August 06, 2026
A complex and challenging area of law is the intersection of trust law and family law. Ontario law, in contrast to many other common law jurisdictions, has given liberal treatment of a discretionary interest in a trust as property, which can be subject to equalization under our family law legislation. See our prior articles on this subject: Property division and discretionary trusts: Half of nothing is still nothing; and Heads Up: Grappling with Family Law’s Treatment of Discretionary Trust Interests.
August 05, 2026
Foreign Influence Transparency Commissioner Anton Boegman has issued guidance about when “licensed legal professionals” are required to register their work for foreign principals as “influence activities” in the new public foreign influence registry. The new commissioner issued five interpretation bulletins — including one specifically for lawyers — to give guidance on how to comply with the obligations under the Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act (FITAA) and its regulations, which came into force Aug. 4.
August 04, 2026
Winnipeg MP Leah Gazan has called on the federal government to repeal a provision of the Income Tax Act that ties eligibility for the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) to a parent’s immigration status.
August 04, 2026
The Federal Court has approved a class action settlement relating to alleged privacy breaches of Government of Canada online accounts, including the Canada Revenue Agency’s “My Account” and “Represent a Client” accounts, My Service Canada accounts and other accounts accessed using GCKey.
August 04, 2026
Prediction markets are not gambling. They are not securities markets. They are not derivatives exchanges. They exhibit characteristics of all three simultaneously, and that ambiguity is precisely what makes them one of the most analytically interesting problems in Canadian tax law today.
July 31, 2026
The Supreme Court of Canada has unanimously set out the presumptions, procedure and remedies applicable to litigated claims of “spoliation” — i.e., claims against parties who engage in the “intentional destruction, alteration, mutilation, or concealment of evidence with a view to subverting the truth-finding process during litigation.”
July 31, 2026
The federal government is imposing a 25 per cent surtax on “imports of certain wood cabinets and vanities” as a Canadian International Trade Tribunal safeguard inquiry on such goods continues.
July 31, 2026
Due diligence is the process by which the buyer in an M&A transaction investigates and evaluates the business or assets being sold. Buyers typically begin this process early in the transaction and it tends to continue right up to closing day. Sellers, however, do not always turn their minds to the process until they receive due diligence requests from the buyer. Owner-managers are understandably focused on running their businesses, and preparing for a potential sale often takes a back seat. This article outlines the benefits of proactive due diligence for sellers and key considerations to facilitate the process.
July 31, 2026
Artificial intelligence is reshaping economies, industries and the global competitive landscape at an unprecedented pace. Recognizing both the opportunities and the risks presented by this technological shift, the federal government launched Canada’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy: AI for All on June 4, 2026.
July 30, 2026
In an administrative law landmark that addresses the scope of the Constitution’s guarantee of judicial review, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled 9-0 that legislatures cannot validly use privative clauses to bar “legality review” by courts — i.e., the availability of curial review is constitutionally guaranteed for all aspects of delegated administrative decisions, including on questions of law, fact or mixed law and fact.