The Limits on Relief from Forfeiture of a Commercial Lease: Ontario’s highest court again sides with Landlords when Tenancies are disrupted by COVID-19

This column was originally published on the Real Estate News Exchange (Renx.ca). In the latest chapter in the commercial tenancy battles caused by the pandemic, Ontario’s highest court has set out the limits on relief from forfeiture of a commercial lease.  This time, a major anchor tenant in a shopping mall asked for help after …

The Duty of Good Faith when Dealing with Pre-construction Assets and Assignments of Interest

This column was originally published on the Real Estate News Exchange (Renx.ca). An important decision from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice has affirmed two important principles: (1) Pre-construction assets should only be transferred when the builder’s consent is obtained; and (2) Parties should never lose sight of the obligation to act in good faith …

Employee Electronic Monitoring Policy in Ontario

On April 11, 2022 new requirements for reporting the electronic monitoring of employees were added to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”). By October 11, 2022, employers with 25 or more employees must have a written policy on electronic monitoring. The 25-employee threshold is based on the number of employees as of January 1, 2022. …

Canada Sanctions Iranian Officials for ‘Systematic Human Rights Violations’

Introduction On October 3, 2022, the Honourable Melanie Joly, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced that Canada was imposing sanctions on 25 Iranian officials and 9 Iranian entities/organizations that are directly involved with implementing “repressive measures [to] violate human rights and spread the Iranian regime’s propaganda and misinformation.”[1] This announcement comes just one week after …

The Dire Consequences of Failing to Immediately Disclose a Settlement Agreement

If you ask most litigators which aspect of their practice keeps them awake at night, nine times out of ten, the answer will be missing a limitation period. This is a valid worry, of course. After all, if the deadline to commence a claim is missed, even by a short window, not only do our …