Arbitrations Can Be Determined by Summary Judgment

A recent decision from the Ontario Court of Appeal has confirmed that an arbitrator has jurisdiction to resolve a dispute through a summary judgment motion. The decision confirms that an arbitrator’s discretion is delineated by the arbitration agreement reached between the parties. In Optiva Inc. v. Tbaytel, the parties, Tbaytel (“Tbaytel”) and Optiva Inc. (“Optiva”), …

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 …

US and Canada Request USMCA Dispute Settlement Consultations Over Mexico’s Energy Policies

Introduction On July 20, 2022, the United States (“US”) and Canada requested dispute settlement consultations with Mexico under Article 31.4 of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (“USMCA”). The US and Canada’s request for consultations arises from Mexico’s new energy policies, which the US and Canada allege favours Mexican state-owned enterprises, Federal Electricity Commission (“CFE”) and Petróleos …

Coming to Canadian Patents on October 3, 2022: Excess Claims and Continued Examination Fees

The Canadian government has now announced that October 3, 2022, is the date on which significant changes to the Canadian Patent Rules, which we had previously reported, will come into force. The changes will streamline examination procedures by instituting excess claims fees, by instituting a procedure for requesting continued examination, and by introducing conditional notices …

Snowbirds Purchasing United States Real Estate

Given our winter climate, many Canadians choose to be “Snowbirds” and buy a property to spend the winter in warmer climates in the United States (“US”). Once that decision is made as to where and what, the structure of the purchase must be considered, so as not to run afoul of or be adversely impacted …

Canada Denounces Russian Military Actions and Announces New Sanctions on Russia in Response to Escalation in Ukraine (Updated as of March 4, 2022)

On February 22, 2022, the Government of Canada announced that it was enacting new sanctions against Russia, one day after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent Russian troops into Donetsk and Luhansk (two separatist regions in Eastern Ukraine) and Russia’s Parliament (“Russian State Duma”) formally recognized the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk. The new sanctions under the Special …