The Complete Brief
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February 03, 2026
Gift or loan? Courts weigh in on nature of financial support given by parents to adult children
When parents provide financial support to their adult children, is it a loan or a gift? While the question might seem straightforward, the assessment can be much more nuanced where clear documentation is lacking.
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February 03, 2026
Prateek Gupta joins BD&P’s partnership
Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP (BD&P) has welcomed corporate and securities lawyer Prateek Gupta to its partnership, according to an announcement.
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February 03, 2026
Estée Lauder Cosmetics fined for violating Environmental Protection Act
Estée Lauder Cosmetics Ltd. has been fined $750,000 after pleading guilty to two counts of violating the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. The company’s violation of the Act was discovered by Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers during a routine inspection.
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February 03, 2026
The secret power of everyday generosity: The glue that makes client relationships happen
Professional wisdom on advancing your practice often starts with sharing your expertise and experience for the purpose of making sure you are known. But what would happen if you stepped away from sharing knowledge for the sole purpose of building your book of business and instead focused on how you might grow your practice — and client relationships — by simply supporting others? What might happen if you infuse your days by practising radical generosity?
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February 03, 2026
The open court principle versus reputational loss
The open court principle is a powerful doctrine that has been inextricably linked to the rights guaranteed by s. 2(b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The principle permits public access to information about the court, which, in turn, fosters the public to discuss, opine and criticize court practices and proceedings. As well, the principle permits members of the public to obtain information about the courts and the cases that are heard by them.
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February 03, 2026
Counsel conduct leads to mistrial in Nova Scotia Court of Appeal
In many instances, the claim on appeal is that the accused received ineffective assistance of counsel. A claim of ineffective assistance can result in a new trial if it is shown that counsel’s acts or omissions fell below the standard of reasonable professional assistance and resulted in an unfair trial or a miscarriage of justice. It is rare for a trial in a provincial court to be adjourned because an accused person makes a claim for ineffective assistance of counsel midway through the trial. Yet such was the case in R. v. MacQuarrie, 2026 NSPC 5.
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February 03, 2026
Poverty big factor contributing to mass incarceration of Indigenous people in Saskatchewan: lawyer
Poverty is driving the high number of imprisoned Indigenous people in Saskatchewan, says a lawyer. Brady Knight, a Saskatoon-based criminal lawyer, calls the issue of Indigenous mass incarceration in the province “a concerning and pressing problem.”
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February 03, 2026
Carney names Bill Blair and Nathalie Drouin to senior diplomatic posts
Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced two diplomatic appointments effective this spring, naming the Honourable Bill Blair as Canada’s high commissioner to the United Kingdom and Nathalie G. Drouin as ambassador to France and Monaco.
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February 03, 2026
Debate over data: Athlete wearables under scrutiny at Australian Open
The 2026 Australian Open tennis tournament drew attention not only for its high-stakes matches but also a dispute over wearable technology: umpires instructed World No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka and World No. 2 seed Jannik Sinner to remove their Whoop devices ahead of their matches.
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February 03, 2026
Emotions in the legal workplace: There’s no crying in baseball
When I was articling, I was given a very difficult assignment. I was responsible for researching an obscure argument being advanced in a Supreme Court of Canada case that was grounded in a very old and likely inapplicable legal principle. The litigation team was very skeptical about it, and they asked me to provide a summary of the argument to see if it should be put forward or dropped. I spent an enormous amount of time on the research because I wanted to be sure I gave the potential argument a fair shake.