This week, the BC government rammed through two controversial bills aimed at fast-tracking project approvals: Bill 14, Renewable Energy Projects (Streamlined Permitting) Act, and Bill 15, Infrastructure Projects Act. They appear to be intended as a response to US tariffs, economic uncertainty and affordability concerns: Adrian Dix, Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions, cited “this period of global market uncertainty” in a statement accompanying Bill 14, while Premier David Eby referred to this “time of uncertainty caused by Donald Trump’s tariffs” in the public announcement of Bill 15.

But instead of providing greater certainty and improving . . . [more]

Over the past year, a number of websites containing databases of valuable legal information have been redesigned. Among them are websites and services that are foundational to legal research in Canada, including the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC), the Nova Scotia Courts, CanLII, HeinOnline, Lexis+, and more. While redesigns are not uncommon, the timing and consistency of these recent updates hint at something else, something shaped by trends in the broader digital environment. The rapid growth of generative AI has seemingly pushed legal research websites and services to modernise. Even without adopting AI, there’s growing pressure to look current and . . . [more]

Legal Marketing and Business Development executives understand the importance of staying on top of clients, industry trends, and competition. While leveraging the right software can be incredibly valuable, it feels like every week, a sales rep promises that their platform will deliver game-changing insights, and we are missing out by not signing up immediately.

With a glut of tools available to us, how do you choose which ones are right for your firm? Decision fatigue is a reality, so cutting out the noise is crucial when assessing your firm’s needs.

Types of Tools

General Information Tools: Google Alerts is . . . [more]

Once espoused by a US Supreme Court Justice in the historical Jacobellis case, the iconic “I know it when I see it” principle doesn’t only apply to censorship. I would argue that we can apply it to well-constructed legal documentation as well.

Have you ever looked at a document, any document, and felt overwhelmed by the amount of information coming at you? For example, think about the last time you emptied your mailbox of fliers. Did you look at one of those fliers and think, “Argh! There are so many random pictures of produce, numbers and words and I don’t . . . [more]

When navigating the complex world of foreign and comparative legal research, one resource has remained indispensable for decades: Foreign Law Guide (FLG). From its humble beginnings to its current role as a sophisticated research tool, FLG continues to be the go-to source for legal professionals seeking current foreign primary law and authoritative secondary sources. Recently, I had the pleasure to conduct an interview with Marci Hoffman, current General Editor of FLG to talk about the legacy and future plans of such a trailblazing legal platform.

A Legacy of Legal Accessibility

FLG was first developed in 1989 by law librarians Thomas . . . [more]

Across Canada, the promise of accessible justice too often ends at the courthouse door. While our legal frameworks—from the Charter to provincial human rights codes—declare that people with disabilities deserve equal treatment in court, the reality on the ground tells another story. Inconsistent practices, unclear processes, and invisible barriers routinely frustrate the ability of litigants with disabilities—especially those who are self-represented—to participate fully in legal proceedings.

In my research on disability and access to justice, one conclusion became unavoidable: without dedicated institutional roles to oversee and facilitate accessibility in courts, equity will remain aspirational. It’s time for Canada to appoint . . . [more]

After I wrote this column but before it went to press, my colleague Brandon Trask of UManitoba posted a similar column to the RobsonCrim blog. To the extent that I repeat some points he’s made, that repetition is valuable and worthwhile. I encourage readers to check it out.

What should and must a lawyer do when their client, or the representative of their client, attacks judges and large unidentified swaths of the entire bench? What if the lawyer is standing next to them when they do so? What if the lawyer is the Attorney General and the speaker is the . . . [more]

If you’re looking for court documents related to a Canadian insolvency proceeding and you know who the receiver or monitor is, check their website. Receivers often make the documents related to the proceeding publicly available on their website.

For example:

• https://www.pwc.com/ca/en/services/insolvency-assignments.html
• https://documentcentre.ey.com/#/home
• https://www.insolvencies.deloitte.ca/en-ca/Pages/Search-Insolvencies.aspx
• https://kpmg.com/ca/en/home/services/advisory/deal-advisory/creditorlinks.html
• https://www.doanegrantthornton.ca/service/advisory/creditor-updates/

— Susannah Tredwell . . . [more]

Authoritarian attacks on foundational principles of the rule of law have escalated in the United States since President Trump’s inauguration. This column expands on my previous column and looks at the role of Christian religious nationalists who have joined politicians and billionaires in the Trump administration’s mission to dominate every branch of the US government and civil society, and to invert the rule of law in North America and globally.

Religious nationalism in a global context

Historical records are strewn with tragic results of entanglements among religious, economic, and imperial powers. Those whose lands, resources, and cultures have been overtaken . . . [more]

Claims for infringement of a patent have an unusual place when it comes to limitation periods. A recent decision of the Alberta Court of Appeal has provided some clarity to this issue but there is still uncertainty as to limitation periods for infringement claims.

Most provinces have legislation that impose a limitation period on claims. For example, in Ontario, the Limitations Act provides that, “a proceeding shall not be commenced in respect of a claim after the second anniversary of the day on which the claim was discovered.” Similarly, in Alberta, “if a claimant does not seek a remedial . . . [more]

My last Slaw column discussed two recent cases in which Ontario’s Law Society Tribunal found individuals who had previously engaged in sexual misconduct involving minors were currently “of good character”. The findings in those cases, AA and Colangelo, have since been (repeatedly) upheld on appeal.[1]

Unsurprisingly, these decisions were controversial in the court of public opinion (sample Toronto Star comment: “When your [sic] a member of a governing body that characterizes pedophiles as people ‘of good character’, you have a problem”). Lawyers and law students similarly expressed dismay with the outcomes (for example, one commenter on . . . [more]

I have the impression, no more than that, and in no sense verifiable nor measurable, that among the eminent experts and commentators, there seems to exist a possibly small number of self-interested and obsessive nerds, primarily in North America, on the periphery of that part of the law publishing industry which actually has paying customers, who spend much of their time pretentiously telling us that the major players are about to go under and be overtaken by minnows. I understand that similar but different paranoia extends also to legal practice; it seems, to me at least, to be . . . [more]