Ontario Teacher Candidates’ Council v The Queen, 2021 ONSC 7386 [Ontario Teachers] has made headlines as Premier Doug Ford’s provincial government continues their education reform plan—this time, to the detriment of teacher aspirants.
If one is engaged in public discourse, are comments that might damage another’s reputation protected? This is the question to be taken up in Glen Hansman v Barry Neufeld, SCC Case No. 39796, and a central concern of anti-SLAPP legislation, which seeks to strike a balance between protecting reputation and the value of rigorous debate. […]
2021 was a momentous year for the country’s highest court as we bid adieu to the trailblazing Justice Rosalie Abella, retiring after 17 years on the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC” or “the Court”). We witnessed the swearing in of Justice Mahmud Jamal, the first racialized puisne justice to be appointed to the SCC in […]
The Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) will revisit the applications of several unsuccessful refugee claimants when it hears Canadian Council for Refugees, et al. v Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, et al, SCC 39749. In doing so, they could make a powerful statement about Canada’s perception of the United States (“U.S.”) as a safe country […]
It has been common practice in Ontario for an owner of a construction project to pass off most or all of the responsibility of following workplace health and safety requirements to a third party hired to direct the project (R v Greater Sudbury (City), 2019 ONSC 3285 [Greater Sudbury], para 34). However, the Ontario Court […]
The Supreme Court (“SCC”) will hear F v N SCC 39875 [“F v N”] in March 2022. In this decision, the SCC will address the proper application and interpretation of ss. 23 and 40 of the Children’s Law Reform Act, RSO 1990 c C 12 (“the CLRA”) as well as the“best interests of the child” […]
Is a police officer’s demand to provide a breath sample valid if they do not have an approved screening device (“ASD”) in their possession when making the demand? In Breault c R, 2021 QCCA 505 [Breault], the Court of Appeal of Quebec (“QCCA”) found that a demand for a breath sample is invalid without the […]
In 1850, the Anishinaabe of the upper Great Lakes agreed to share their vast territory in exchange for hunting and fishing rights, as well as an annual payment (“annuity”) from the Crown. The Crown promised that the annuities could increase over time so long as resource development in the area proved profitable. Mining and forestry […]
In R. v. Johnston, 2021 BCCA 34 [Johnston], the British Columbia Court of Appeal (“BCCA”) quashed the convictions of both Matthew James Johnston and Cody Rae Haevischer on six counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder. On December 2, 2021, the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) granted leave for the […]
New evidence is rarely introduced or accepted at appeal courts. However, this rule of thumb could change as the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) hears submissions from counsel in Barendregt v Grebliunas. It is one of three cases the SCC is hearing on child custody matters Dec. 1st and 2nd, 2021, but this one could […]