Graphite Innovation Technologies (GIT) wins pitch at the Global Marine Technology Entrepreneurship Competition

You arrive at the legendary Madison Square Garden to catch the Mariah Carey concert. It’s the big event of the trip – the reason you came to…

All businesses need written contracts. Determining what written contracts are essential depends on many factors, including the nature of the…

On January 26, 2023, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) released a report of findings requiring companies using targeted…

In November 2022, the Ontario Court of Appeal definitively decided an organization whose information systems are breached by a malicious third…

If you’re at the stage in the financing lifecyle where venture capital is the right route to grow your business, here are five tips to help…

Finally closing on October 27, 2022, the tumultuous Elon Musk/Twitter M&A deal drama has been unfolding for months, with both sides making…

There’s a new privacy law coming to Canada. In June, the federal government introduced a complete overhaul of the privacy law regime that both…

The New Brunswick Court of Queen’s Bench has issued a court order to stop Indigenous fishers (all apparently members of the Wolastoqey Nation)…

The Federal Court’s April 22, 2022 decision in Mowi Canada West Inc. v. Canada (Fisheries, Oceans and Coast Guard) has implications for the…

On May 22, 2010 (affectionately known as “Bitcoin Pizza Day”), a Floridian bought two Papa John's pizzas with Bitcoin. The day is famous…

If you’ve reached the stage in your financing lifecycle where you’re ready to take your company public, you might think you’ve only got…

More and more people are using smart contracts: the global smart contracts market was valued at USD $145M in 2020; it’s projected to be valued…

We updated this publication on December 21, 2022. The name of the game is to have a plan to mitigate the risk that a data breach will happen…

Canada’s aquaculture industry is poised for growth but that growth is being challenged by regulatory uncertainty and a lack of confidence…

Canadian entities regularly contract with foreign companies to provide services in Canada. To complete its obligations under the contract, the…

Many employers use equity compensation plans like employee stock option plans to attract, motivate, and retain talent. One reason stock options…

Your startup idea has blossomed into a viable business: you’ve incorporated a company, it’s been growing steadily, and you’re at the stage…

We udpated this publication on March 4, 2022. Privacy is critical to every business in every sector, including startups and growing…

This publication has been updated as at July 8, 2022. 2020 was a year filled with challenges, including in the relationship between…

The long-awaited amendments to federal fisheries regulations codifying key aspects of the Department of Fisheries & Oceans (DFO) PIIFCAF…

Using social media influencers and micro-influencers is an increasingly effective marketing strategy. Social media use is pervasive; 94% of…

An economic downturn can result in an M&A uptick: there can be more attractive targets on the market, and sellers can be more motivated to…

Spurred by the COVID-19 Pandemic and bricks-and-mortar closures, businesses - from SMEs to multinationals, startups to mature businesses,…

Properly incorporating and structuring is key to position a startup to attract investors and strategic partners and, if desirable, achieve a…

This publication has been updated as of May 5, 2021. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led many employees to continue working from home, by…

On June 26, 2020, the Supreme Court of Canada released Uber Technologies Inc. v. Heller, a much-awaited decision regarding the enforceability of…

The financial technology (Fintech) industry uses technology to support and enhance financial and banking services.

This publication has been updated as of April 23, 2021. Employers that hire and employ temporary foreign workers must comply with many and…

The global COVID-19 (a.k.a. Coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2) outbreak has implications for many commercial relationships, its evolving nature and…

Intellectual property (IP) can be a business’s most valuable (even only) asset. Once you’ve taken steps to understand what the five main IP…

NOTE: The new tax rules for employee stock option plans take effect on July 1, 2021. Learn more at Limited Options: New Employee Stock Option…

NOTE: In December 2020, the federal government published the long-awaited final amendments to federal fisheries regulations codifying key…

The growing global population is feeding global demand for seafood. Growing demand is likely to drive investment, particularly mergers and…

Growing a business takes people. In early days, many startups have just one “employee”: the founder. At some point, the founder might retain…

Immigration is one of the key solutions to looming (and current) worker shortages in Canada. But an employer that hires a foreign worker must…

As of January 2019, incorporating a limited company in N.S. will be more economical. On September 7, 2018, the N.S. government announced it’s…

Every organization subject to Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) -  every organization that…

As of November 1, 2018, organizations in Canada subject to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) will face…

Most businesses – from startups to SMEs to multi-nationals, and from private family-owned businesses to public corporations – will use…

The Crown’s duty to consult Indigenous Peoples has evolved considerably since the Supreme Court of Canada’s first detailed articulation of…

