McInnes Cooper’s Michelle Awad, QC recognized by Benchmark Canada as one of the Top 25 Women in Canadian Litigation 2014

In its October 19, 2023 decision in Roach v. Nordic Ins. Co. of Canada, the Nova Scotia Supreme Court confirmed that Workers’ Compensation…

Insureds aren't automatically entitled to a defence from their insurers. Liability policies generally provide two types of coverage: coverage…

There’s a new scam on the web: Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) scams. Most are familiar with established scams like phishing and ransomware and…

Owning your own business offers many opportunities. But it also carries inherent risks, including exposure to personal liability. These three…

The Nova Scotia Supreme Court has added a new, lower range for general damages in sexual abuse civil cases. Damages in sex abuse cases are…

The Alberta Court of Appeal recently sent a strong message to insureds: utmost good faith is not only key but is required in insurance claims.…

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

We updated this publication on July 7, 2023. Bill 24 An Act to Amend the Business Corporations Act effected significant amendments to…

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

The insurer’s duty to defend a claim made against its insured is inextricably tied to coverage: there can be no duty to defend without a…

On November 10, 2022, the Supreme Court of Canada examined the interaction of arbitration and bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings, deciding a…

The Supreme Court of Canada’s “Jordan” framework, introducing strict timelines for determining unreasonable delay in the context of…

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

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…

On March 28, 2022, the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador (General Division) decided that in a personal injury case, quantification of…

On March 18, 2022, the Supreme Court of Canada confirmed that an Indigenous government can still satisfy the impecuniosity requirement for an…

The Supreme Court of Canada’s recent consideration of estoppel and waiver in the context of a fatal injury case in Trial Lawyers Association…

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…

We updated this publication on December 15, 2022. On May 17, 2022, the P.E.I. Non-disclosure Agreements Act took effect, significantly…

On January 26, 2022, the British Columbia Court of Appeal extended an injunction preventing protesters from interfering with a logging…

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…

On November 19, 2021, in Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia v. Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Company of Canada, the Supreme…

On November 4, 2021, the Supreme Court of Canada clarified the law regarding when a judgment debtor “carries on business” for the purpose of…

On October 21, 2021, the Supreme Court of Canada clarified the law concerning the circumstances in which government organizations - including…

On September 9, 2021, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal released its decision in Aviva Insurance v. PK Construction Ltd. Dealing with Nova…

On July 29, 2021, the Supreme Court of Canada refined the test for determining when a plaintiff has discovered a claim for the purpose of a…

The Supreme Court of Canada continues to develop and clarify the organizing principle of good faith performance in contract law. In its 2014…

The Supreme Court of Canada, in the 2014 case of Bhasin v. Hrynew, recognized a general organizing principle of good faith performance in…

We updated this publication on July 11, 2023. Spurred by the COVID-19 Pandemic and bricks-and-mortar closures, businesses – from SMEs to…

We updated this publication on December 22, 2022. It’s a forgone conclusion that diversity in thought and in leadership makes good business…

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.

New types of claims will emerge while insurers may see an evolution or even decrease in the traditional types. Here are the types of claims and…

McInnes Cooper partner Michael Melvin and Student-at-Law Myriam Whalen provide a detailed Legal Digest in the Spring 2020 Edition of The…

The Supreme Court of Canada recently released a much-awaited decision regarding the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA). The CCAA is…

The global and domestic spread of COVID-19 has forced Canadians to reassess their upcoming travel plans – and insurers to assess their travel…

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

NOTE: On July 23, 2021, the Supreme Court of Canada agreed with the Newfoundland & Labrador Court of Appeal’s decision respecting the law,…

On December 23, 2019, the Newfoundland and Labrador Court of Appeal effectively eliminated the category of “knowledgeable fact witness” in…

On November 20, 2019, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal confirmed pursuant to section 113BA(1) of Nova Scotia’s Insurance Act, in the context of…

Effective December 1, 2019, the New Brunswick government will finally finalize the reform of N.B.’s money judgment enforcement regime with the…

Information disclosure is a key theme that emerges from Canada’s new cannabis regulatory regime: the government wants lots of information from…

We updated this publication on February 17, 2023. As of June 13, 2019, private companies incorporated under the Canada Business Corporations…

On January 18, 2019, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal rendered its unanimous (5-0) decision in Holland v. Sparks, overturning a motion decision…

On November 30, 2018, a majority of the judges of the Supreme Court of Canada decided the media doesn’t get any special protection from the…

NOTE: On November 20, 2019, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal upheld the trial court’s decision and confirmed pursuant to section 113BA(1) of…

On October 11, 2018, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal released its first decision considering the saving provision in Section 12 of Nova…

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…

This publication has been updated as at January 26, 2023. Prince Edward Island corporations were formerly governed by the P.E.I. Companies…

This publication has been updated as at July 8, 2022. Changes to the Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA) over the past several years have…

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

On May 8, 2018, for the first time, the Nova Scotia Supreme Court has ruled on the deductibility of Workers’ Compensation Board Extended…

