Articles 2025

Canada is tightening immigration pathways ahead of the 2025 election, raising CRS cut-offs and imposing stricter LMIA rules. These changes hinder skilled workers and international students from achieving permanent residency, citing public concerns over housing, healthcare, and labour markets. With reduced targets for coming years, policymakers face the challenge of balancing voter concerns with demographic and economic needs.

The Supreme Court of Canada’s hearing of Dorinela Pepa v. Minister of Citizenship and Immigration could reshape immigration law. At issue: whether the Immigration Appeal Division fairly denied an appeal, balancing procedural fairness against administrative efficiency. The decision will have major implications for statutory rights and justice in Canada’s immigration system.

The authors examine Mississauga Majors v. Provincial Women’s Softball Association, in which the Applicant, the Mississauga Majors Baseball Association, a not-for-profit corporation that offers baseball and softball leagues exclusively for youth and young adult females (the “Majors”), sought a declaration from the court directing the Respondent, the Provincial Women’s Softball Association, which is the governing body for women’s softball in Ontario, to comply with its by-laws.

Following are our summaries of the civil decisions of the Court of Appeal for Ontario for the week of December 2, 2024.

Following are our summaries of the civil decisions of the Court of Appeal for Ontario for the week of November 25, 2024.

On Friday, November 8, 2024, the Supreme Court of Canada (the “SCC”) released two unanimous decisions, Auer v. Auer, 2024 SCC 36 (“Auer”) and TransAlta Generation Partnership v. Alberta, 2024 SCC 37 (“TransAlta”) clarifying the standard of review for judicial review of subordinate legislation, including ministerial regulations. The below article explores how these cases may affect Municipal and Planning Law matters in Ontario.

At a recent OBA Elder Law Section program on representing elderly clients in litigation, participants learned about navigating the complexities of representing elderly clients with a focus in estates, personal injury and employment law. Key takeaways included indicators to watch for when assessing a client’s capacity, tips for addressing frequent concerns or difficulties that can arise and how to address them, and understanding the difference between section 3 counsel and litigation guardians.

Ahead of the December 5, 2024, OBA screening of the smallest steps, director Nicole Bedford discusses her compelling documentary on gender-based violence and activism. In this interview, she shares how personal stories from veteran activists inspired the film, explores the power of small actions to drive change, and reflects on the importance of legal professionals in addressing violence.

Following are this week’s summaries of the Court of Appeal for Ontario for the week of November 18, 2024.