Businesspeople (and their legal counsel) are on the road more than ever before: according to Statistics Canada, while Canada-U.S. traffic is…

On June 6, 2018, the Supreme Court of Canada considered the test for jurisdiction over an allegedly defamatory Internet article – the…

Equity compensation plans are a valuable and versatile tool for many corporations, from early-stage startups to established blue-chips.…

NOTE: On June 21, 2019, Bill C-68, An Act to Amend the Fisheries Act and other Acts in consequence, took effect.  On February 6, 2018, Bill…

Whether a provincial court will grant police a “production order” under the Criminal Code of Canada requiring a non-Canadian company to…

Blockchain technology has already been a transformative force in a number of sectors. Its most prominent use to date has been as the…

On November 30, 2017, the Supreme Court of Canada denied Geophysical Service Incorporated’s (GSI) application for leave to appeal the decision…

Corporations are the leading business vehicle in modern commerce. For startups, properly structuring and incorporating is critical to avoid…

Intellectual Property (IP) can be a valuable asset – even the most valuable asset – of a business. So it’s worth making sure the business…

The fourth round of NAFTA negotiations is set to start on October 11, 2017. But in the meantime, the Canada-European Union Comprehensive…

On October 5, 2017, the N.S. government took another step toward creating a globally competitive marine renewable energy industry and associated…

Atlantic Canada is at a turning point. The region’s history and economic development have historically been inextricably linked to the ocean.…

On July 12, 2017, the Federal Court of Canada made it clear that there are but two ways to avoid a tariff set by the Copyright Board of Canada…

A corporation does not always sail in calm or safe waters. Cash shortages, unattainable or unmet goals, Board disagreements over the best course…

When growing your business, you face many decisions, including choosing the business structure that is right for you. Your legal team can be…

The Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) is making waves in Canada, and for good reason: it casts the net of…

On June 28, 2017, the Supreme Court of Canada confirmed a Canadian court can issue an interlocutory injunction (an order requiring an entity or…

On June 23, 2017, the Supreme Court of Canada decided that in a contest between the choice of forum clause in Facebook’s online terms of use…

On June 7, 2017, the federal government repealed the regulations that would have brought into effect the sections of Canada’s Anti Spam…

The Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act is one of several anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws aimed at fighting corruption in the…

NOTE: On November 30, 2017, the Supreme Court of Canada denied Geophysical Service Incorporated’s (GSI) application for leave to appeal the…

On April 13, 2017, Canada’s federal government introduced legislation that, if passed into law, will legalize recreational cannabis in Canada.…

NOTE: Consultants who were already lobbying and in-house lobbyists already employed by an organization when the new Act took effect were…

Legal uncertainty is never a good thing for industry: it’s a barrier to investment, and thus an adversary to growth. Unfortunately, the law is…

Social media platforms, like Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook and GooglePlus, arguably have more followers and are more closely…

There are very few examples of a Canadian court interpreting and opining on the provisions of an information technology contract. So the Ontario…

This publication has been updated as at January 12, 2023. Many organization (66%) store the personal information of customers. employees,…

On January 1, 2022, the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program became the permanent Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP). Learn more at From Pilot to…

On January 11, 2017, Emera Inc. offered an electrifying opportunity for renewable energy developers to potentially access the New England…

As 2016 draws to a close, Oil & Gas Team @ McInnes Cooper offers its picks for the top three legal developments of 2016 that impacted the…

On December 14, 2016, Bill 46 and the Newfoundland and Labrador Public Procurement Act became law. The new Act isn’t yet in effect, however,…

On December 13, 2016, the Province of Nova Scotia released for comment draft regulations that will establish the Solar for Community Buildings…

Recently, the Nova Scotia Supreme Court denied a motion for a temporary stay of proceedings to prevent the deployment of certain tidal devices…

It’s been a long time coming, but Newfoundland and Labrador is finally getting new public procurement legislation. On November 29, 2016, Bill…

On November 17, 2016 the Supreme Court of Canada decided a mortgagee has the mortgagor’s implied consent to disclose its discharge statement…

The balance between the public’s interest in accessing offshore petroleum resources data and operators’ commercial interests is at the heart…

All shareholders – whether in a startup, a small or large business or a family-owned business – can benefit from a shareholders’…

We updated this publication on January 17, 2023. For many businesses, large and small, their “Intellectual Property” (IP) is one of their…

Business owners wear many hats – including employer. Your employees may be your business’s greatest asset, but they could also be your…