The N.S. Court of Appeal has reached two decisions ending one employee’s quest for coverage of the costs of his medical marijuana – at least…

Mandatory interlocutory injunctions - court orders, made in the context of a lawsuit, that a party take positive action as opposed to refrain…

Insurers have generally been leery of coverage for medical cannabis in both the health benefit claims and in cost of care claims in the personal…

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

Parents often threaten their children that if their behaviour did not improve they will get a lump of coal in their Christmas stockings. On…

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

October 2, 2017 marked the end of the consultation period relating to the taxation of private corporation proposals the Department of Finance…

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)…

Recently, the Federal Court of Appeal confirmed that a tax debtor’s bankruptcy does not extinguish the federal Crown’s priority to proceeds…

In the not-so-distant past, Canadian enforcement of its anti-corruption and anti-bribery legal regime has been relatively laid-back. But the…

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…

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…

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 2, 2017, the Supreme Court of Canada decided that where a plaintiff advances a claim for negligently caused psychological or psychiatric…

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…

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

Adding a third jurisdiction to Gard Update’s comparison between privilege in the corporate context under U.S. and English law, McInnes Cooper…

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…

On March 9, 2017, the N.S. Court of Appeal stopped building inspection claims in their tracks when it decided that a defence based section…

Doing business with the public sector creates an often overlooked – but very real – risk that the confidential information a business…

On December 9, 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada clarified when a court can rectify a transaction that has had unintended tax consequences for…

On November 25, 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada decided privilege wins again - twice. In two separate decisions - Lizotte v. Aviva Insurance…

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

On September 15, 2016, the New Brunswick Court of Appeal clarified the province’s statutory regime governing both the exercise of a lender’s…

The Newfoundland and Labrador Court of Appeal recently affirmed the test for confirming a cause of action and thus resetting a limitation period…

The standards expected of market participants are steadily increasing in response to demand to address white collar crime – including…

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 15, 2016 the Supreme Court of Canada, in a long-awaited decision, resisted the invitation to re-write the traditional rules for the…

As of June 25, 2016, provincially regulated workers and employers in Nova Scotia, Quebec, BC and Saskatchewan can participate in Pooled…

The condo real estate market, both retail and commercial, is hot. But condo developers and unit buyers need funding. Here’s the legal…

Real estate vendors and purchasers have high expectations of their realtors – and they don’t often hesitate to pursue legal action against…

On June 3, 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada, in two related decisions, strengthened the legal protection of solicitor-client privilege in…

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…

Amendments changing the early warning reporting system take effect on May 9, 2016, provided all necessary approvals are obtained (except in…

Amendments changing the early warning reporting system take effect on May 9, 2016, provided all necessary approvals are obtained (except in…

Federal Budget 2016 proposed to significantly reduce the benefit of and access to the Small Business Deduction. The Small Business Deduction…

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…

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

On July 27, 2015, the Federal Court of Canada decided a lawsuit by medical marijuana program participants against the Federal Government…

On July 16, 2015, the New Brunswick Court of Appeal ordered an insurer to produce a significant amount of its financial and business information…

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…

The new NS Limitations of Actions Act – the legislation that determines the limitation period (time limit) in which a lawsuit must be started…

On November 13, 2014, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) effected a significant development in Canadian contract law by recognizing the…

Note: On November 20, 2014 the NS Government passed the final form of Bill 64, Limitations of Actions Act into law. The final form of the Act…

This publication has been updated as at August 25, 2022. Many believe that only public companies or large, established companies with many…

Effective October 1, 2014, the New Brunswick Rules of Court will change – some Rules for the first time since they came into effect in 1982.…

On May 23, 2014 the Federal Court of Canada decided the Federal Treasury Board Secretariat’s interpretation of the policy for compensating…

Lenders are often faced with a situation where a customer (Borrower) approaches them for funds to complete an acquisition of the shares of a…

Recent decisions of securities regulators and amendments to Canadian securities laws demonstrate regulators' lowered tolerance for insiders who…

A general security agreement (GSA) is the most common form of personal property security used in the Atlantic Provinces to secure commercial…

In Franchise Canada’s Spring 2013 “Viewpoints” feature, McInnes Cooper franchise lawyer Michael Melvin answers this question for…

In its April 2013 decision in Re Stan, the Alberta Securities Commission provides issuers with a practical approach to the assessment of both a…

On November 19, 2012, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) unanimously ruled a B.C. public school system’s failure to provide adequate and…

McInnes Cooper franchise lawyer Michael Melvin highlights some of the significant features of the Disclosure Documents Regulation and the…

In Franchise Canada’s May/June 2010 “Ask A Legal Expert” feature, McInnes Cooper franchise lawyer Michael Melvin answers this question for…

“Contamination Claims: Long Tails or Just Dogs? Practical and Legal Issues of Litigating Contaminant Slow-Leak Cases”, Cdn Journal of…