October 1, 2018
McInnes Cooper is pleased to announce that Partner Karen Gardiner was recently appointed to the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement (JA) Nova Scotia.
JA Nova Scotia provides hands-on experiential learning in the classroom and through extra-curricular activities. The Board is made up of members of the business community throughout Nova Scotia and are responsible for overall governance of the organization.
Congratulations Karen on this new role.
Nov 1, 2023
On October 13, 2023, the Supreme Court of Canada issued its judicial reference opinion: a significant portion of Canada’s federal…
Sep 29, 2023
On September 21, 2023, Bill C-56, the Affordable Housing and Groceries Act, passed first reading. If passed, the Act will give developers of…
Sep 25, 2023
There’s a new scam on the web: Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) scams. Most are familiar with established scams like phishing and ransomware and…
Sep 11, 2023
Owning your own business offers many opportunities. But it also carries inherent risks, including exposure to personal liability. These three…
Jun 23, 2023
Effective June 23, 2023, Section 45(1.1) of the Competition Act makes it a criminal offence for all unaffiliated employers to enter into…
Apr 12, 2023
The Supreme Court of Nova Scotia has made it clear that, while the burden is high, pre-emptively vacating or discharging a builders’ lien is a…
Mar 16, 2023
We updated this publication on March 30, 2023. On January 1, 2023, the Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians…
Mar 2, 2023
All businesses need written contracts. Determining what written contracts are essential depends on many factors, including the nature of the…
Jan 27, 2023
We updated this publication on July 7, 2023. Bill 24 An Act to Amend the Business Corporations Act effected significant amendments to…
Oct 28, 2022
Finally closing on October 27, 2022, the tumultuous Elon Musk/Twitter M&A deal drama has been unfolding for months, with both sides making…
May 20, 2022
On May 22, 2010 (affectionately known as “Bitcoin Pizza Day”), a Floridian bought two Papa John's pizzas with Bitcoin. The day is famous…
May 2, 2022
On April 14, 2022, the New Brunswick Court of Appeal released its decision in Royal Bank of Canada v. Estate of Susan Lynn Williams, revisiting…
Apr 20, 2022
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…
Feb 23, 2022
On April 1, 2022, changes to the Newfoundland and Labrador Corporations Act proposed in Bill 24 An Act to Amend the Corporations Act will take…
Jan 25, 2022
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…
Nov 19, 2021
To help realtors better prepare their clients to ensure smooth real estate transactions with timely closings, here are the answers to the 10…
Sep 9, 2021
We udpated this publication on March 7, 2022. The New Brunswick Construction Remedies Act, substantially came into effect on November 1,…
Aug 5, 2021
On July 28, 2021, the Supreme Court of Canada issued a decision protecting the status of the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) as a…
Jun 24, 2021
Many employers use equity compensation plans like employee stock option plans to attract, motivate, and retain talent. One reason stock options…
Mar 26, 2021
Merger and acquisition deals are still happening across all sectors, perhaps at an even higher rate than pre-COVID-19 pandemic, even if the…
Mar 1, 2021
The Supreme Court of Canada continues to develop and clarify the organizing principle of good faith performance in contract law. In its 2014…
Jan 20, 2021
In the first update to the CCDC 2 since 2008, in December 2020 the Canadian Construction Documents Committee (CCDC) published the CCDC 2 (2020).…
Jan 18, 2021
The Supreme Court of Canada, in the 2014 case of Bhasin v. Hrynew, recognized a general organizing principle of good faith performance in…
Nov 24, 2020
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…
Nov 17, 2020
We updated this publication on July 11, 2023. Spurred by the COVID-19 Pandemic and bricks-and-mortar closures, businesses – from SMEs to…
Oct 5, 2020
On October 2, 2020, the Supreme Court of Canada clarified the existence and application of the anti-deprivation rule in Canadian bankruptcy law.…
Sep 29, 2020
We updated this publication on December 22, 2022. It’s a forgone conclusion that diversity in thought and in leadership makes good business…
Jun 12, 2020
The financial technology (Fintech) industry uses technology to support and enhance financial and banking services.
