Articles 2020

Today
Today

Breach of Trust in Ontario Construction Projects and the Timeline to Pay

  • October 28, 2021
  • Ivan Merrow

In the recent case Clearwater Structures v. 614128 Ontario Ltd. o/a Trisan Construction, 2021 ONSC 5601 (CanLII), the court suggests that in addition to obligations to segregate and hold funds for trust beneficiaries in the Act, there may also be circumstances where there is an implied obligation to pay those trust funds in a timely fashion.

Construction and Infrastructure Law, Student Forum
Inna Koldorf, Miller Thomson LLP

Ontario Court Upholds Just Cause Termination Provision

  • October 28, 2021
  • Inna Koldorf, Miller Thomson LLP

In a recent decision, the Ontario Superior Court rejected a Plaintiff’s argument that the entire termination scheme in an employment agreement was unenforceable because the agreement contained a “just cause” provision. Relying on contract law principles, the Court distinguished Waksdale v. Swegon North America Inc. and reminded employment lawyers that every case should be considered on its own facts.

Labour and Employment Law, Student Forum

Fair Compensation or Unjustified Temptation to Compromise?: An Empirical Review of Requests for Honorarium Awards in Canadian Class Actions

  • October 27, 2021
  • Marie Ong, articling student at Alexander Holburn Beaudin + Lang LLP, 2021 Winner of Harvey T Strosberg Essay Competition

The recent trend of increasing resistance to honorarium awards is unfortunate because it may result in another barrier in terms of promoting access to justice. While there is no guarantee of honorarium awards in the current regime, making honorariums more rare may mean that potential plaintiffs will be less willing to assume the role of representative plaintiff if they will not be compensated for their time and effort and could have an impact on future class-action litigation.

Class Actions, Student Forum
Neha Chugh

How Lawyers Can Learn From Failure

  • October 27, 2021
  • Neha Chugh, Chugh Law

As great as it can be to celebrate success, Neha Chugh has an important message about the importance of learning from failure. Lawyers don’t often talk about our failures. But sharing our stories of failure will authenticate lawyers, remind us of our humanity, and allow for learning and growth.

Family Law, Student Forum

Enlisting the Court's Gatekeeping Function: Threshold Motions in Will Challenges

  • October 26, 2021
  • Jenny Bogod and Christina Canestraro, lawyers at Rosen Sack LLP

Recent case law in Ontario illustrates how the Courts exercise their gatekeeping function to ensure litigants in Will challenges meet a minimum evidentiary threshold. These cases provide important guidance for counsel and parties preparing for similar threshold motions.

Elder Law, Student Forum

Pinon v Ottawa (City) – Strategically framed pleadings and preferable procedure

  • October 23, 2021
  • Jonathan Bradford, McKenzie Lake Lawyers

Plaintiffs generally have great flexibility in how they choose to frame their causes of action without court interference. If a plaintiff chooses to structure their litigation in an unconventional manner, they alone bear the risk of an unfavourable outcome. However, as recently confirmed by the Divisional Court in Pinon v Ottawa, in the context of a class action it is appropriate for the court to consider how pleadings are framed when deciding the preferable procedure criterion under the CPA.

Class Actions, Student Forum