What Self-employed People Need To Know About Optional Benefit Choices (Video)

When an insurance company denies your motor vehicle accident claim or offers a settlement that seems inadequate, understanding your legal options becomes critical. Alberta drivers facing claim disputes need to know whether they must accept the insurer's decision, what evidence can strengthen their position, and when legal representation may help secure fair compensation for injuries and losses.

Premium credit cards often include rental car insurance, but many Canadians misunderstand what this coverage actually protects. While collision damage waivers may cover the rental vehicle itself, they typically exclude liability for injuries to others, personal belongings, and certain vehicle types. Understanding these limitations before declining the rental company's insurance can prevent costly surprises after an accident.

Ontario's 2026 auto insurance reforms converted most accident benefits from mandatory to optional coverage, creating significant gaps in protection for pedestrians, cyclists, and unlisted drivers. Understanding these changes and taking proactive steps before your policy renewal could mean the difference between comprehensive coverage and devastating financial exposure after an accident.

When purchasing property insurance, many property owners focus on the insured value of their building—but an equally important question is: How much would it actually cost to rebuild if it were destroyed? This is known as your Replacement Cost Value (RCV).

As wildfires become increasingly severe across Canada, understanding your insurance coverage and taking preventive measures can mean the difference between adequate compensation and devastating financial loss. Learn the critical steps to protect your property, avoid common claim pitfalls, and ensure your broker has properly covered you for full replacement costs.

An Alberta court examines whether property insurers must replace all exterior siding when hail damages only portions of a home, but sun-bleached existing materials create permanent, visible color mismatches that affect property value. The decision clarifies when partial repairs fail to meet policy requirements for restoration with property of like kind and quality.

Insurance policies are often viewed as some of the most difficult contracts to read. To many policyholders, they can feel dense, technical, and full of cross-references that seem to send the reader in circles.

Summer involves adventure and travel, and for many, that includes renting a car. What most people don’t realize is how big a role insurance coverage plays if a motor vehicle collision happens. Renters often drive without fully understanding their existing coverage or what additional coverage they may need.

On July 1, we once again celebrated Canada Day, a statutory holiday across the country that commemorates the unification in 1867 of the colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada into a single country called the Dominion of Canada.

The Ontario Superior Court has ruled that fees received by insurers for surety products written in Ontario are subject to the 3% premium tax under the Corporations Tax Act. This decision clarifies the tax treatment of surety bonds by interpreting ambiguous statutory language through reference to federal Income Tax Act provisions and legislative history. Insurers licensed to write surety business in Ontario should review their premium-tax reporting practices in light of this ruling.

For many people in Ontario family court, the first case conference can feel uncertain. You may wonder whether anything meaningful can happen at this early stage, especially if disclosure is missing, support is needed, or temporary arrangements are required. While a case conference is not a trial, it can still be an important step in getting the case organized and moving forward.

Selecting the right arbitrator is one of the most important decisions in any commercial dispute. Yet in many Canadian markets, arbitrator vetting and communications remain surprisingly informal. This can create risks that jeopardize the appointment and the process – there may be a later challenge to the arbitrator and/or the final award.

Employment agreements are often treated as risk management tools. Employers rely on them to set workplace expectations and limit liability on termination. But an agreement only serves that purpose if it actually survives judicial scrutiny, and for the past few years, termination clause litigation in Ontario has increasingly turned on whether a court can find some theoretical reading of a clause that would violate the Employment Standards Act, 2000 ("ESA"), even where that plainly is not what the parties meant.

Manufacturing operations face critical vulnerabilities when key suppliers fail unexpectedly. This analysis examines how excessive supplier dependency creates operational risk, explores the warning signs of supply chain exposure, and provides a framework for assessing whether your organization can withstand a sudden supplier disruption.

When a major manufacturer makes an investment of this scale, the business opportunity extends far beyond the four walls of the facility being built. It can create demand across an ecosystem of suppliers, subcontractors, fabricators, automation providers, logistics companies, technical service providers and component manufacturers. But that doesn’t mean it’s an automatic growth opportunity for every supplier.

Manufacturing leaders are accustomed to planning for equipment breakdowns, workforce shortages, cyber incidents, and shifting customer demand. Yet one of the costliest risks tends to build up gradually, outside the four walls of the business itself.

A recent Ontario Court of Appeal decision establishes that restricted stock units (RSUs) constitute a "term or condition of employment" under the Employment Standards Act, potentially entitling terminated employees to continued vesting during their notice period. The ruling in Wigdor v. Facebook Canada Ltd. resulted in a US $4.7 million award and raises critical questions about whether standard forfeiture clauses in RSU agreements can lawfully cut off vesting upon termination.

Choosing the right arbitrator is one of the most consequential decisions in any private arbitration. The arbitrator will manage the process, determine procedural disputes, assess the evidence, and ultimately decide the parties’ dispute.

M&A transactions in manufacturing often overlook a critical risk factor that can undermine projected cost savings and operational efficiencies: workforce management during integration. When key employees depart or disengage after closing, the consequences extend beyond legal liability to affect production, customer relationships, and the fundamental value assumptions that supported the acquisition. Understanding how to identify, evaluate, and strategically manage workforce risk before capital is committed c

The most expensive problem in a facility acquisition rarely surfaces before closing. It shows up months later, when a growth plan stalls because the site cannot support the production, logistics, or customer commitments behind the deal.