New Court Proceedings - December 2020

The British Columbia Court of Appeal has left open the possibility that pharmaceutical manufacturers may owe a duty of care to develop safer alternatives to their existing products, even when those products are properly approved and labeled. This decision in Gilead Sciences, Inc. v. I.F. contrasts sharply with a recent California Supreme Court ruling that rejected such a "duty to innovate," potentially setting Canada on a divergent path in product liability law.

Following are our summaries of the civil decisions of the Court of Appeal for Ontario for the week of September 14, 2026.

The British Columbia Court of Appeal has clarified when a litigant's use of a second certificate of pending litigation (CPL) crosses the line into abuse of process. This decision addresses whether procedural manoeuvring can defeat a property owner's crystallized statutory right to seek cancellation of a dormant CPL under section 252 of the Land Title Act.

If you were hit by a car as a pedestrian in Ontario, you may be dealing with pain, medical appointments, missed work, insurance forms, and questions about what to do next. The most important steps are to get medical attention, report the collision, obtain the driver’s insurance information, apply for accident benefits, follow your treatment plan, and speak with a personal injury lawyer if your injuries are serious.

This weekly summary provides comprehensive analysis of civil law decisions from the Ontario Court of Appeal for August 31 to September 4, 2026. The featured cases examine critical issues including distribution orders in investment fraud cases, purchase money resulting trusts, and the enforceability of temporary lay-off clauses in employment agreements.

Many people delay taking legal action after an assault because of trauma, fear, ongoing criminal proceedings, or simply not knowing their legal rights. Understanding the limitation period for assault claims in British Columbia is essential if you’re considering seeking compensation through a civil lawsuit

An Ontario court ruled that arbitration agreements containing "final and binding" language may prevent parties from appealing legal errors made by arbitrators. The decision examines how a $3 million construction dispute was resolved through arbitration, and why the losing party could not challenge the arbitrator's legal mistakes despite their significant financial impact.

The recent breakdown of Canada-US trade talks and the tariff measures that followed have prompted Canadian businesses to reassess how they manage cross-border trade. While higher costs may be the most immediate concern, the broader challenge is the unpredictability that cannot be treated as a temporary anomaly.

Sexual assault survivors in Alberta face no time limits when seeking civil compensation, regardless of whether the abuse occurred recently or decades ago. Understanding your legal rights and available remedies can provide a path toward justice and healing, even when criminal proceedings aren't pursued or don't result in charges.

A U.S. appeals court has unanimously overturned certification of a securities class action against Boeing, establishing that plaintiffs must demonstrate a workable, class-wide damages methodology at the certification stage. This decision reinforces heightened standards for class certification that parallel evolving requirements in Canadian securities litigation, where courts increasingly demand concrete evidence and specific liability theories before approving class actions.

For a Canadian patent application to be examined, an applicant must file a request for examination with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO). In most cases, the order in which applications are examined is based on the order that the requests for examination are received. An applicant may be able to accelerate examination of their patent application through several existing mechanisms, including advancing examination via special order, accelerating examination of applications related to green technology, and the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH).

Le Conseil d'examen du prix des médicaments brevetés (CEPMB) a lancé une consultation supplémentaire de 30 jours sur un projet de directives relatives à la pratique révisées...

Santé Canada a publié de nouvelles modifications réglementaires visant à renforcer sa capacité à prévenir et résoudre les pénuries de médicaments et d'instruments médicaux.

L'Agence des médicaments du Canada établit des principes directeurs pour l'utilisation de l'intelligence artificielle dans la génération de preuves cliniques du contexte réel.

The Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB) has launched a second 30-day consultation on revised proposed Practice Directions for hearings related to excessive medicine pricing and compliance with filing requirements. The revised directions incorporate feedback from the initial consultation, with a summary chart detailing all edits available for stakeholder review.

Canada's Drug Agency has released new guidance on using artificial intelligence methods to generate real-world evidence for health technology assessments, establishing governance considerations and appraisal principles that emphasize transparency, human oversight, and validation. The agency also launched initiatives supporting precision medicine decision-making, including testing procedure assessments and a pan-Canadian framework for biomarker evaluation in cancer care.

Health Canada has published comprehensive amendments to drug and medical device shortage regulations, introducing expanded reporting requirements, extended expiration date authorities, and enhanced exceptional importation frameworks. The new measures grant the Minister of Health broader powers to prevent and respond to supply disruptions while requiring manufacturers to provide 12-month advance notice of discontinuations.

Health Canada has announced significant regulatory changes for medical device establishment licensing, set to take effect in December 2026. These Phase II amendments aim to streamline requirements...

Santé Canada modernise son processus d'octroi de licences d'établissement d'instruments médicaux avec des modifications réglementaires majeures entrant en vigueur en décembre 2026. Ces changements visent à alléger le fardeau réglementaire, promouvoir l'innovation et améliorer la compétitivité de l'industrie canadienne des dispositifs médicaux.

Santé Canada a obtenu une injonction permanente contre Canlab Research, interdisant la vente de peptides injectables non autorisés au Canada. Cette décision fait suite à des mesures coercitives répétées visant à protéger les consommateurs contre des produits non homologués présentant des risques graves pour la santé.