May 11, 2020
McInnes Cooper partner Michael Melvin and Student-at-Law Myriam Whalen provide a detailed Legal Digest in the Spring 2020 Edition of The…
May 11, 2020
The Supreme Court of Canada recently released a much-awaited decision regarding the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA). The CCAA is…
Mar 17, 2020
Business corporations laws and stock exchange policies mandate that issuers hold annual general meetings (AGM) and set requirements for when and…
Mar 10, 2020
The global COVID-19 (a.k.a. Coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2) outbreak has implications for many commercial relationships, its evolving nature and…
Feb 4, 2020
Canada’s construction industry is abuzz with the latest innovation in lien legislation. Prompt payment requirements are being added to…
Jan 30, 2020
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…
Jan 22, 2020
All issuers must comply with both periodic and ongoing securities law corporate governance (and other) disclosure requirements. This can,…
Jun 26, 2019
Information disclosure is a key theme that emerges from Canada’s new cannabis regulatory regime: the government wants lots of information from…
May 21, 2019
We updated this publication on February 17, 2023. As of June 13, 2019, private companies incorporated under the Canada Business Corporations…
Apr 29, 2019
The growing global population is feeding global demand for seafood. Growing demand is likely to drive investment, particularly mergers and…
Nov 16, 2018
Companies engaged in the cannabis supply chain are highly regulated by federal and provincial cannabis-specific laws as well as a myriad of…
Sep 10, 2018
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…
Jul 18, 2018
This publication has been updated as at January 26, 2023. Prince Edward Island corporations were formerly governed by the P.E.I. Companies…
Jun 21, 2018
Lawyers regularly encourage clients to be proactive and discuss potential issues with third parties before they become real problems. But in the…
Jun 12, 2018
This publication has been updated as at July 8, 2022. Changes to the Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA) over the past several years have…
Apr 2, 2018
Equity compensation plans are a valuable and versatile tool for many corporations, from early-stage startups to established blue-chips.…
Feb 21, 2018
On February 15, 2018, the Supreme Court of Canada decided a trustee’s fiduciary duty includes an obligation to inform beneficiaries of the…
Jan 12, 2018
Whether a provincial court will grant police a “production order” under the Criminal Code of Canada requiring a non-Canadian company to…
Dec 23, 2017
Parents often threaten their children that if their behaviour did not improve they will get a lump of coal in their Christmas stockings. On…
Dec 22, 2017
Blockchain technology has already been a transformative force in a number of sectors. Its most prominent use to date has been as the…
Dec 18, 2017
The answer to the question, “What’s employers’ rationale for implementing workplace drug and alcohol testing?” is pretty…
Nov 20, 2017
October 2, 2017 marked the end of the consultation period relating to the taxation of private corporation proposals the Department of Finance…
Nov 17, 2017
It’s official: as of October 31, 2017, “facilitation payments” contravene Canada’s Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act (CFPOA).…
Nov 2, 2017
On October 19, 2017, the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) announced it had adopted amendments to its Company Manual. Originally proposed in Spring…
Oct 31, 2017
On October 27, 2017, the Supreme Court of Canada confirmed that a bank that pays out on a fraudulent cheque has the protection of section 20(5)…
Oct 11, 2017
The fourth round of NAFTA negotiations is set to start on October 11, 2017. But in the meantime, the Canada-European Union Comprehensive…
Sep 22, 2017
Canada’s most important trading relationship is – in all likelihood – about to change: the current U.S. administration has put the future…
Aug 28, 2017
Recently, the Federal Court of Appeal confirmed that a tax debtor’s bankruptcy does not extinguish the federal Crown’s priority to proceeds…
Aug 16, 2017
In the not-so-distant past, Canadian enforcement of its anti-corruption and anti-bribery legal regime has been relatively laid-back. But the…
Aug 4, 2017
On July 18, 2017, Canada’s Minister of Finance released proposed changes to the Income Tax Act (Canada) that, if implemented, will mark one of…
Jul 17, 2017
A corporation does not always sail in calm or safe waters. Cash shortages, unattainable or unmet goals, Board disagreements over the best course…
Jul 13, 2017
When growing your business, you face many decisions, including choosing the business structure that is right for you. Your legal team can be…
Jul 11, 2017
The Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) is making waves in Canada, and for good reason: it casts the net of…
Jun 28, 2017
On June 28, 2017, the Supreme Court of Canada confirmed a Canadian court can issue an interlocutory injunction (an order requiring an entity or…
Jun 23, 2017
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…
May 11, 2017
The Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act is one of several anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws aimed at fighting corruption in the…
Apr 28, 2017
