Two prominent NS lawyers joining McInnes Cooper as partners

Can a business providing both exempt supplies and taxable supplies of goods and services claim Input Tax Credits (ITCs) under the Excise Tax Act…

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

Most initially believed the Underused Housing Tax Act would impose reporting and tax obligations only on non-Canadian and non-permanent…

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…

We updated this publication on March 29, 2023. Beginning April 30, 2023, both Canadian and non-Canadian trustees, partners of a partnership,…

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…

Lawyers and accountants advise clients on options for organizing their personal and business affairs in a tax-efficient way. Clients enter into…

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

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

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…

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

Close to five million Canadians who didn’t usually work from home, did so in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even as public health…

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

Estate planning is a customized process; the goal is to create a plan that’s best for a person’s unique situation. And while all estate…

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

All trusts that continue to be in effect past December 31, 2020, will be subject to new reporting requirements and harsh non-compliance…

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.

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 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,…

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…

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

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

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

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…

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…

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

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…

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

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

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…

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…

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…

Effective January 1, 2017, the kinds of trusts that can claim the Principal Residence Exemption (PRE) will be limited. Now, the PRE allows…

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 September 9, 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada decided in Musqueam Indian Band v. Musqueam Indian Band (Board of Review) that an Indian band…

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…

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…

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…

Subsection 55(2) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) is an anti-avoidance provision intended to prevent capital gains stripping by deeming an…

Incorporation offers legal advantages to sole proprietors of small businesses, including certain tax advantages. However, when a corporation…

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…

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…

The Canadian federal government has been concerned for some time about “treaty shopping” by non-residents – the practice of non-residents…

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…

This publication has been updated as at February 17, 2021. Trusts offer a very useful estate planning solution for a wide variety of special…

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…

In a unanimous decision rendered by Justice Rothstein, the Supreme Court of Canada today dismissed the appeal of Copthorne Holdings Limited,…

Effective April 1, 2011, the fishing licensing policy for the Atlantic Canada and Quebec inshore fishery will change to allow inshore fishing…

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…