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 […]
Don’t get too excited about the latest Canadian law firm rankings
Thursday, April 26, 2018 With a passing glance at Acritas’ Canadian Law Firm Brand Index 2018, many Canadian firms who have resisted the impulse to merge with global giants might just be patting themselves on the back. But the self-congratulation probably shouldn’t go too far, because any euphoria would be a tad hasty and somewhat […]
More waiting could be in store for Nortel pensioners
May 1, 2018 A move by the Financial Services Commission of Ontario to reclaim $200 million from monies allocated to pensioners in the Nortel Networks Corp. bankruptcy could leave their recovery — up in the air since 2009 — in limbo for another four years. In an application filed with the commission, Mark Zigler of […]
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 […]
A look at Sears’ U.S. pension prospects as Canadian windup ordered
April 30, 2018 Whatever the fate of Sears Holdings Corp.’s operations in the United States, the company’s American pensioners are likely to emerge better off than their Canadian counterparts. Much of that is due to the broad powers available to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., which regulates pensions in the United States. “The PBGC can act […]
A closer look at Ontario political parties’ pension, benefits promises
May 30, 2018 Despite not yet announcing its election platform, Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Party may have the greatest potential for affecting pensions and benefits in Ontario. “The Conservatives’ broad focus on balancing the budget, which may result in their rationalizing OHIP and delisting some services, represents the real impact potential in this election,” says Anneliesje […]
Internet research by jurors and judges during cases challenged
‘Judges shouldn’t be doing their own research about the dispute or the parties except to the extent that the information is in open court’ June 5, 2018 Toronto lawyer Paul Slansky has alleged that judges or court staff at the Federal Court of Canada (FCC) appear to have conducted independent internet searches of his client’s […]
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 […]
Ontario’s pension-solvency rules mean non-unionized workers can’t get the best plan
‘We should urgently be doing everything possible to protect the financial future of 60% or 70% of Ontario workers who have no pension’ July 10, 2018 The Ontario government’s policy of granting preferential pension funding rules to unionized workplaces may be impairing the ability of workers in non-union and non-profit workplaces to prepare and plan […]