27 February 2018
By Cynthia SpryIn Aird & Berlis LLP v. Oravital Inc., the Court of Appeal recently overturned a decision: (1) granting summary judgment to a law firm for unpaid fees and disbursements; and (2) dismissing the counterclaim by the law firm’s former clients (two corporations) alleging negligent provision of legal advice and representation. The decision emphasizes that, even where all parties agree that an action is appropriate for summary judgment, it is nonetheless open to the courts to disagree and order a matter proceed to trial.
20 February 2018
By Shakaira JohnIn an earlier post, we discussed the Ontario Securities Commission’s (“OSC”) Whistleblower Program under OSC Policy 15-601 and, in particular, the OSC’s focus on promoting awareness of whistleblower protections despite criticisms of their efficacy. Recently, legislative amendments gave teeth to whistleblower protections by creating a civil cause of action for reprisals, potentially resolving one of the criticisms of the program (highlighted in our earlier post).
12 February 2018
By Khrystina McMillanI think I was in high school when I first heard the story about a contest held by NASA offering a hefty cash prize to anyone who could invent an anti-gravity pen for use in outer space. While many of the country’s greatest minds set out to design such a “space pen”, pouring millions of dollars and countless hours into the task, according to legend the contest was won by a young child who simply wrote: “Why not use a pencil?”
5 February 2018
By Uri SnirIt is increasingly common for Canadians to be living on their own as they enter retirement: it is a living arrangement that some plan for, while others do not. Whether single, separated, divorced or widowed, Canadians who live on their own in retirement face several challenges.
29 January 2018
By Khrystina McMillanIn a decision released last Thursday, January 25, 2018, the Ontario Court of Appeal considered for the first time the definition of a “person in a special relationship with an issuer” as it applies to successive tippees who possess inside information. In Finkelstein v Ontario Securities Commission, the Court of Appeal upheld findings of liability and significant sanctions against Howard Miller and Francis Cheng – the final two recipients in a five-person long chain of successive tippees – even though neither Miller nor Cheng knew that the source of the information was an insider. According to the Court of Appeal, however, they ought to have known that they were acting on inside information.
22 January 2018
By Shakaira John15 January 2018
By Uri Snir19 December 2017
By Morgan WestgateIn what appears to be the last judgment written by Chief Justice McLachlin before her retirement this past weekend, the Supreme Court of Canada considered the scope of the doctrine of proprietary estoppel. The Cowper-Smith v. Morgan decision considers proprietary estoppel in the context of an acrimonious estate dispute, and may have significant implications in respect of equitable proprietary claims.
11 December 2017
By Uri SnirThe Ontario Securities Commission (“OSC”) recently released a research study on the investment habits of millennials, entitled “Missing Out: Millennials and the Markets” (the “Study”). The Study was conducted online between May 5th and 12th, 2017 among a representative sample of 1,585 Ontarians, 18 to 36 years old. It finds that 80% of millennials are saving, but less than 50% are investing.
4 December 2017
By Khrystina McMillan