systemic discrimination in hiring and promotions in the public service.
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March 18, 2025
Quebec, Ontario courts approve $14.7M settlement in antipsychotic drug class action
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Quebec have approved a class action settlement of over $14 million for those who suffered adverse reactions to aripiprazole, an atypical antipsychotic drug that sells under the brand names Abilify and Abilify Maintena.