Monthy Tip - May 2015

The Alberta Court of Appeal examines when financial losses from construction deficiencies may be recovered in negligence, distinguishing between claims for defective structures and negligent professional services. The decision addresses whether contractual relationships displace concurrent duties in tort and clarifies how parties may allocate risk through agreement.

Buying a property with someone who is contributing a different amount toward the down payment? A tenancy in common can reflect each owner’s share on title, but it does not include the right of survivorship. In this video, Barrie real estate lawyer Laura Rosati explains unequal ownership percentages, what happens when an owner passes away, and why having a will is important.

A Vancouver family renting a three-bedroom condo faces ongoing disruptions from upstairs neighbors who converted their unit into a four-bedroom student residence, raising questions about tenant rights in strata communities. When the strata council deflects responsibility, what legal protections do tenants have to enforce bylaws and maintain peaceful enjoyment of their home?

Le propriétaire d’un immeuble a apporté des centaines de modifications à la conception et il a ajouté pour plus de 2,7 millions $ de travaux supplémentaires, a refusé d’accorder des prolongations de délai, puis a tenté de réclamer à son entrepreneur des dommages-intérêts liquidés pour les retards qui en ont résulté.

For decades, thousands of Canadians have owned cottages on land leased from First Nations. Many have bought, sold, renovated, and passed these properties down through generations, often treating them much like any other cottage.

Construction projects rarely go exactly as planned. Design changes, delayed access, unexpected site conditions, changes in sequencing, acceleration and other project impacts can increase the cost of completing the work.

Much has been said about Manitoba’s recent change to its basic limitation period for construction disputes, which generally reduced the time to start lawsuits from six years to two years. However, the passage of two years may not always be the end of the story for an unpaid contractor or subcontractor.

When a building owner issued hundreds of design changes worth over $2.7 million in extra work but refused to grant schedule extensions, could they still claim liquidated damages for delays? The BC Court of Appeal's decision in CIMIC Morningstar Investments Ltd. v. Chandos Construction Ltd. examines four critical principles that construction parties must understand when managing delay disputes, including notice compliance, promissory estoppel, and the prevention principle.

La Cour d'appel de l'Ontario a statué qu'un contrat de construction conclu en 2020 demeure régi par l'ancienne Loi sur le privilège dans l'industrie de la construction, malgré l'entrée en vigueur de la nouvelle Loi sur la construction en 2018. Cette décision soulève des questions cruciales pour les entrepreneurs et propriétaires sur les délais applicables et les droits de privilège dans les projets de longue haleine.

On June 20, 2025, the Supreme Court of British Columbia released its decision in Lorval Developments Ltd. v. Langley (Township), 2025 BCSC 1148, setting aside the Township of Langley’s Community Amenity Contributions Policy (the “Policy”) on the basis that it amounted to a mandatory amenity payment regime without statutory authority. For local governments, developers, and landowners, this decision is significant because it confirms that municipalities cannot require community amenity contributions ("CACs") as a condition of rezoning unless expressly authorized by statute

Ontario commercial truck drivers with less than two years of heavy-truck experience must now pass a practical road test administered by Quebec's SAAQ before transferring their licence to operate heavy vehicles in the province. This new requirement follows fatal collisions and an Ontario Auditor General audit that exposed significant gaps in training standards and provider oversight. Carriers operating across the border need to factor these requirements into workforce planning, recruitment timelines, and dis

Ontario truck drivers with less than two years of commercial heavy vehicle experience must now pass a practical road test administered by Quebec's SAAQ before exchanging their license to drive commercial heavy vehicles in the province. This new requirement follows a series of collisions involving heavy trucks in Quebec and a May 2026 audit revealing significant gaps in Ontario's training standards and oversight of providers. Carriers operating across the Ontario-Quebec border must now factor these requireme

Les sociétés minières canadiennes font face à une décision stratégique cruciale : s'inscrire à la TSX ou opter pour une bourse américaine comme le NYSE ou le Nasdaq. Cet article examine les avantages distincts de chaque marché, notamment l'expertise sectorielle du Canada, la profondeur des capitaux américains et les implications en matière de coûts, de conformité et de calendrier d'exécution.

Le propriétaire d’un immeuble a apporté des centaines de modifications à la conception et il a ajouté pour plus de 2,7 millions $ de travaux supplémentaires, a refusé d’accorder des prolongations de délai, puis a tenté de réclamer à son entrepreneur des dommages-intérêts liquidés pour les retards qui en ont résulté.

Deepfakes are reaching courts. Learn how a U.S. case dismissed for AI-generated evidence and Canadian authentication rules are changing what litigators must do now.

The Supreme Court of Canada has unanimously struck down a privative clause in the Conflict of Interest Act that attempted to bar judicial review of the Ethics Commissioner's decisions. The ruling establishes that the Constitution guarantees a minimum of legality review over all administrative decisions, with implications extending to labour relations, workers' compensation, and immigration legislation containing similar clauses.

Une fiducie de placement immobilier inscrite en bourse a réussi à restructurer environ 1 milliard de dollars de dettes en défaut en utilisant un plan d'arrangement en vertu de la LCSA, évitant ainsi une procédure formelle d'insolvabilité sous la LACC. Cette décision judiciaire démontre comment les outils du droit des sociétés peuvent servir d'alternatives efficaces aux procédures d'insolvabilité traditionnelles pour les sociétés ouvertes

When a building owner issued hundreds of design changes worth over $2.7 million in extra work but refused to grant schedule extensions, could they still claim liquidated damages for delays? The BC Court of Appeal's decision in CIMIC Morningstar Investments Ltd. v. Chandos Construction Ltd. examines four critical principles that construction parties must understand when managing delay disputes, including notice compliance, promissory estoppel, and the prevention principle.

La Cour d'appel de l'Ontario a statué qu'un contrat de construction conclu en 2020 demeure régi par l'ancienne Loi sur le privilège dans l'industrie de la construction, malgré l'entrée en vigueur de la nouvelle Loi sur la construction en 2018. Cette décision soulève des questions cruciales pour les entrepreneurs et propriétaires sur les délais applicables et les droits de privilège dans les projets de longue haleine.

Le gouvernement du Canada propose de modifier les règles fiscales pour exempter les transferts de polices d'assurance-vie entre conjoints des règles de juste valeur marchande réputée. Cette modification permettrait aux conjoints bénéficiaires de recevoir des reçus de don plus élevés lorsqu'ils font don de ces polices à des organismes de bienfaisance, tout en augmentant potentiellement les dons reçus par ces organismes.