New Competition Bureau commissioner targets telecom, pharma and infrastructure industry
The Bureau is in the final stages of hiring a chief digital enforcement officer, with the mandate to improve and modernize the regulator’s approach to digital enforcement May 23, 2019 10:44 AM EDT Less than three months after his appointment as Canada’s Commissioner of Competition, Matthew Boswell’s presence is already being felt. Boswell, a former […]
Don’t fall for the old ‘It’s standard’ line from a real estate agent. There’s nothing standard about their forms
Even when caught up in bidding wars, don’t rush it. You may end up signing documents that let the vendors off the hook for myriad issues July 18, 2018 If unaffordable prices, bidding wars and news that the real estate industry is supplying questionable statistics to the public isn’t enough, homebuyers must also deal with […]
Conrad Black wins $32.3 million loan case against the CRA
Entitled to deduct interest expenses on 2004 Quest loan he used to satisfy judgments against himself and Hollinger Inc. Julius Melnitzer | June 21, 2019 5:03 PM EDT The Tax Court of Canada has ruled that former media mogul Conrad Black is entitled to deduct interest expenses on a $32.3 million loan he used to satisfy judgments […]
Why parent companies may soon be unable to claim immunity from their subsidiary’s liabilities
A new look at corporate social responsibility June 25, 2019 12:51 PM EDT The corporate veil — the hallowed legal concept that separates the personality and liabilities of a parent company from that of its subsidiaries — is coming under attack as courts around the world struggle with the ever-extending reach of multinational organizations. While […]
Should employer-provided parking be considered a taxable benefit?
The Federal Court of Appeal has ruled that an airport parking pass provided to a flight attendant by a commercial airline is an employee benefit for the purposes of income because he received “economic value” from the pass despite the fact that the employer provided it to improve its employees’ reliability and flexibility. “The established […]
Protecting Brands in North America
The USMCA, which is yet to be ratified, would affect several significant aspects of Canadian copyright, patent and trademark law and practice When and if the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is ratified by all parties, US attorneys and in-house counsel seeking to prosecute or enforce their clients’ intellectual property rights in Canada will notice its […]
Canadian pension funds welcome proposed tax changes on U.S. real estate investments
Canadian pension funds are welcoming proposed regulations from the U.S. Department of the Treasury that clarify the sweeping exemption from U.S. tax on real estate available to qualified foreign pension funds. “The previous regulatory framework reduced our demand for real estate in the U.S. and, as importantly, increased the cost and complexity of our structuring,” says […]
FP Dealmakers: After a tough first half, Bay Street bets on low interest rates driving more deals
Mining was a bright spot, but trade tensions and prospects of higher interest rates sucked the life out of deal flow in the first half of 2019 Bay Street’s top dealmakers blamed trade headwinds and prospects of higher interest rates for disappointing issuer activity in the first half of the year, but expect the outlook […]
Trade’s New Realities
If it feels like the tariff and trade rules are changing every day, it’s because they are For lawyers working in international trade law – not to mention their clients – it’s a strange new world indeed. “We’ve been working forever in an atmosphere of liberal trade, and we’ve never seen anything like the current […]
Understanding the New IP Laws
Between the USMCA, the updated Patent Act and the newly written Trademarks Act, lots has changed When and if the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is ratified by all parties, US attorneys and in-house counsel seeking to prosecute or enforce their clients’ intellectual property rights in Canada will notice its impact immediately. The agreement, which is […]