Civil Litigation
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June 23, 2025
B.C. Court of Appeal rejects Quebec firms’ bid to stay opioid class action
The B.C. Court of Appeal has denied two Quebec companies’ bid to suspend their involvement in British Columbia’s landmark opioid class action, rejecting arguments that their language rights justified a stay pending their jurisdictional appeal.
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June 23, 2025
Journalism and AI: A cautionary tale
Generative AI, or genAI — arguably one of the fastest-growing technologies at the moment — is everywhere: in the workplace and in one’s private life. And one need not look too far to find it. Run a quick Internet search, for example, and notice the AI-generated summary at the top of the page. Watch a video online, for example, and notice an ad midstream featuring an AI-generated persona trying to sell something.
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June 23, 2025
Two new judges appointed to the Court of Quebec
Quebec Minister of Justice Simon Jolin-Barrette has announced the appointment of Isabelle Charles and Mathieu Locas as judges of the Court of Quebec. According to the announcement, Charles and Locas will serve in the Criminal and Penal Division in Montreal.
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June 16, 2025
SCC clarifies how to determine child’s ‘habitual residence’ in non-Hague Convention custody disputes
In upholding an Ontario Superior Court’s assumption of jurisdiction over an international custody dispute, the Supreme Court of Canada has given guidance on how courts should determine the habitual residence of children allegedly wrongly taken or withheld by a parent from a foreign jurisdiction that has not signed onto the Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (Hague Convention).
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June 20, 2025
Unifor alleges courier giant DHL is trying to evade new federal anti-scab legislation
Canada’s largest private-sector union is reporting that courier company DHL Express Canada is asking Ottawa for an exemption from new federal anti-scab legislation, which went into effect June 20.
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June 20, 2025
Building Products of Canada faces national class action over allegedly defective shingles
Quebec-based company Building Products of Canada (BP Canada) is facing a proposed national class action over alleged defects in its Mystique brand of roofing shingles, which have led to water infiltration and damage to homes according to a statement of claim filed with the Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court.
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June 20, 2025
OBA awards gala celebrates service to the legal profession and community at large
Toronto lawyer Angela Ogang had a good excuse not to attend the Ontario Bar Association’s annual awards gala June 19: She’d given birth to her baby the night before.
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June 20, 2025
Federal Court of Appeal overturns denial of psilocybin exemptions for health care practitioners
The Federal Court of Appeal has set aside federal decisions denying certain health care practitioners exemptions from criminal prosecution for possessing and using psilocybin mushrooms as part of experiential training for psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PSAP).
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June 20, 2025
Facebook’s application to hear strike appeal before certification hearing dismissed
In a proposed class action against respondents Facebook and Instagram relating to minors, the British Columbia Court of Appeal has denied the platforms’ application seeking that an appeal of an order striking evidence against them should be heard before the certification hearing.
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June 20, 2025
Estate planning’s silent threat: The unpapered file
On June 5, 2025, I spoke as a panellist at the Ontario Bar Association’s webcast, “From Retainer to Reporting Letter: Avoiding Professional Liability and Negligence Claims in Estates Law.” The program included a case law update, a presentation by LAWPRO on the most common claims against lawyers in the area of wills and estates, and a lively discussion among the panellists about common pitfalls faced by lawyers practising in this area.