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July 09, 2026
British Columbia has announced plans to open two new family law clinics to bring more in-person legal services to survivors of family violence. The new clinics, which will support people in Kamloops and Prince George, B.C., are part of the Family Law Centre network, a provincially funded service that provides free, trauma-informed legal support to people experiencing family violence.
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July 09, 2026
The term “cooperative federalism” is rarely used nowadays. It is a concept that both federal and provincial lawmakers need not work in “watertight compartments.” Each level of government can enact laws addressing specific problems within its own jurisdiction.
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July 08, 2026
Last week, I had a settlement conference scheduled at the Milton, Ont., courthouse on one of my “remaining” litigation files.
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July 08, 2026
Prince Edward Island is bringing internet access to those who lack it with portable hotspot devices available through the library — and there is “no reason” they could not be used for virtual court appearances, says a government spokesperson.
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July 08, 2026
Sex offender prohibition orders can continue long after an offender re-enters the community. Section 161 of the Criminal Code allows for variance of the terms of such orders. Does the variance of terms allow a change in duration? That question was raised in a recent British Columbia Court of Appeal decision, R. v. S.C.W., 2026 BCCA 180.
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July 07, 2026
The federal government has appointed Charlene J. Moore as a judge of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia (Family Division) in Sydney.
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July 06, 2026
British Columbia’s opioid class actions against manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and consultants will proceed to trial in early 2028 after the B.C. Court of Appeal dismissed the final appeals challenging certification, Attorney General Niki Sharma said in a statement issued July 6.
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July 06, 2026
Canada’s government is holding another round of consultations on revamping labour relations policies for workers in federally regulated industries — this time with a focus on grievance arbitration, bad faith bargaining, and strikes and lockouts. In a July 3 news release, Ottawa announced that “additional consultations will take place over the summer” in a bid to further “protect the rights of … workers, including the right to strike.”
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July 06, 2026
The Alberta Court of Appeal has delivered a powerful reminder that criminal convictions cannot rest on suspicion alone, acquitting Jatinder Singh after finding that the evidence left too many unanswered questions to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The decision in R. v. Singh, 2026 ABCA 219 held that the trial judge failed to apply the Supreme Court of Canada’s guidance on reasonable inferences in criminal cases.
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July 03, 2026
The International Bar Association’s (IBA) recent report marks a meaningful demographic milestone: women now form a majority of the Canadian legal profession. Combined with the historic female majority on the Supreme Court of Canada, it signals progress that deserves recognition.
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June 30, 2026
Public schools in P.E.I. have adopted a new sexual misconduct policy in a bid to better protect students by focusing on prevention, early intervention and a uniform complaints process.
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June 30, 2026
The Ontario government has appointed 27 new justices of the peace to the Ontario Court of Justice, effective July 8, 2026.
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June 30, 2026
The B.C. Court of Appeal has upheld the certification of a class action against opioid manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers over health-care costs arising from the opioid crisis, rejecting arguments that the plaintiffs were required to produce more detailed evidence to support certification.
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June 29, 2026
Ontario’s civil courts continue to struggle with post-pandemic delays. The problem is not just administrative. In personal injury litigation — and especially in motor vehicle collision cases — delay changes the financial value of a claim. For plaintiffs, longer times to get to trial do not simply postpone compensation. They can reduce it.
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June 29, 2026
While the Ahluwalia decision solidified a groundbreaking civil framework for addressing coercive control, Parliament simultaneously built a parallel carceral one (Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia, 2026 SCC 16). The federal intention behind Bill C-16 is well-intentioned — aiming to intervene early, recognize psychological containment as violence, and treat coercive control as a precursor to lethal escalation.
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June 26, 2026
The Federal Court has announced that as of June 26, a special order will extend the deadline to file an applicant’s record from 45 to 90 days in immigration proceedings. The court said it was “required to take this additional step in light of increasing caseload, budget restrictions, and insufficient resources.”
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June 26, 2026
Graham is in his 50s, he’s disabled and uses a wheelchair. A resident in a shelter for homeless people, Graham desperately needed legal information help. Our team of community justice helpers met with him many times, and we were able to answer to his questions. Now every morning, he and I greet each other as I head off to work.
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June 25, 2026
Earlier this year, the Divisional Court of Ontario found that procedures adopted by the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) to determine its jurisdiction were unreasonable and contrary to law.
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June 25, 2026
For any legal practitioner or advocate deep in the gender-based violence (GBV) sector, certain names carry an undeniable historical weight. Recently, my mind has been occupied by a striking parallel: two landmark legal decisions, separated by more than 30 years and a vast ocean, yet fundamentally bound by the same name, the same history of horrific abuse and the same foundational concept: coercive control.
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June 24, 2026
The Law Society of Ontario (LSO) awarded honorary doctor of laws (LLD) degrees to six individuals at its June call to the bar ceremonies.
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June 24, 2026
What purpose does imprisonment serve when a person’s body has already become its own prison? That question lies at the core of Canada’s compassionate release laws under s. 121 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA). More than 30 years after its enactment, however, the provision remains rarely used, raising concerns that it exists more in theory than in practice.
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June 22, 2026
The federal government has published proposed regulations to implement recent asylum reforms introduced through the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act (Bill C-12).
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June 22, 2026
On June 19, the Government of Manitoba appointed Judge Jerilee Ryle as the provincial court of Manitoba’s first associate chief judge of reconciliation. “The creation of an associate chief judge of reconciliation marks a historic step toward building a court system that better reflects and respects Indigenous traditions, values and lived experiences,” said Justice Minister Matt Wiebe.
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June 22, 2026
Manitoba Court of King’s Bench Chief Justice Glenn Joyal, widely reputed in recent years to be a leading candidate for appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada, has been nominated to fill the western vacancy that opened up with the May 30 retirement of Supreme Court of Canada Justice Sheilah Martin, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on June 22.
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June 18, 2026
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree has appointed Valerie Phillips as interim correctional investigator of Canada, effective June 18, 2026.