Graphite Innovation Technologies (GIT) wins pitch at the Global Marine Technology Entrepreneurship Competition

On September 9, 2024, a unanimous Federal Court of Appeal decided consent is to be determined on an objective standard. In an unusual move, in…

Bill C-63, if passed, will create the hotly anticipated Online Harms Act to regulate certain online platforms, create new Criminal Code of…

On March 1, 2024, the Supreme Court of Canada decided a police request for disclosure of an IP address is a “search” under section 8 of the…

On October 13, 2023, the Supreme Court of Canada issued its judicial reference opinion: a significant portion of Canada’s federal…

Canada’s first Tech Talent Strategy aims to aggressively attract tech talent to “fuel innovation and drive emerging technologies forward”.…

You arrive at the legendary Madison Square Garden to catch the Mariah Carey concert. It’s the big event of the trip – the reason you came to…

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

On January 26, 2023, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) released a report of findings requiring companies using targeted…

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

If you’re at the stage in the financing lifecyle where venture capital is the right route to grow your business, here are five tips to help…

Finally closing on October 27, 2022, the tumultuous Elon Musk/Twitter M&A deal drama has been unfolding for months, with both sides making…

There’s a new privacy law coming to Canada. In June, the federal government introduced a complete overhaul of the privacy law regime that both…

The New Brunswick Court of Queen’s Bench has issued a court order to stop Indigenous fishers (all apparently members of the Wolastoqey Nation)…

The Federal Court’s April 22, 2022 decision in Mowi Canada West Inc. v. Canada (Fisheries, Oceans and Coast Guard) has implications for the…

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

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…

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…

Updated October 7, 2024. The name of the game is to have a plan to mitigate the risk that a data breach will happen – but be ready when it…

Canada’s aquaculture industry is poised for growth but that growth is being challenged by regulatory uncertainty and a lack of confidence…

Canadian entities regularly contract with foreign companies to provide services in Canada. To complete its obligations under the contract, the…

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

Your startup idea has blossomed into a viable business: you’ve incorporated a company, it’s been growing steadily, and you’re at the stage…

Updated March 4, 2022. Privacy is critical to every business in every sector, including startups and growing businesses: to comply with the…

We updated this publication on July 8, 2022. 2020 was a year filled with challenges, including in the relationship between Indigenous…

The long-awaited amendments to federal fisheries regulations codifying key aspects of the Department of Fisheries & Oceans (DFO) PIIFCAF…

Using social media influencers and micro-influencers is an increasingly effective marketing strategy. Social media use is pervasive; 94% of…

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…

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

Properly incorporating and structuring is key to position a startup to attract investors and strategic partners and, if desirable, achieve a…

This publication has been updated as of May 5, 2021. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led many employees to continue working from home, by…

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.

This publication has been updated as of April 23, 2021. Employers that hire and employ temporary foreign workers must comply with many and…

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

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…

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…

NOTE: In December 2020, the federal government published the long-awaited final amendments to federal fisheries regulations codifying key…

The growing global population is feeding global demand for seafood. Growing demand is likely to drive investment, particularly mergers and…

Updated September 6, 2024. Growing a business takes people. In early days, many companies have just one “employee”: the owner or founder.…

Immigration is one of the key solutions to looming (and current) worker shortages in Canada. But an employer that hires a foreign worker must…

Updated July 8, 2024. Every organization subject to Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA, soon to…

Updated June 28, 2024. As of November 1, 2018, organizations in Canada subject to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic…

Most businesses – from startups to SMEs to multi-nationals, and from private family-owned businesses to public corporations – will use…

The Crown’s duty to consult Indigenous Peoples has evolved considerably since the Supreme Court of Canada’s first detailed articulation of…

Updated September 26, 2024. Businesspeople (and their legal counsel) are on the road more than ever before: according to Statistics Canada,…

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…

On November 30, 2017, the Supreme Court of Canada denied Geophysical Service Incorporated’s (GSI) application for leave to appeal the decision…

