The Complete Brief

  • June 11, 2026

    Ombudsperson opens examination into delays in CRA processing of complex T1 adjustment requests

    The Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson has announced a systemic examination into “delays taxpayers are experiencing when the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) determines that a T1 adjustment is complex.”

  • June 11, 2026

    Dave Stern and Corey Hock join Dickinson Wright in Toronto

    Dickinson Wright has announced that Dave Stern and Corey Hock have joined its Toronto office. Stern joins as a partner and Hock as of counsel.

  • June 11, 2026

    Gowling WLG names Fadi Amine partner in Montreal office

    Fadi Amine has joined Gowling WLG as a partner in its commercial litigation group in Montreal, the firm says.

  • June 11, 2026

    McKercher LLP expands with 6 new associate lawyers

    McKercher LLP has added six associate lawyers following their call to the bar, the Saskatchewan firm says.

  • June 11, 2026

    Revisiting Ahluwalia: Why mitigation and thin skull concerns miss the mark

    In his recent piece on Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia, 2026 SCC 16, Gary S. Joseph raises concerns about how concepts such as mitigation and the “thin skull rule” will operate in the context of intimate partner violence tort claims (“More concerns about the SCC’s Ahluwalia decision”). He frames these as open questions left unresolved by the Supreme Court, suggesting they could make litigation more complex. As someone who works outside courtrooms but has spent considerable time helping women who live inside the realities the decision describes, and who has lived there myself, I was intrigued by these questions.

  • June 11, 2026

    Up or out is down and out in law firms

    Back when law was primarily a profession, and only incidentally a business, if you were not invited to become a partner in your law firm after seven years or so, you were expected to hang your head in shame and slink out of the firm. The system was called “Up or Out.” You either graduated to partnership, or you left the firm.

  • June 11, 2026

    Am I a U.S. citizen if I was born abroad to a U.S. citizen parent?

    The United States constitution defines a U.S. citizen as any individual who is a citizen of the United States by law, birth or naturalization. But this isn’t always as clear as it may seem, as some individuals — particularly those born abroad to one or more U.S. citizen parents — may or may not be considered a U.S. citizen, sometimes without even knowing it.

  • June 11, 2026

    Can taxpayers challenge CRA’s AI audit selection?

    Part one of this series (see below for link) examined the Canada Revenue Agency’s growing use of advanced analytics, risk-scoring systems and other technologies to help identify files for potential tax audit and compliance review.

  • June 11, 2026

    B.C. Appeal Court finds $472K restitution order was imposed without proper consideration

    Restitution orders are often imposed to require a convicted offender to compensate a victim for the victim’s direct, quantifiable loss caused by the crime. Restitution is often considered a rehabilitative sentencing tool, providing the victim with a swifter, more direct path to compensation rather than relying on a civil judgment.

  • June 11, 2026

    Recognizing homelessness as a ground of discrimination advances justice

    A recent judicial ruling recognizing homelessness as an analogous ground of discrimination under s. 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms has come under fire as “judicial activism.” (Waterloo (Regional Municipality) v. Dugas, 2026 ONSC 2971.)