On April 24, 2017, the N.S. Government issued regulations that will finally allow the Builders’ Lien Act amendments permitting early release…
Apr 21, 2017
In three years (lightning speed in the law), medically assisted dying went from being illegal to being legal. A great deal has changed, a great…
Apr 20, 2017
On April 13, 2017, Canada’s federal government introduced legislation that, if passed into law, will legalize recreational cannabis in Canada.…
Apr 17, 2017
Recreational cannabis isn’t legal yet - but much of the associated stigma is already gone, usage is up and employers are feeling the workplace…
Apr 6, 2017
Adding a third jurisdiction to Gard Update’s comparison between privilege in the corporate context under U.S. and English law, McInnes Cooper…
Apr 5, 2017
NOTE: Consultants who were already lobbying and in-house lobbyists already employed by an organization when the new Act took effect were…
Mar 30, 2017
Social media platforms, like Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook and GooglePlus, arguably have more followers and are more closely…
Mar 30, 2017
There are very few examples of a Canadian court interpreting and opining on the provisions of an information technology contract. So the Ontario…
Feb 24, 2017
This publication has been updated as at January 12, 2023. Many organization (66%) store the personal information of customers. employees,…
Jan 25, 2017
Doing business with the public sector creates an often overlooked – but very real – risk that the confidential information a business…
Jan 20, 2017
Connections between Canadians and the U.S. have never been as numerous or transparent as they are now: many Canadians own U.S. property, have…
Dec 22, 2016
Effective January 1, 2017, the kinds of trusts that can claim the Principal Residence Exemption (PRE) will be limited. Now, the PRE allows…
Dec 19, 2016
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,…
Dec 14, 2016
On December 9, 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada clarified when a court can rectify a transaction that has had unintended tax consequences for…
Dec 5, 2016
It’s been a long time coming, but Newfoundland and Labrador is finally getting new public procurement legislation. On November 29, 2016, Bill…
Nov 22, 2016
On November 17, 2016 the Supreme Court of Canada decided a mortgagee has the mortgagor’s implied consent to disclose its discharge statement…
Nov 22, 2016
There is an old expression about “selling the Brooklyn Bridge”. Recently, a bankrupt subcontractor attempted to register a lien against the…
Nov 22, 2016
Canada’s most important trading relationship might undergo some change with the results of the 2016 U.S. election. Facilitating cross-border…
Sep 23, 2016
On September 15, 2016, the New Brunswick Court of Appeal clarified the province’s statutory regime governing both the exercise of a lender’s…
Sep 19, 2016
On September 15, 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada decided certain damage to a building under construction was covered under the relevant…
Sep 12, 2016
On September 9, 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada decided in Musqueam Indian Band v. Musqueam Indian Band (Board of Review) that an Indian band…
Aug 15, 2016
The standards expected of market participants are steadily increasing in response to demand to address white collar crime – including…
Aug 9, 2016
This publication has been updated as at January 27, 2023. A key legal decision in starting or growing your business is choosing the…
Jun 30, 2016
As of June 25, 2016, provincially regulated workers and employers in Nova Scotia, Quebec, BC and Saskatchewan can participate in Pooled…
Jun 30, 2016
The condo real estate market, both retail and commercial, is hot. But condo developers and unit buyers need funding. Here’s the legal…
Jun 20, 2016
As of July 1, 2016, packed cargo containers to which the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), Chapter VI, Regulation…
Jun 20, 2016
Real estate vendors and purchasers have high expectations of their realtors – and they don’t often hesitate to pursue legal action against…
Jun 17, 2016
In its June 16, 2016 decision in Rogers Communications Inc. v. Châteauguay (City), the Supreme Court of Canada decided a municipality’s…
Jun 6, 2016
On June 3, 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada, in two related decisions, strengthened the legal protection of solicitor-client privilege in…
Jun 6, 2016
On June 30, 2016, amendments to National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions and related changes to Companion Policy 45-106 Prospectus…
May 31, 2016
You’re on a tight timeline to issue a press release. You finish your draft and ‘cut & paste’ your standard “forward-looking…
May 24, 2016
It’s now certain: in Newfoundland & Labrador, liens can’t be placed on Crown land or holdbacks with the possible exemption allowing for…
May 10, 2016
This publication has been updated as at April 18, 2022. Access to sufficient capital is always a business issue, from the startup stage right…
May 10, 2016
On May 6, 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada generally affirmed the common law rule that positive covenants do not run with the land. More…
May 9, 2016
On May 6, 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada decided that a mortgage imposing a higher interest rate in the event of default and reserving a…
May 2, 2016
