Constitutional
-
December 09, 2024
N.B. top court reinstates guilty verdict in impaired driving case
New Brunswick’s High Court has reinstated a man’s impaired driving conviction after it was found the trial judge was right to convict him — despite his rights being violated during talks with police about contacting a lawyer.
-
December 06, 2024
B.C. Court of Appeal overturns order allowing third-party claim in Aboriginal title case
The B.C. Court of Appeal has upheld an order adding a First Nation as a defendant in another First Nation’s Aboriginal title claim — but overturned an order permitting the additional First Nation to file a third-party claim, citing potential delays.
-
December 05, 2024
Ontario township, mayor ordered to pay damages of $15K for refusing pride month proclamation
The Township of Emo, Ont., and its mayor have been ordered to pay damages of $15,000 for rejecting a request that the town declare June “Pride Month” after the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal found that the mayor’s vote against the proposal was discriminatory.
-
December 04, 2024
Our land for the future: What NWT PFP means for Indigenous-led conservation
On Nov. 14, 2024, 22 Indigenous partners, alongside the federal and territorial governments and private philanthropists led by Pew Charitable Trusts, gathered in Behchokǫ̀ to celebrate a landmark achievement in conservation and reconciliation: the signing of the Northwest Territories (NWT) Project Finance for Permanence Agreement (NWT: Our Land for the Future Agreement). This agreement represents a transformative step toward long-term, Indigenous-led stewardship of Canada’s northern ecosystems.
-
December 03, 2024
Privacy Commissioner: New Ontario law regulating AI in public sector has significant shortcomings
Ontario’s privacy commission Patricia Kosseim has said that a lack of transparency and explicit independent oversight in a recently passed bill addressing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) systems at public sector entities should be a “cause of concern of Ontarians.”
-
November 29, 2024
SCC rules B.C. law allowing multi-Crown class action to recover opioid-related costs is valid
In a groundbreaking judgment that confirms that multi-governmental class actions that reach across provincial and territorial boundaries are possible under Canada’s constitutional structure, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled provinces have the constitutional competence to enact multi-Crown class action legislation.
-
November 29, 2024
Alberta taking Ottawa to court over Impact Assessment Act for the second time
Alberta is once again taking the federal government to court over Ottawa’s legislation outlining the process for assessing the impact of resource projects.
-
November 29, 2024
Federal Court certifies class action over alleged illegal interceptions of prisoner communications
The Federal Court has certified a class action against the government over allegations that the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) illegally intercepted private communications of incarcerated people, including those protected by solicitor-client privilege.
-
November 29, 2024
LSO addresses new working groups, information on confidentiality of investigations
Ontario’s law society used its November Convocation to unveil a new working group focusing on the “long-term future” of the province’s paralegals and to codify rules around the confidentiality of information gathered in tribunal investigations.
-
November 27, 2024
Ontario safe injection sites bill attack on rights of vulnerable people: civil liberties group
As Ontario legislators move toward passing a bill that would lead to the closure of several supervised drug consumption sites and require municipalities to get provincial approval before seeking an exemption from drug laws, legal observers are raising concerns the legislation may not be constitutionally compliant.