Monday’s Mix

Each Monday we present brief excerpts of recent posts from five of Canada’s award­-winning legal blogs chosen at random* from more than 80 recent Clawbie winners. In this way we hope to promote their work, with their permission, to as wide an audience as possible.

This week the randomly selected blogs are 1. National Magazine 2. Ontario Condo Law Blog 3. Vancouver Immigration Law Blog 4. The Court 5. BC Injury Law Blog

National Magazine
A new era for nature’s rights

Documentary shows what the concept of legal personhood can do to protect natural phenomena. Around the world, environmental activists are advocating for giving legal personhood to mountains, rivers and forests. A new documentary for CBC’s The Nature of Things, I am the Magpie River, illustrates how this can happen in Canada. The Magpie (Muteshekau Shipu), located on Quebec’s north shore near Havre-Saint-Pierre, spans 300 kilometres and runs through the ancestral territory of the Innu of Ekuanitshit. National Geographic named it one of the top 10 white-water rafting rivers in the world. ….

Ontario Condo Law Blog
Back to basics: Part I – Owner alterations to common elements

To kick off the new year, we’re reviewing the Condo Act in a series we’re calling “Back to Basics”. We’ll cover common topics and issues that often arise in condo living. So, follow along and we hope you’ll gain an appreciation of these foundational concepts. In Part 1 of this series, we discuss a topic we’re frequently asked about – Section 98 of the Condo Act and owner alterations to common elements. Can owners alter the common elements, such as installing a decorative light outside their unit door or permanent bike rack in their parking space? How? Who pays for it? …

Vancouver Immigration Law Blog
Part 2B – An Annotated Review of Li and the Unforeseen and Unsettled Legal Consequences of Expanding the Definition of Espionage

Welcome back folks! I had a bit of a busy several weeks since my last post – as I am taking an accountable computer systems course, learning about encryption, block chain, TOR and all the cool things I wish I knew earlier! I have not forgotten about the Li decision. I will admit I have lost sleep over it, been confused over it, and had numerous client consultations over it. The recent development of the Named Research Organizations list, although in a much different context, have started to shed light on what institutions may be targetted and flagged. …

The Court
Appeal Watch: the legality of multi-Crown class proceedings in Sandoz Canada Inc. v British Columbia

Last November, the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) granted leave to Sanis Health Inc., Shoppers Drug Mart Inc., Sandoz Canada Inc. and McKesson Canada Corporation to appeal Sandoz Canada Inc. v British Columbia, 2023 BCCA 306 (“Sandoz Canada”). The appellants are defendants in a proposed class action brought by the Province of British Columbia (“the Province”) under new provincial legislation permitting class action recovery for “opioid-related wrongs.” …

BC Injury Law Blog
Intimate Images Protection Act Brought Into Force This Week

The final steps for BC’s innovative Intimate Images Protection Act (“IIPA”) are now complete and the law is set to fully come into force. On December 18, 2023 Order in Council 725 was published noting that the IIPA will come into force on January 29, 2024. In short this now means that anybody who has had their intimate images distributed without their consent in British Columbia, even if they have previously given consent and later revoked it, now have a new set of legal remedies. …

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*Randomness here is created by Random.org and its list randomizing function.