Amendments changing the early warning reporting system take effect on May 9, 2016, provided all necessary approvals are obtained (except in…
May 2, 2016
Amendments changing the early warning reporting system take effect on May 9, 2016, provided all necessary approvals are obtained (except in…
May 2, 2016
We updated this publication on October 4, 2023. Workplace accidents regularly lead to charges under occupational health and safety (OHS) law.…
Apr 21, 2016
On April 15, 2016, Bill No. 149, The Mineral Resources Act (2016) (2016 Act), passed its second reading in the NS House of Assembly. Although…
Apr 12, 2016
Federal Budget 2016 proposed to significantly reduce the benefit of and access to the Small Business Deduction. The Small Business Deduction…
Mar 24, 2016
When a business responds to a public sector Request for Proposal or Expression of Interest (both of which we’ll refer to as an RFP for these…
Mar 9, 2016
On January 11, 2016, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice sentenced a front-line supervisor to imprisonment for 3½ years for four counts of…
Jan 18, 2016
Things have gotten a bit easier for venture issuers, such as those listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, with recent changes to their obligations.…
Oct 19, 2015
Access to sufficient capital to fund operations, research and development, and other costs is a key challenge for start-ups and for some small…
Jun 25, 2015
We updated this publication on October 4, 2023. Most people know a company itself has occupational health and safety (OHS) obligations and…
May 25, 2015
We updated this publication on July 21, 2022. Every party to a Right of Way has some idea of what that Right of Way is – but many times,…
Apr 2, 2015
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…
Mar 30, 2015
Hindsight is 20/20. Lawyers can’t always predict the outcome of a legal claim. But when a dispute between an investment client and her…
Mar 3, 2015
Snow can be a big nuisance at this time of year, but snow load - the weight of the snow, usually measured in pounds per square foot - can be…
Dec 10, 2014
“Corporate Social Responsibility” (CSR) as a concept has been floating around in business-speak for years – but stakeholders in the mining…
Dec 1, 2014
The construction industry - project owners, contractors, subcontractors and trades - might be relaxing, ignoring the hype around Canada’s…
Nov 27, 2014
Recently, the NS Court of Appeal confirmed that a union can be certified as the bargaining agent of employees based merely on their dependence…
Nov 14, 2014
On November 13, 2014, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) effected a significant development in Canadian contract law by recognizing the…
Sep 16, 2014
This publication has been updated as at August 25, 2022. Many believe that only public companies or large, established companies with many…
Sep 11, 2014
The Canadian federal government has been concerned for some time about “treaty shopping” by non-residents – the practice of non-residents…
Aug 1, 2014
Most Canadians have heard about Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL): we’ve been bombarded with “CASL Compliant” emails asking us to…
Jun 11, 2014
Note: For an update on Crowdfunding, read: New Kid on the Block – Crowdfunding Joins Traditional Equity-Based Funding Options for Start-ups…
Apr 29, 2014
Lenders are often faced with a situation where a customer (Borrower) approaches them for funds to complete an acquisition of the shares of a…
Nov 1, 2013
Recent decisions of securities regulators and amendments to Canadian securities laws demonstrate regulators' lowered tolerance for insiders who…
Aug 28, 2013
A general security agreement (GSA) is the most common form of personal property security used in the Atlantic Provinces to secure commercial…
Jun 7, 2013
In Franchise Canada’s Spring 2013 “Viewpoints” feature, McInnes Cooper franchise lawyer Michael Melvin answers this question for…
May 21, 2013
In its April 2013 decision in Re Stan, the Alberta Securities Commission provides issuers with a practical approach to the assessment of both a…
Feb 8, 2013
While much of the developed world struggles with debt and chronically low growth, Canada, one of the best-performing members of the G-7,…
Aug 27, 2012
Introduction and Purpose Staff of the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA Staff or we) are publishing this Staff Notice (the Notice) to…
Jun 1, 2012
Multilateral Instrument 51-105, Issuers Quoted in the U.S. Over-the-Counter Markets will come into effect on July 31, 2012. Once effective,…
Dec 22, 2011
On May 26, 2010, the Canadian federal government released the proposed Canadian Securities Act (the Act) which would, among other things, create…
Nov 1, 2011
Entrepreneurs need to be ready for due diligence, so it’s essential to involve legal advisors and accountants early in the process. Click…
Oct 6, 2011
In 2009 Canadian securities regulators changed the rules relating to securities “registration” – these rules determine who is required to…
Oct 1, 2010
McInnes Cooper franchise lawyer Michael Melvin highlights some of the significant features of the Disclosure Documents Regulation and the…
May 31, 2010
In Franchise Canada’s May/June 2010 “Ask A Legal Expert” feature, McInnes Cooper franchise lawyer Michael Melvin answers this question for…
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