Articles

The following articles are published by OBA Sections, including the Student Section. Members are encouraged to submit articles.

Editor: Yoann Emian

Today
Today
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

The Standard of Review for Jurisdiction Decisions in International Commercial Arbitration – An Update on Recent Jurisdiction Decisions

  • April 08, 2022
  • Chloe Snider and Karin Kazakevich

Ontario and BC courts have recently taken conflicting approaches to the standard of review of jurisdictional decisions in international commercial arbitration under the UNCITRAL Model Law. In this article, Chloe Snider and Karin Kazakevich explore this case law in detail, including the theoretical differences between the correctness standard and a hearing de novo.

Alternative Dispute Resolution, International Law, Student Forum

The Right of Family Members to Sue in Respect of a Workplace Fatality

  • April 08, 2022
  • Cassandra Ma, Filion Wakely Thorup Angeletti LLP

It is well known that workers’ compensation benefits are in lieu of the accident-related damages that can be civilly claimed by a worker or their estate. What happens, however, to the rights of action held by family members who are not part of a deceased worker’s estate or dependents? Do these family members retain the right to commence civil litigation in respect of a work-related fatality?

Student Forum, Workers' Compensation

Sending Documents to and Receiving Documents from the WSIAT Electronically

  • April 07, 2022
  • Sarah Schumacher, Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal

Learn how the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal (WSIAT) sends and receives documents electronically and where you can find more information on the WSIAT's E-Share and E-File services.

Student Forum, Workers' Compensation

No Compensable Harm, No Class Action

  • April 07, 2022
  • Ethan Schiff, Bennett Jones LLP

In Chow v Facebook, the BC Supreme Court joins several other courts in declining to certify class actions based on a lack of "compensable" harm. The Court held that deployment of judicial resources where there was no evidence of compensable harm "would be the antitheses of judicial economy and would not provide meaningful access to justice."

Class Actions, Student Forum

Insurer Cannot Rely on Total Pollution Exclusion to Refuse Duty to Defend in Negligence Claim

  • April 06, 2022
  • Beryl Meng

In Hemlow Estate v. Co-operators General Insurance Co, 2021 ONCA 908, the Ontario Court of Appeal held that the insurer had a duty to defend a claim relating to the negligence of the insured, which resulted in the insured’s own death and property damage at the location where he was working. The court affirmed that the Pollution Exclusion did not apply, as the claim was based in negligence and breach of contract, and not from the escape of a pollutant.

Insurance Law, Student Forum

The Enforcement of Restrictive Covenants Against Non-Contracting Parties

  • April 05, 2022
  • Idan Erez, Hoffer Adler LLP

Restrictive covenants, such as non-compete and non-solicitation clauses, are a common feature of franchise agreements - but how far does the scope of enforcement extend? Despite tenets of privity, Courts have demonstrated a willingness to bind non-contracting third parties in certain franchising contexts. This article discusses the evolution of judicial consideration, and examines a recent B.C. Court of Appeal decision providing welcomed guidance on these issues.

Franchise Law, Student Forum

Corporation Fined, Director Imprisoned for Contempt in Copyright Infringement Decision

  • April 04, 2022
  • Sepal Bonni

In a rare decision, the Federal Court of Canada found a party in contempt of court for breaching the terms of two previous judgments concerning copyright infringement, resulting in a severe fine and imprisonment of a director of the infringing. It serves as a reminder that courts take intellectual property protection seriously and will impose liability on both infringing corporations and on their directors when necessary and appropriate.

Charity and Not-For-Profit Law, Canadian Corporate Counsel Association - Ontario Chapter, Student Forum