Among immigration professionals, there is a joke that if you go to the washroom, you will miss a change in policy. The amendments to legislation and changes to IRCC programs are so prevalent, we have to work in an environment of uncertainty and unpredictability. I regularly meet with individuals who apply to defunct programs, and they are frustrated after IRCC has refused their application. With a huge disclaimer that we have no inside knowledge, here are our predictions for the Canadian immigration system for 2026.

Prediction #1: Closing Doors for Temporary Residents

Minister Diab’s Immigration Levels plan for 2026-2028, . . . [more]

When I sat down with lawyer and author Katherine Reilly to talk about her new book Legally Zen, I surprised her by starting at the end. It felt right: the final chapter is where she introduces the idea that has stayed with me most—the concept she calls “Gen Zen.”

Reilly is not the stereotype of a mystical explorer. She is a senior civil litigator with almost twenty years in practice: formerly a partner at a national law firm in Vancouver, later counsel with the Ministry of the Attorney General in Victoria, and now back in private practice. She has . . . [more]

Every week we present the summary of a decision handed down by a Québec court provided to us by SOQUIJ and considered to be of interest to our readers throughout Canada. SOQUIJ is attached to the Québec Department of Justice and collects, analyzes, enriches, and disseminates legal information in Québec.

PÉNAL (DROIT) : Dans le contexte où la seule question en litige concernait la preuve d’identification de l’intimé, le juge d’extradition n’a pas outrepassé son rôle en appréciant la fiabilité de celle-ci; estimant cette preuve insuffisante et manifestement peu digne de foi, le juge n’a pas commis d’erreur en n’ordonnant . . . [more]

As a supplement to our Sunday Summary each month, Supreme Advocacy LLP in Ottawa presents Supreme One-Liners, a super-short descriptive guide to the most recent decisions at the Supreme Court of Canada. Supreme Advocacy LLP offers its more comprehensive weekly electronic newsletter, Supreme Advocacy Letter, summarizing all Appeals, Oral Judgments and Leaves to Appeal granted.

Appeal

Municipal Law/Contracts: Novation
Sainte-Julie (City) v. Investissements Laroda inc., 2025 SCC 44 (41036)

Clarification re Civil Code law re contracts and novation. . . . [more]

On 5 November 2025 the Department of Justice updated the Justice Laws website to, “enhance usability, accessibility, and consistency across government platforms.” per the Canada.ca redesign. However, Justice Laws has been adapting to the evolving digital landscape for over three decades, sometimes with incremental changes and sometimes in noticeable design leaps like this latest iteration. Looking back at its earliest versions reveals how far the provision of electronic federal law has come. This blog post will review the visual history of the website in an effort to show how design choices have always communicated ideas about access to law . . . [more]

As 2025 draws to a close, this column looks back on three high-profile areas of development in Canadian legal ethics and lawyer regulation over the past year. It also flags several major court cases and disciplinary proceedings from 2025, as well as cases to watch for in the year ahead.

Three High-Profile Areas of Development

1. Rule of Law Concerns

The first year of Donald Trump’s second presidential term sent shock waves through the American justice system. In the spring, it was reported that U.S. federal judges were experiencing “unusually high threat levels” amid often vicious partisan attacks. Some began . . . [more]

Every week we present the summary of a decision handed down by a Québec court provided to us by SOQUIJ and considered to be of interest to our readers throughout Canada. SOQUIJ is attached to the Québec Department of Justice and collects, analyzes, enriches, and disseminates legal information in Québec.

FISCALITÉ : Le juge de première instance n’a pas commis d’erreur révisable ni exercé son pouvoir discrétionnaire de manière déraisonnable en rejetant sommairement la contestation fiscale de l’appelant après l’avoir déclarée abusive; la question en litige a été tranchée de manière définitive par la Cour d’appel fédérale.

Intitulé : Clément . . . [more]

As a supplement to our Sunday Summary each month, Supreme Advocacy LLP in Ottawa presents Supreme One-Liners, a super-short descriptive guide to the most recent decisions at the Supreme Court of Canada. Supreme Advocacy LLP offers its more comprehensive weekly electronic newsletter, Supreme Advocacy Letter, summarizing all Appeals, Oral Judgments and Leaves to Appeal granted.

Appeals

Criminal Law: Arrest
R. v. Carignan, 2025 SCC 43 (41186)

Clarifications re s.495 and arrest without warrant.

Oral Judgment

Criminal Law: Sexual Exploitation
R. v. D.,2025 SCC 42 (41754)

Sexual exploitation appeal allowed. . . . [more]

Justice Hamilton (BC SC) recently issued a scathing decision against an unauthorized immigration representative, including a judgment that included more than $80k USD in damages. This decision may become a powerful precedent for other victims of ghost representatives to obtain financial compensation and damages. In my office, we have seen an increase in public interest in pursuing litigation against fraudulent misrepresentation and negligence. I do not practice litigation so I refer these individuals to competent counsel. Justice Hamilton’s decision represents a small step in the right direction and underscores how difficult it can be to hold scammers to account. . . . [more]

In just a few weeks, the Legal Design Journal (the LD Journal)[1] will launch its second edition. Published online and free via open source, the journal is gaining in popularity and success since its maiden voyage in June of 2025.

Unlike some open-access academic journals, the LD Journal does not charge its authors publication fees or its readers a viewing/downloading fee – it is known as “diamond open-access”.

The LD Journal is the first of its kind. An academic journal that connects academics and practitioners of legal design by combining three separate elements: articles, a studio showcase, and . . . [more]

If you’ve been adrift on the internet desperately trying not to drown in the flood of legal information, great news! You’ve found a raft!

No, that’s not really funny. When you’re representing yourself, trying to get to the information you want does often feel like drowning. There’s so much info, mostly not what you need, so you wind up flailing about desperate to stay afloat while the currents try to pull you under. Or you get caught in whirlpools of misinformation. Or weighted down by too much case law.

Few make an intentional choice to dive in and go DIY-lawyering. . . . [more]