Articles 2023

Today
Today

Pollution Exclusion Clauses: When do Ontario courts allow an insurer to limit recovery for environmental damages?

  • April 19, 2022
  • Nicole Tzannidakis, Dentons Canada LLP

This article reviews the decision of the Ontario Superior Court in the case of Kin v Ecclesiastical. The application was brought as a result of the claim brought by the purchaser of the property for damages due to the discovery of underground storage tanks. The applicants were the defendants in the claim and the issue dealt with by the court, and reviewed in this article, relates to the determination of insurance coverage and application of the pollution exclusion clauses.

Environmental Law, Student Forum

Expanding Administrative Penalties for Environmental Contraventions

  • April 19, 2022
  • Rizwan Khan, Counsel, Viridius Lex LLP

This article provides an explanation and overview of the new administrative penalty regime (“AMP”) proposed for the enforcement of Ontario's environmental laws. The article reviews the process for the issuance of an AMP under the proposed regulations and the approach applied for the calculation of penalty amounts. Note that the associated draft regulations implementing the administrative penalty regime have not yet been posted on the ERO for review and comment.

Environmental Law, Student Forum

Ontario Land Tribunal Cost Awards: Are Municipalities Exempt?

  • April 14, 2022
  • Meredith Baker, Turkstra Mazza Associates

Are municipalities free to conduct themselves as they see fit in proceedings before the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT, formerly known as the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal and before that, the Ontario Municipal Board) without the threat of costs being awarded against them? In short, the answer is no. Municipalities are not exempt from cost awards. This article explains why.

Municipal Law, Student Forum

Expropriation Law: 2021 A Year In Review

  • April 14, 2022
  • John S. Doherty, Gowling WLG, Roberto Aburto, Gowling WLG, Sahil Shoor, Gowling WLG, Carolina Campos, Gowling WLG, Tristan Neill, Gowling WLG

Gowling WLG 's Expropriation Law Group summarizes several complex and compelling expropriation cases from across Canada in 2021. The team highlights a number of important issues and key takeaways for those parties involved in the expropriation process. The court decisions are not listed in rank order.

Municipal Law, Student Forum

Refreshing Update to the Ontario Planning Act Now In Force

  • April 14, 2022
  • Mark Giavedoni, Gowling WLG; Robert Jackson, Gowling WLG

On Jan. 1, 2022 amendments to the Ontario Planning Act were proclaimed. As a result of these amendments, a good number of unfortunate traps have been done away with. This article summarizes those amendments.

Municipal Law, Student Forum
Head shot photo of author Avery Lee

The First Trademark Application for a Hologram Filed in Canada by a Trademark Agent

  • April 14, 2022
  • Avery Lee, Keyser Mason Ball, LLP

Avery Lee is a talented young IP lawyer and the very first Trademark Agent to file a trademark application for a hologram in Canada. While he recognizes that his hologram is not as impressive as the larger scale holograms displayed by projectors or viewed with special glasses, he hopes that his trademark application can serve as a building block for other applicants and Trademark Agents.

Student Forum, Information Technology and Intellectual Property Law, Young Lawyers' Division
Old-fashioned sepia ad with picture of car and slogan 'this is not your father's Oldsmobile'

Preparing a Kick-Ass Mediation Brief

  • April 14, 2022
  • Stuart Rudner

The digital age has changed the capabilities of how a mediation brief can read, look and feel. In this article, Stuart Rudner outlines some key strategies advocates can use when presenting their cases for mediation, which is one of the - if not the most - major steps in employment and civil disputes.

Alternative Dispute Resolution, Student Forum

ESG as the Next Frontier in Privacy and Data Governance: Moving Beyond Regulatory Compliance

  • April 11, 2022
  • Ronak Shah and George Boynton Payne

Ronak Shah and George Boynton Payne discuss a growing trend among organizations to include privacy and data governance metrics and disclosure as part of their environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting framework, and highlight practical steps an organization can take to move beyond a traditional regulatory compliance approach to privacy and security.

Privacy Law, Student Forum