Friday, April 24, 2020 Unlike cash, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), or national cryptocurrencies, are an excellent fit in a world where social distancing is the norm and disease outbreak prevention has moved to the forefront of societal concerns. “Because national cryptocurrencies are defined as legal tender from the get-go, there are no issues about […]
Thursday, April 09, 2020 As Natalie MacDonald sees it, flexibility is the core strategy for employers and employees seeking to survive the vortex of economic chaos and COVID-19 that now permeates our society and the world. “Employers, if the employee can use their vacation or pay in lieu of time off, let them,” said the […]
Tuesday, March 24, 2020 Cryptocurrency remains, in many ways, a novel asset class. No surprise, then, that courts in many jurisdictions are still trying to figure out how their law applies to the phenomenon. “The overarching theme is whether cryptocurrency is property or not, and the answer depends on the cryptocurrency’s architecture,” said John Kim, […]
March 10, 2020 The majority (79 per cent) of pension fund and private equity professionals expect their passive private equity allocations to either stay the same or increase in 2020, according to a new survey by Torys LLP. Pension funds, in particular, cited competition for new investment opportunities (65 per cent) and pressure from limited partners […]
March 3, 2020 The British Columbia Supreme Court has ruled that a clause in an employment agreement mandating arbitration as a way of resolving wrongful dismissal disputes doesn’t illegally contract out of provincial employment standards legislation. The ruling departs from Ontario jurisprudence that’s currently under appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. “The B.C. judge […]
Tuesday, March 03, 2020 In this, the first of our three-part series examining legal developments in the cryptocurrency arena, we take a look at the state of cryptocurrency regulation in Canada and elsewhere. “The uncertainty about whether cryptocurrencies should be regulated as currency, commodities or securities continues both globally and especially in Canada,” said Lori […]
February 26, 2020 The issue of whether long-term disability claims are arbitrable or matters for the court, which has plagued Ontario’s hospital sector for over a quarter of a century, is on its way to the Supreme Court of Canada. “The current state of the law, which denies employees seeking long-term disability benefits under insurance […]
February 24, 2020 The Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled that Bell and its related companies, including Bell Canada, Bell Media Inc., Expertech Network Installation Inc. and Bell Mobility Inc., have been miscalculating the cost-of-living adjustment due to their 35,000 pensioners since 2017. The judgment could cost the telecommunications company up to $100 million and signal […]
Canada’s homegrown law firms are holding their own in Legal Week’s international law firm rankings October 17, 2016 Canada’s homegrown law firms, the ones who have not been absorbed by the global behemoths and who still have most of their lawyers in Canada, are holding their own in international law firm rankings. Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt […]
January 10, 2017 The Supreme Court of Canada is clamping down on the use of a legal tool that has allowed some taxpayers to lower their tax bills. In two separate decisions, one involving Fairmont Hotels and the other Jean Coutu, the Supreme Court has restricted access to a legal remedy called “rectification” to prevent […]