In-House Counsel
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November 14, 2024
TransAlta reaches deal with Competition Bureau in $542M acquisition of rival utility
To address competition concerns, Calgary-based TransAlta Corp. is paring back its acquisition of competitor Heartland Generation of Calgary — a deal originally valued at more than $600 million.
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November 14, 2024
ONCA orders rehearing of youth-led climate lawsuit
On Oct. 17, 2024, the Ontario Court of Appeal (the ONCA) delivered its much-anticipated decision in Mathur (Litigation guardian of) v. Ontario, 2024 ONCA 762. In a unanimous ruling, the ONCA concluded that the application judge misinterpreted the applicants’ arguments, mistakenly viewing them as urging the court to impose obligations on the Ontario government to address climate change in a way that would protect rights to life, liberty, security and equality under ss. 7 and 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (the Charter).
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November 14, 2024
Life without parole? | Michael Crowley
A few weeks ago, I read the article by Norman Douglas, a retired judge and former Crown Attorney, in which he suggested that it would be appropriate to bring back capital punishment in certain cases, or failing that. To institute a sentence of life without the hope of parole.
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November 14, 2024
Judicial review of a regulation | Sara Blake
The Supreme Court has confirmed the established scope of review of the validity of regulations: Auer v. Auer, [2024] S.C.J. No. 36. First, it has confirmed that regulations are reviewable only if they are inconsistent with their enabling statute or the Constitution. Second, the court confirmed that regulations are not reviewable as to whether, as a matter of policy, they are necessary, wise or effective in practice.
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November 13, 2024
CanLII sues AI-based legal research platform for alleged data scraping and copyright violations
The Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII) has filed a lawsuit against a company behind an AI chatbot over allegations it bulk downloaded over 3.5 million records from CanLII’s website in violation of its terms of service and its copyright in the relevant works.
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November 13, 2024
Privacy regulators pass resolution targeting harms caused by deceptive online design patterns
Privacy regulators across the country have issued a joint resolution calling for action on the growing use of deceptive online design patterns (DDPs) that undermine privacy rights. The resolution, passed at their October annual meeting and announced Nov. 13, was said to outline key measures that organizations can use to adopt privacy-first design practices.
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November 13, 2024
National workplace health and safety organization launches online portal for businesses
The Hamilton, Ont.-based Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) has launched an online portal aimed at helping small and medium-sized businesses stay on the right side of workplace safety laws and regulations.
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November 13, 2024
Canada launches new Canadian Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute
The federal government has announced the launch of the Canadian Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute (CAISI) to “bolster Canada’s capacity to address AI safety risks” and continue to position the country “as a leader in the safe and responsible development and adoption of AI technologies.”
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November 13, 2024
Lessons in the law of contracts: The meeting of the minds
The law of contracts is comprised of many important legal principles. One of those principles is that in order to have a valid and enforceable contract the parties must be ad idem. In other words, there must be a meeting of the minds about the essential terms of the contract. In the absence of a meeting of the minds, an alleged agreement between the parties is unenforceable.
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November 12, 2024
B.C. Court of Appeal upholds $1.5M damages order in defamation dispute involving competing firms
The British Columbia Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal in a case where a company was involved in a defamation campaign against a competitor and damages of $1.5 million were ordered. Counsel for the respondents Roger McConchie said it was “the most complex defamation case” he has ever handled.