Sarah Anderson Dykema Earns CIPP/C Certification

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…

On June 21, 2024, the Supreme Court of Canada concluded – decisively - that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms applies to protect the…

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has been looking for a new production order power; it’s on its way.  The role of CSIS is to…

An increasing number of municipalities in Canada are using public video camera surveillance to promote public safety and help deter crimes like…

On April 30, 2024, the Ontario Divisional Court decided the victim of a serious cyber security incident was required to produce to privacy…

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…

Over four years after it began, the federal government still hasn’t finalized its overhaul of the private sector privacy law regime that both…

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

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…

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…

The benefits to employees, and often to employers, of remote work has made it a staple of today’s workplace. But the move to remote work…

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…

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…

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

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…

On June 16, 2022, the federal government took a second shot at a complete overhaul of the private sector privacy law regime that both protects…

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 December 17, 2021, New Brunswick’s Local Governance Reform Act (Bill 82) amending the N.B. Local Governance Act (and other related acts and…

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…

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…

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

We updated this publication on June 30, 2022. NOTE: On June 16, 2022, the Government of Canada introduced Bill C-27:  Digital Charter…

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

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…

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.

Updated May 2, 2024. Canadian provinces are looking to immigration as a solution to labour market shortages, and the health sector is no…

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

Organizations subject to Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) – those that collect, use or…

On February 14, 2019, the Supreme Court of Canada decided yet another criminal law decision that will likely have broader ramifications for…

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

On December 13, 2018, the Supreme Court of Canada confirmed that a third party can’t waive a person’s right to privacy or their rights under…

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,…

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

Updated January 12, 2023. There’s no shortage of media coverage about a doctor shortage in Canada and the resulting impact on Canada’s…

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…

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…

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…

All stakeholders in any major project development already know that adequate consultation before - rather than after - a project is approved is…

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…

The legal landscape of cannabis (a.k.a. marihuana, weed, pot …) is changing, both reflecting - and contributing to - more relaxed attitudes…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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

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…

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 Ontario Court of Appeal has re-ignited the discussion about when a municipality will be held liable for its shoddy bylaw enforcement…

In its June 16, 2016 decision in Rogers Communications Inc. v. Châteauguay (City), the Supreme Court of Canada decided a municipality’s…

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

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

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…

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

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…

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

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

On April 15, 2015 the Supreme Court of Canada decided the City of Saguenay’s recitation of a religious - though non-denominational – prayer…

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)…

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

On January 30, 2015 the Supreme Court of Canada decided that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom’s protection for freedom of…

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…

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…

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…

On October 19, 2012 the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) decided a teacher criminally charged with possession of child pornography and unauthorized…