McInnes Cooper is pleased to announce the appointment of Jamie Angus, Shivani Chopra, Adel Gönczi, Jennifer Gray, Leanne Murray, Dan Watt, and Chris Wilson as new Partners with our firm.
Based in Halifax, Jamie Angus has a practice focused on corporate and commercial law, mergers and acquisitions, cross-border business structuring, and trusts and estates planning. Dan Watt’s practice focuses primarily on litigation and maritime law. Dan has advocated for clients before various courts, including the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Court of Appeal, and the Federal Court. Chris Wilson focuses on insurance, product liability and commercial litigation, with extensive experience in the area of construction law, representing owners, contractors and other building professionals on these matters. Jennifer Gray is also a project management professional in both Halifax and St. John’s offices, specializing in transactions requiring project management expertise. Jennifer puts her legal and project management skills to regular and active use, providing project management services to integrated lawyer/client teams.
Adel Gönczi, located in Moncton, practices corporate commercial law, debt recovery and wills and estate planning.
Shivani Chopra and Leanne Murray are both based in our Fredericton office. Shivani’s practice includes Employment, Insurance Defence, and general litigation matters and advises large Canadian and multinational corporations on risk-management and dispute resolution. Leanne’s primary practices in the areas of insurance, estate and general commercial litigation, as well as creditor’s rights.
McInnes Cooper is proud of all their contributions and we warmly welcome them as Partners.
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…
Jun 21, 2023
On January 1, 2024 the federal Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act (Bill S-211) will take effect. Positioning…
Jun 13, 2023
Effective April 27, 2023 the federal Pension Protection Act (Bill C-228), granting pensions “super priority” status over other secured and…
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 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…
Nov 21, 2022
On November 10, 2022, the Supreme Court of Canada examined the interaction of arbitration and bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings, deciding a…
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…
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 10, 2021
On November 5, 2021, the Province of Nova Scotia passed the Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act. The Act will serve as the…
Oct 29, 2021
The New Brunswick Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Regulation, effected under the N.B. Climate Change Act, establishes specific…
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…
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 12, 2020
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…
Feb 11, 2020
Intellectual property (IP) can be an important source of revenue to a business. There are three main ways intellectual property (IP) owners…
Feb 4, 2020
Canada’s construction industry is abuzz with the latest innovation in lien legislation. Prompt payment requirements are being added to…
Jan 22, 2020
All issuers must comply with both periodic and ongoing securities law corporate governance (and other) disclosure requirements. This can,…
Nov 22, 2019
The Environmental Emergency Regulations, effected under section 200(1) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) and in force since…
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…
Jan 23, 2019
On June 17, 2019, big changes to Canada’s Trademarks Act (the law that protects, essentially, a brand) fundamentally altering Canada’s…
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…
Jul 10, 2018
If enacted, Bill C-69, An Act to enact the Impact Assessment Act and the Canadian Energy Regulator Act, to amend the Navigation…
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…
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…
Feb 20, 2018
On February 8, 2018, the Canadian federal government proposed a new Impact Assessment Act in Bill C-69, An Act to enact the Impact Assessment…
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 30, 2017
On November 30, 2017, the Supreme Court of Canada denied Geophysical Service Incorporated’s (GSI) application for leave to appeal the decision…
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 9, 2017
On November 3, 2017, the Newfoundland and Labrador Government published new Offshore Oil Royalty Regulations replacing the Royalty Regulations,…
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 31, 2017
Intellectual Property (IP) can be a valuable asset – even the most valuable asset – of a business. So it’s worth making sure the business…
Sep 29, 2017
Atlantic Canada is at a turning point. The region’s history and economic development have historically been inextricably linked to the ocean.…
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 28, 2017
All stakeholders in any major project development already know that adequate consultation before - rather than after - a project is approved is…
Jul 18, 2017
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…
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…
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 26, 2017
On May 19, 2017, the Supreme Court of Canada agreed to hear the appeal of the Federal Court of Appeal’s 2016 decision in Canada v Mikisew Cree…
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…
May 1, 2017
NOTE: On November 30, 2017, the Supreme Court of Canada denied Geophysical Service Incorporated’s (GSI) application for leave to appeal 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 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…
Dec 20, 2016
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…
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 9, 2016
The balance between the public’s interest in accessing offshore petroleum resources data and operators’ commercial interests is at the heart…
Oct 19, 2016
We updated this publication on January 17, 2023. For many businesses, large and small, their “Intellectual Property” (IP) is one of their…
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…
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 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 10, 2016
Administrative monetary penalties, or “AMPs”, are a new phenomenon in the Canadian offshore. AMPs were introduced to the Newfoundland &…
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…
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
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 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…
Feb 15, 2016
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…
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.…
Dec 21, 2015
A practical and current guide created to help you navigate the increasingly important issues surrounding offshore decommissioning and…
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…
Sep 8, 2015
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…
Jul 29, 2015
On July 27, 2015, the Federal Court of Canada decided a lawsuit by medical marijuana program participants against the Federal Government…
Jul 17, 2015
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…
Jul 10, 2015
On April 15, 2015, British Columbia’s Court of Appeal confirmed that First Nations can make certain legal claims grounded in Aboriginal rights…
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,…
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…
Jan 26, 2015
NOTE: Substantial changes to Canada’s Trademarks Act took effect on June 17, 2019 Learn more at New Canadian Trademarks Regime Effective June…
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 14, 2014
On November 13, 2014, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) effected a significant development in Canadian contract law by recognizing the…
Oct 14, 2014
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…
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…
Jun 26, 2014
On June 26, 2014, in its groundbreaking decision on Aboriginal title in Read the SCC’s decision in Tsilhqot’in Nation v. B.C., 2014 SCC 44,…
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…
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…
Subscribe to McInnes Cooper to stay current with our leading insights on legal updates, trends, news, events, and services.