On September 8, the Canadian Department of Finance announced the signature of a memorandum of agreement (the "Agreement") between the provinces of British Columbia, Ontario, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, and the federal government (the "Participating Jurisdictions") formalizing the terms and (…)
The Superior Court considered two interesting issues in the case of Banque Laurentienne du Canada v. Yuan.1 First, it had to determine whether a term loan that was used to payout an existing term loan had resulted in the novation of the first debt. Second, it had to determine what the effect the (…)
On October 3, 2014, the Supreme Court of Canada, by a majority decision of 5 to 4,1 confirmed that a disposition ordering the treatment of an accused who is found unfit to stand trial requires the prior consent of the designated hospital to all the terms of the disposition order, inclusive of the (…)
Significant modifications to the Canadian trade-mark system are expected in the near future. According to the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (“CIPO”), the amendments should come into force at the end of 2015 or early 2016. Said changes arise from the negotiation of a free trade agreement (…)
This publication was authored by Luc Thibaudeau, former partner of Lavery and now judge in the Civil Division of the Court of Québec, District of Longueuil. On September 19, 2014, the Supreme Court of Canada issued its ruling in the so called “banks’ cases”1, in the context of which consumers (…)
CONTENTSInter Vivos discretionary trusts are still relevantA matter of trusts : review of the most frequent pitfallsINTER VIVOS DISCRETIONARY TRUSTS ARE STILL RELEVANTEmmanuel Sala and Luc Pariseau Although the 2014 federal Budget Plan restricted some family tax planning measures involving inter (…)
SOMMAIRE GST/QST Election: Get Ready for 2015 “Laying Yourself Bare” to Get the Best Insurance Coverage! Clear Communication Between the Client and the Insurance Broker: The Key to Success GST/QST Election: Get Ready for 2015Carolyne Corbeil and Emmanuel Sala Generally, certain (…)
In an unanimous decision dated September 4, 20141 , the Court of Appeal confirmed that the 45-day time limit under the Act Respecting Health Services and Social Services2 (ARHSSS) to allow the medical examiner and the local service quality and complaints commissioner to process a user complaint is (…)
A recent decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal clearly illustrates the kinds of problems caused by site contamination at a shopping centre. The case should be of interest to anyone who works on commercial transactions. If there is something to be learned from this story, it is that you need to (…)
This decision of the Superior Court of Québec addresses a pregnant worker’s right to preventive withdrawal where said worker is employed by a business under federal jurisdiction.1 In this case, questions of constitutional jurisdiction were raised and the Superior Court confirmed that article 36 of (…)
On July 25, 2014, the Supreme Court of Canada rendered its decision inQuébec (Commission des normes du travail) v. Asphalte Desjardins inc.1 In this ruling, which overturned a judgment by the Québec Court of Appeal,2 the Supreme Court concluded that an employer who receives notice of termination (…)
In Québec, the objective of the Act Respecting Occupational Health and Safety1 (the “Act”) is the elimination, at the source, of dangers to the health, safety and physical well-being of workers. Recently, the Supreme Court of Canada rendered a decision in the Dionne v. Commission scolaire des (…)
On June 26, 2014, the Supreme Court of Canada rendered a decision confirming aboriginal title to approximately five percent of the Tsilhqot’in First Nation’s traditional territory in British Columbia. This decision is very significant because it marks the first time a ruling defines aboriginal title (…)