This publication has been updated as at January 27, 2023. A key legal decision in starting or growing your business is choosing the…

On July 6, 2016, the Federal Department of Fisheries and Ocean’s (DFO) accepted the Ministerial Advisory Panel (MAP) recommendation in the…

As of July 1, 2016, packed cargo containers to which the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), Chapter VI, Regulation…

Administrative monetary penalties, or “AMPs”, are a new phenomenon in the Canadian offshore. AMPs were introduced to the Newfoundland &…

This publication has been updated as at April 18, 2022. Access to sufficient capital is always a business issue, from the startup stage right…

We updated this publication on May 8, 2023. “Due diligence” is a legal defence to many charges under occupational health and safety (OHS)…

On January 11, 2016, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice sentenced a front-line supervisor to imprisonment for 3½ years for four counts of…

On February 26, 2016, the bulk of the offshore-related amendments of the Energy Safety and Security Act (ESSA, formerly known as Bill C-22) take…

On January 21, 2016, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice dramatically expanded the scope of legal privacy protection – and the liability…

On January 14, 2016, the Ontario Superior Court decided that Canadians have a clear privacy interest in their records of their cellular…

A practical and current guide created to help you navigate the increasingly important issues surrounding offshore decommissioning and…

Access to sufficient capital to fund operations, research and development, and other costs is a key challenge for start-ups and for some small…

The anti-spam sections of Canada’s Anti-spam Legislation (CASL) took effect on July 1, 2014 amidst hype, controversy and dire warnings. Were…

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea requires parties, of which Canada is one, to make payments in respect of oil production on…

On the heels of National Aboriginal Day, we pause to take a look back at two significant Aboriginal law cases decided in the last year, how…

On April 15, 2015, British Columbia’s Court of Appeal confirmed that First Nations can make certain legal claims grounded in Aboriginal rights…

We updated this publication on May 9, 2023. Most people know a company itself has occupational health and safety (OHS) obligations and risks…

Effective April 22, 2015 the NS Government enacted the NS Missing Persons Act, lowering the threshold for police to get an order to access…

The market for the sale and the supply of goods is a global one for many businesses in today’s economy. Both exporting goods from Canada and…

On March 3, 2015 Canada’s Privacy Commissioner determined that Health Canada breached privacy laws by mailing letters to over 40,000 Marihuana…

On March 5, 2015, the Canadian Radio and Television Commission (the CRTC, the main agency charged with administering and enforcing most of CASL)…

NOTE: Substantial changes to Canada’s Trademarks Act took effect on June 17, 2019 Learn more at New Canadian Trademarks Regime Effective June…

On December 11, 2014 the Supreme Court of Canada continued its trend to recognize privacy rights – and develop the law to protect them –…

On January 15, 2015, the software provisions of Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) will take effect.  CASL’s anti-spam sections, touted…

The construction industry - project owners, contractors, subcontractors and trades - might be relaxing, ignoring the hype around Canada’s…

CASL’s anti-spam sections came into force on July 1, 2014. Every organization that CASL affects should now be complying with it – and their…

Most Canadians have heard about Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL): we’ve been bombarded with “CASL Compliant” emails asking us to…

On June 13, 2014 the Supreme Court of Canada decided that Canadians have a reasonable expectation of privacy in their online activities, and…

The countdown to CASL is almost over: there are only 13 business days until the anti-spam provisions of CASL – and most of the penalties for…

Note: For an update on Crowdfunding, read: New Kid on the Block – Crowdfunding Joins Traditional Equity-Based Funding Options for Start-ups…

On July 1, 2014 – less than two months from now - the anti-spam sections of Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) take effect. Individuals…

The countdown to CASL is on: on July 1, 2014, the anti-spam sections of Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (“CASL”) take effect. Individuals…

As organizations turn to cloud computing services, ensuring compliance with legislation and reducing privacy risks is key. In Canada, there is…

On July 1, 2014, the anti-spam sections of Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (aka “CASL”) will take effect. CASL is: Broad. It applies…

On July 1, 2014, the anti-spam sections of Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (aka “CASL”) take effect. CASL will apply to just about every…

On November 7, 2013, the SCC decided police require specific authorization in a search warrant to search the data in a computer because of the…

Recent developments in Ontario and Yukon are an important reminder of the practical implications of the Crown’s legal Duty to Consult with…

Note: Click here to read an updated version of this Legal Update in Cloud Computing: A Privacy FAQ as seen in as seen in CCCA Magazine, Spring…