Daren Baxter QC, announced President of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society

Maximum penalties under the Underused Housing Tax Act (UHTA) are significant: initial penalties for a single taxation year can be as high as…

Understanding the taxation of Indigenous Peoples’ governments and structuring of their economic development initiatives is more relevant than…

Didn’t file your taxes on time – or made a mistake in your tax filings? All might not be lost. There is the possibility of relief from the…

Updated April 16, 2024. If you’re a trustee of a trust that might no longer serve its purpose or is sitting idle, now’s the time to…

Updated February 9, 2024. On December 15, 2023, Bill C-56, the Affordable Housing and Groceries Act, became law, giving developers of…

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…

A Will is a key ingredient of any estate plan - and one of the most important documents a person ever signs. It allows a person to control how…

Updated December 2, 2024. Beginning December 31, 2022, both Canadian and non-Canadian trustees, partners of a partnership, private…

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…

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…

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…

An ever increasing number of people originally from China now reside in Canada. It is more important than ever to recognize and understand the…

The current state of closed Canadian borders and stringent travel restrictions in efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to be the…

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

For business owners, estate planning is directed at protecting the business’s legacy as well as the financial security of both family members…

Estate planning is directed at protecting your assets and your loved ones from creditors and unnecessary income tax or probate fees, and your…

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…

Updated July 10, 2024. If you “own” a company incorporated under either the Canada Business Corporations Act or under the corporate…

On January 25, 2019, the Supreme Court of Canada considered, for the first time, “Henson trusts” and the nature of a disabled…

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

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

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…

It’s official: as of October 31, 2017, “facilitation payments” contravene Canada’s Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act (CFPOA).…

Canada’s most important trading relationship is – in all likelihood – about to change: the current U.S. administration has put the future…

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…

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

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…

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.…

Recreational cannabis isn’t legal yet - but much of the associated stigma is already gone, usage is up and employers are feeling the workplace…

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…

Canada’s most important trading relationship might undergo some change with the results of the 2016 U.S. election. Facilitating cross-border…

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…

You’re on a tight timeline to issue a press release. You finish your draft and ‘cut & paste’ your standard “forward-looking…

On April 14, 2016, Canada’s federal Justice Minister proposed legislation setting out the conditions that a person wishing to undergo…

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…

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…

NOTE: On April 14, 2016, the federal government proposed legislation setting out the conditions that a person wishing to undergo…

Updated August 25, 2022. Many believe that only public companies or large, established companies with many shareholders need to be concerned…

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

Updated February 17, 2021. Trusts offer a very useful estate planning solution for a wide variety of special estate planning situations.…