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An interview with Hyunju (Crystal) Park, CPD Liaison on the OBA Business Law Section Executive.

An interview with Tinju Thomas, Secretary on the OBA Business Law Section.

An interview with Avechi Chimara, Vice-Chair of the OBA Business Law Section Executive.

An interview with Monique Rabideau, Co-Chair of Continuing Professional Development Programming, Chair of the Securities Law Committee, and member of the Business Law Section Executive.

Interview with Kathleen Robichaud, Member-at-Large on the OBA Business Law Section Executive.

An interview with Mark Simon, Regional Representative on the OBA Business Law Executive.

An interview with Colleen Colemn Wright, Member-at-Large.on the OBA Business Law Section Executive.

An interview with Tulu Harsa, Member-at-Large on the OBA Business Law Section Executive.

An interview with Devon Molloy, Member-at-Large on the OBA Business Law Section Executive.

An interview with Carrie Ritchie, Member-at-Large on the OBA Business Law Section Executive.

As Canada prepares to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, businesses face legal risks from ambush marketing, which involves unauthorized association with major events either through direct IP infringement or indirect suggestive tactics, both of which harm official sponsors and mislead the public. Canada lacks a broad legal ban on ambush marketing except for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, but consumer protection and IP laws like the Competition Act, Trademarks Act, and Copyright Act provide remedies against misleading representations and unauthorized use of protected marks and artistic works, with penalties including injunctions, damages, and substantial fines. Advertisers and event organizers are advised to carefully review campaigns and contracts to avoid legal violations and protect brand integrity, seeking legal guidance as needed.

In this Q&A, Business Law Section Chair Avram Musafija talks about the challenges and most fulfilling aspects of his work, offers his best advice and lessons learned, and shares what excites him most about a busy year for the Section Executive. 

Kathleen Robichaud emphasizes that email is a powerful but imperfect communication tool for lawyers and should be used thoughtfully and professionally. She highlights the importance of deciding whether a reply is necessary, replying only to appropriate recipients, and avoiding accidental disclosures through careless use of “Reply All” or auto-fill. Lawyers should read emails in full, keep message chains concise, and use clear, updated subject lines. Tone and formality matter, as email remains a formal communication in legal practice. Robichaud also cautions that email is insecure and unreliable, making it unsuitable for sensitive information, and stresses the value of organizing email effectively to enhance efficiency and communication quality.

Smart contracts are poised to reshape the way many businesses negotiate, store, and execute their agreements. In 2024, smart contracts – which store and execute agreements on a Blockchain – made up USD $2.02 billion in global transactional value, with projections forecasting that figure to reach USD $815.86 billion by 2034. In light of this rapid growth, this article looks to explore the ‘what, why, and how’ of smart contracts from the practitioner’s point of view, preparing them for a new frontier in commercial law by providing a list of best practices to adopt.

The article analyzes how Budget 2025 aims to promote innovation in Canada, and presents a growth opportunity for business lawyers in the space.

This article explores the current legal and regulatory landscape and addresses key considerations regarding privacy and data security in the context of M&A, highlighting the importance of due diligence, legal considerations, and best practices for Canadian lawyers and businesses – both pre- and post-closing. The importance of promptly addressing identified risks to ensure compliance and safeguard the business is also considered.

Between January 1, 2024 and December 31, 2026, business owners can access significant tax benefits when selling a qualifying business to an employee ownership trust ("EOT") pursuant to a transaction that constitutes a qualifying business transfer. Among other benefits, eligible vendors are entitled to receive a shared pool of up to $10 million in capital gains deductions (the "EOT Deduction").

Canada’s ratification of the Apostille Convention replaces the traditional – time-consuming and complex – legalization process with a standardized one-page Apostille certificate that, once issued, is recognized as valid by all member countries without further authentication. This benefits individuals by easing international mobility for work, education, or personal business and helps businesses by smoothing cross-border transactions. Canada's adoption of the Convention is not without challenges, including the delay in implementing electronic Apostilles, which limits efficiency. Still, Canada’s accession to the Convention is a major step toward global integration and strengthens its legal and commercial ties with member countries.

We are pleased to share that through the Ontario Business Registry (OBR), the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement has made great strides to ensure there are a variety of convenient and secure service channel options available to Ontario businesses, Service Providers (1), and Intermediary Organizations (2). This notice is to inform you about our expanding service delivery options and the requirements of a Company Key to access the OBR system.

Franchise Law is a trap for the unwary lawyer. The consequences of getting it wrong can be significant, not only to the public, the client, and to various individuals related to the client, but also for the lawyer. According to LawPRO’s most recent statistics the average dollar value of a negligence claim against lawyers in franchise matters was approximately five times the claim value in almost every other area of law.

In May, the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) announced a set of initiatives it is testing to support early-stage capital raising for Ontario businesses. The initiatives include an extension of Ontario Instrument 45-507 Self-Certified Investor Prospectus Exemption (Interim Class Order), which permits Ontario investors who may not meet the accredited investor financial criteria, but have qualifying education or work experience, to invest in private Ontario businesses.

Business owners can now access significant tax benefits when selling a qualifying business to an employee ownership trust pursuant to a transaction that constitutes a qualifying business transfer. Among other benefits, eligible vendors are entitled to receive a shared pool of up to $10 million in capital gains deductions. This article will provide an overview of the eligibility requirements and an outline of the various benefits of EOT Transactions.

Effective January 22, 2024, private corporations governed by the <em>Canada Business Corporations Act</em> are required to publicly disclose their individuals with “significant control” (“ISCs”); however, the ISC identification rules remain murky in their application to shareholders that are trusts. Government guidance is urgently required to ensure corporations and shareholders can properly meet these new obligations.

With the May 31 deadline for filing a report less than a month away, Canada's Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act ("S-211") is now a "front burner" item for many Canadian businesses.

On December 7, 2023, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada released an article with nine principles intended to guide developers, providers and organizations to properly navigate the development and use of generative artificial intelligence. Privacy concerns arise where the AI is trained on data sets that include personal information.

Insurance can be a useful tool for someone preparing their estate plan. In this article, Jay Hershfield and Holly LeValliant discuss the unique advantages insurance has for business owners. They discuss how a business owner may use insurance to provide for the smooth transfer of their business, to equalize their estate, and to maximize the value of their estate.

This article summarizes the decision in Badesha v. Cronos Group, Inc., 2023 ONSC 5678, which considered when a court will take jurisdiction over claims of certain class member purchasers of securities on a foreign exchange.