Corporations are the leading business vehicle in modern commerce. For startups, properly structuring and incorporating is critical to avoid…

Intellectual Property (IP) can be a valuable asset – even the most valuable asset – of a business. So it’s worth making sure the business…

Atlantic Canada is at a turning point. The region’s history and economic development have historically been inextricably linked to the ocean.…

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 7, 2017, the federal government repealed the regulations that would have brought into effect the sections of Canada’s Anti Spam…

The Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act is one of several anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws aimed at fighting corruption in the…

NOTE: On November 30, 2017, the Supreme Court of Canada denied Geophysical Service Incorporated’s (GSI) application for leave to appeal the…

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

Social media platforms, like Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook and GooglePlus, arguably have more followers and are more closely…

Updated January 29, 2024. Most organizations (72%) store the personal information of customers. employees, suppliers, vendors or partners,…

Note: On January 1, 2022, the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program became the permanent Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP). Learn more at From…

Updated February 7, 2024. We live in a world of change. New ideas and new industries are rapidly developing and the list keeps growing: tidal…

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

The balance between the public’s interest in accessing offshore petroleum resources data and operators’ commercial interests is at the heart…

We updated this publication on January 17, 2023. For many businesses, large and small, their “Intellectual Property” (IP) is one of their…

Business owners wear many hats – including employer. Your employees may be your business’s greatest asset, but they could also be your…

Updated January 27, 2023. A key legal decision in starting or growing your business is choosing the business structure that’s right for…

Administrative monetary penalties, or “AMPs”, are a new phenomenon in the Canadian offshore. AMPs were introduced to the Newfoundland &…

This publication has been updated as at April 18, 2022. Access to sufficient capital is always a business issue, from the startup stage right…

Updated October 4, 2023. Workplace accidents regularly lead to charges under occupational health and safety (OHS) law. These charges can be…

On January 11, 2016, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice sentenced a front-line supervisor to imprisonment for 3½ years for four counts of…

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…

On January 21, 2016, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice dramatically expanded the scope of legal privacy protection – and the liability…

A practical and current guide created to help you navigate the increasingly important issues surrounding offshore decommissioning and…

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…

On April 15, 2015, British Columbia’s Court of Appeal confirmed that First Nations can make certain legal claims grounded in Aboriginal rights…

Updated October 4, 2023. Most people know a company itself has occupational health and safety (OHS) obligations and risks corporate liability…

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…

On March 3, 2015 Canada’s Privacy Commissioner determined that Health Canada breached privacy laws by mailing letters to over 40,000 Marihuana…

On March 5, 2015, the Canadian Radio and Television Commission (the CRTC, the main agency charged with administering and enforcing most of CASL)…

On December 11, 2014 the Supreme Court of Canada continued its trend to recognize privacy rights – and develop the law to protect them –…

On January 15, 2015, the software provisions of Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) will take effect.  CASL’s anti-spam sections, touted…

The construction industry - project owners, contractors, subcontractors and trades - might be relaxing, ignoring the hype around Canada’s…

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…

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

On June 13, 2014 the Supreme Court of Canada decided that Canadians have a reasonable expectation of privacy in their online activities, and…

The countdown to CASL is almost over: there are only 13 business days until the anti-spam provisions of CASL – and most of the penalties for…

On July 1, 2014 – less than two months from now - the anti-spam sections of Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) take effect. Individuals…

The countdown to CASL is on: on July 1, 2014, the anti-spam sections of Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (“CASL”) take effect. Individuals…

On July 1, 2014, the anti-spam sections of Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (aka “CASL”) will take effect. CASL is: Broad. It applies…

On July 1, 2014, the anti-spam sections of Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (aka “CASL”) take effect. CASL will apply to just about every…

On November 7, 2013, the Supreme Court of Canda decided police require specific authorization in a search warrant to search the data in a…

Recent developments in Ontario and Yukon are an important reminder of the practical implications of the Crown’s legal Duty to Consult with…