Access to Justice
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January 24, 2025
B.C. Premier’s mandate letter to AG emphasizes improved access to justice, focus on crime
A new year, a new mandate for members of B.C.’s cabinet. Months after an extremely narrow election victory that saw the NDP win a one-seat majority in the provincial legislature, B.C.’s Premier David Eby has given marching orders to his executive council by issuing mandate letters, which outline the agenda he expects them to follow over the coming months.
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January 24, 2025
Auto accident benefits adjudication: Backlog reduction but troubling trends | David Muir
In its latest annual report, Tribunals Ontario is proclaiming the end of the backlog at the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT). The LAT deals with a wide range of issues, but the vast majority of its applications — more than 96 per cent in 2023-24 — are to its Automobile Accident Benefits Service (AABS), which resolves disputes between people injured in car accidents and their own insurance company, over such benefits as medical treatment and income replacement. The rest of the cases before the LAT go to its General Service, which deals with cases under more than three dozen statutes.
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January 24, 2025
Top Ontario employment law decisions of 2024, part two
Compared with the last few years, 2024 was a somewhat uneventful year in employment law. However, we still saw our courts take some surprising stances on important issues, and in at least one case, our Court of Appeal chose not to take a stance at all. The following is part two of the top Ontario employment law decisions of 2024.
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January 23, 2025
Supreme Court of Canada to hear challenge against Quebec’s secularism law
The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to hear a constitutional challenge against a Quebec law that prohibits certain public workers from wearing religious symbols while performing their duties.
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January 23, 2025
Alberta court certifies class action over alleged abuse of Indigenous students at school
An Alberta court has certified a class action over the alleged physical, emotional and sexual abuse of Indigenous children at a school in Bonnyville, Alta. between 1966 and 1974.
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January 23, 2025
Understanding the latest amendments to Ontario’s Family Law Act: More key changes for 2024
In 2024, significant updates to Ontario’s Family Law Act were introduced through c. 28, Schedule 9, ss. 1-3, which bring notable changes to specific areas of family law. These amendments aim to simplify legal processes, enhance the enforceability of arbitration awards, and provide greater clarity in legal language. Understanding these changes is crucial not only for legal professionals but also for families navigating Ontario’s legal system.
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January 23, 2025
Top Ontario employment law decisions of 2024
Compared with the last few years, 2024 was a somewhat uneventful year in employment law. However, we still saw our courts take some surprising stances on important issues, and in at least one case, our Court of Appeal chose not to take a stance at all. The following is the first half of a two part series on the top Ontario employment law decisions of 2024.
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January 23, 2025
Duty to consult does not include right to veto land transfer, Ontario court rules
Two First Nations have been dealt a setback in their legal fight against the province’s transfer of land to a northwestern Ontario municipality, with a court saying the government was not required to get their consent in order to make the move.
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January 22, 2025
Federal Court of Appeal: RRSP transfer to widow exempt from tax debt clawback
The transfer of an RRSP from a deceased husband to his widow is not subject to a provision of the Income Tax Act allowing the Crown to collect unpaid tax debts from spouses or common-law partners, the Federal Court of Appeal has held.
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January 22, 2025
Alberta court certifies class action targeting Calgary school board over alleged abuse at school
The Alberta Court of King’s Bench has certified a class action lawsuit alleging that staff at a Calgary Board of Education (CBE) school knew and “failed to respond properly to the many disclosures of abuse” made by students against two teachers at the school.