Decision highlights CRA’s overzealous tax litigation policy
Monday, November 13, 2017 Sometimes, litigants get so caught up in zealotry that they lose sight of basic underlying factors. That, perhaps, is part of the cost of the adversarial system. But when the zealot is the Crown in a country that faces vexing issues of delays in the court system and access to justice […]
U.S. tax reform to bring double taxation to some Canadians
Changes will hit those with American property, dual citizens with Canadian earnings and even needy startups hoping for VC funds from U.S. February 6, 2018 While much of the commentary on U.S. tax reform has focused on the impact on business, some nasty surprises are in store for individual Canadians, particularly those with dual citizenship […]
When sexist, racist robots discriminate, are their owners at fault?
Artificial intelligence has the potential to wreak havoc on diversity initiatives February 20, 2018 Artificial intelligence (AI), it seems, has become the cutting-edge target for proponents of diversity in the workplace. Some experts claim that AI is increasingly biased against women and non-white people. Even robots, they claim, are being sexist and racist. The bias […]
You can thank provincial taxes for Canada’s higher overall tax rate
Ottawa’s true rate is cheaper than its U.S. counterpart, so it’s really up to the provinces to help fix our corporate competitiveness issue April 18, 2018 The role of provincial tax rates is frequently lost in the brouhaha over the negative impact that U.S. tax reform will have on the Canadian economy. “The difference in […]
Top 10 business decisions of 2019: From orphan wells to Vavilov trilogy
Friday, February 14, 2020 As the second in our two-part series listing the Top 10 business decisions of 2019, here are the five cases that lead the class, in ascending order. 5. Canada (Commissioner of Competition) v. Vancouver Airport Authority 2019 Comp Trib 6 A focus of intense interest among competition law and scholars, this decision from […]
Courts taking consumers out of consumer protection
Monday, May 07, 2018 Two recent decisions from B.C. and Ontario have seen consumers getting the wrong end of the stick from the courts. Forjay Management Ltd. v. 0981478 B.C. Ltd. 2018 BCSC 527 is the more egregious of the two, evidencing a judicial disdain from B.C.’s Supreme Court for one of Canadian society’s most pressing […]
Chatbot aids firms’ privacy compliance by tagging clients’ exposure to data breach laws
‘Parker,’ with AI conversations, could save businesses from giant fines imposed by GDPR, PIPEDA legislation July 4, 2018 A chatbot named Parker will help clients of the global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright navigate new rules around how companies handle their customers’ personal information. The launch of the bot continues the steady incursion of artificial-intelligence-powered software […]
Cannabis Is a Complicated Business
Politics and societal moral concerns add layers of complexity to legitimizing the sale of cannabis Jul 5, 2018 It’s not often that a handful of Canadian stocks get the attention of Barron’s, the venerable newspaper that, for the most part, covers US financial information and market developments. But not only did Canada’s cannabis stocks get attention, they […]
Will the US trade wars affect Canada?
Lawyers are advising their clients to look at new markets on both the supply and demand ends Jul 4, 2018 EVEN AS THE US and China ramped up their trade war rhetoric, international trade lawyer Darrel Pearson found himself busier than he’s ever been in his 36 years of practice. “We anticipate that the workload will continue to […]
Finally, a judgment against CRA for negligence in audit of business
Court finds tax collector took certain positions for strategic reasons rather than good faith legal reasons. There will be an appeal September 6, 2018 A Quebec Superior Court judgment awarding two Montreal businessmen nearly $5 million in damages against the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) means taxpayers may have an easier time holding the tax collector […]