Family

  • November 20, 2024

    I surrender, version #2 | Gary Joseph

    I write again about a family law phenomenon: The nasty accusatory letter.

  • November 20, 2024

    Trauma, intrusive thoughts and lawyering | Harjot Atwal

    “Magic happens when you don't give up even though you want to. The universe always falls in love with a stubborn heart.” — J. M. Storm

  • November 20, 2024

    Lazy, malingering or needy? | Courtney Mulqueen

    The distinction between laziness and a mental health issue that leaves someone struggling to function can be lost on many people.

  • November 19, 2024

    Public has low confidence in criminal courts; believes politics influences SCC appointments: poll

    If public confidence is a litmus test for the health of the justice system, a new national poll suggests Canada’s courts have room to improve.

  • November 19, 2024

    Feds announce consultations on housing financialization, ending GST on new student residences

    The federal government has launched consultations on “confronting the financialization of housing” and on removing GST on the construction of new student residences to incentivize the building of more student housing and ease rental housing pressures for students.

  • November 18, 2024

    Prosecuting civil tort claims in context of family proceedings following Ahluwalia appeal, part two

    Since the Ontario Court of Appeal decision in Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia 2023 ONCA 476, in which the creation of a new tort of family violence was rejected as unnecessary because existing torts are sufficient, there has been some uncertainty about how civil claims arising from intimate partner violence and abuse should be dealt with in the context of family law proceedings.

  • November 18, 2024

    Unnecessary tight deadlines | Gary Joseph

    Increasingly I am receiving emails/correspondence, mostly from young lawyers, demanding responses with very tight deadlines. This is fully understandable when issues are urgent but when not, why practice in this manner?

  • November 18, 2024

    Why digital legacy planning should now be part of every estate plan

    We’ve all seen the Facebook profiles of departed friends that appear on our timelines, floating by like digital zombies. Although social media platforms like Facebook have introduced procedures such as memorialization and legacy contact to manage the accounts of deceased or incapacitated users, many remain in cyber-limbo due to a lack of a proactive digital legacy plan, as any estate planning lawyer will tell you.

  • November 15, 2024

    SCC majority overturns acquittals in first judgment on human trafficking provisions enacted in 2005

    In pronouncing for the first time on the Criminal Code’s human trafficking provisions that came into force in 2005, the Supreme Court of Canada has overturned 7-2 a Nova Scotia man’s acquittals, ruling that the trial court erred in determining that the accused’s violence against his ex-spouse was evidence of “past discreditable conduct” outside the allegations in the indictment and, therefore, did not go to proving the essential elements of the offences in s. 279.01(1) and 279.02(1) of the Code.

  • November 15, 2024

    AI in the courtroom: Canadian Judicial Council’s new guidelines

    With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, Canadian courts are under increasing pressure to address its impact. While some view AI as a possible threat to the rule of law and democracy within Canada’s justice system, AI also holds promise for enhancing court operations, reducing workloads, supporting judicial functions and improving access to justice.