Pulse
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April 11, 2025
Artificial unintelligence; a.k.a., chino evil
James Dewald, a plaintiff in a New York State employment case, was granted permission by an appellate division court to submit his argument via a video. This presentation, however, lasted all of a few seconds as Dewald used an AI-generated avatar created by some company in San Francisco rather than one that looked more like him.
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April 11, 2025
Double bind: How the digital age exposes intertwined failures of outdated democracy, law
Imagine two pillars, democracy and the legal system, both meant to support a just and stable society. Both were largely conceived and constructed for a world operating at a different rhythm, a world before the instantaneous connectivity of the digital age. Now, this digital revolution is shaking both pillars simultaneously, revealing deep and interconnected flaws.
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April 11, 2025
Conditions in Ontario jails have now become an international embarrassment
Sharif Rahman was on life support in a London, Ont., hospital after he was attacked outside the Curry House restaurant in Owen Sound, Ont. Rahman was a 44-year-old man originally from Bangladesh. He studied economics before obtaining a master’s degree in international development at the University of Glasgow. He bought the Curry House in Owen Sound in 2015. He remained unresponsive, having suffered a brain injury in the Aug. 17, 2023, assault. He died in the hospital a week later.
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April 11, 2025
Ontario Court of Appeal upholds decision in Chippewas of Saugeen First Nation case
In a recent ruling, the Ontario Court of Appeal upheld a lower court’s decision in Chippewas of Saugeen First Nation v. South Bruce Peninsula (Town), [2024] O.J. No. 5607 a case that addresses key issues in the interpretation and application of Indigenous treaties. This decision examines important legal principles regarding treaty interpretation and the rights of landowners.
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April 10, 2025
Constitutional clash brewing as Ottawa targets immigration bar with up to $1.5 million in admin penalties
Bar organizations are warning Ottawa that a new administrative monetary penalty regime to be applied to legal professionals — featuring penalties of up to $1.5 million for immigration and refugee lawyers determined by federal officials to have participated in clients’ misrepresentations — will be constitutionally challenged if lawyers are not exempted from the proposed regulations, which are expected to come into force later this year.
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April 10, 2025
Are we inadvertently creating a surveillance state?
Canada is quietly becoming a nation where your face isn’t just yours anymore — it’s a data point in some corporate or government database, and nobody’s asking permission. The time is ripe to have an adult conversation about facial recognition technology in Canada — one that moves beyond simplistic trade-offs between security and privacy to examine the profound societal implications of biometric surveillance.
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April 10, 2025
‘Constitution does not fade from view in times of crisis,’ Ontario Appeal Court says in COVID-19 case
A former Ontario legislator has emerged victorious in his constitutional challenge of COVID-era gathering limits, with his lawyer saying the ruling will set the standard for jurisprudence on freedom of assembly issues in Canada.
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April 09, 2025
Aird & Berlis welcomes two new associates to its team
Jonathan Kyriacou and Nico Jones have joined Aird & Berlis LLP as associates.
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April 09, 2025
LSO’s appeal allowed, Divisional Court order quashed in November 2021 licensing exams breach
The Ontario Court of Appeal has allowed an appeal by the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) and quashed orders of the Divisional Court in connection with an information breach that compromised the integrity of the November 2021 online barrister and solicitor licensing exams.
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April 09, 2025
New $1 coin marks the creation of the Supreme Court of Canada 150 years ago
The Supreme Court of Canada marked a milestone birthday on April 8, 2025, 150 years after it came into existence on April 8, 1875, when the Supreme and Exchequer Courts Act received royal assent. The composition, powers and importance of the world’s only bilingual and bijural apex court have evolved considerably since the court first sat in 1876, after the original six-judge bench was appointed.