Resources, Articles, & Advocacy
Advocacy | June 11, 2025
Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of June 9
Legislative Update | June 06, 2025
Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of June 2
Ford Government Passes Mining Legislation: Bill 5, or the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, passed third reading this week and has been granted royal assent by the lieutenant governor. The legislation will create so-called special economic zones where laws, ranging from municipal approvals to environmental rules or even labour law, won’t apply. At Queen’s Park on Wednesday, cries of protest rang out from the galleries inside the legislature as MPPs voted. Indigenous leaders have vowed to keep fighting against the legislation.
Article | June 03, 2025
Past, Present, and Future Perspectives on the Notwithstanding Clause
The notwithstanding clause, s. 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, is a constitutional provision that plays a significant role in some of Canada’s most recent controversial legal issues. In December, the Ontario Bar Association gathered legal, policy, and political experts to discuss its use. The event featured a full day of engaging conversations and critical analysis. The day began with a historical overview of the Charter and the origins of the notwithstanding clause, delivered by Dr. Thomas Axworthy. The later panel discussions explored key trends in its use to date, as well as perspectives on the pros and cons of invoking the notwithstanding clause in the future.
Article | June 03, 2025
Case Comment: Injunctive Relief in the Context of a Constitutional Challenge to Toronto’s Bike Lanes
In October 2024, the Government of Ontario enacted the Reducing Gridlock, Saving Your Time Act, 2024. On November 21, 2024, the Ontario government introduced an amendment that would require the Minister of Transportation to remove three bike lanes on Bloor Street, Yonge Street, and University Avenue in the City of Toronto (the “Target Bike Lane Removal Provision”). The impugned provision was part of a series of amendments to the Highway Traffic Act in which Ontario has, among other things, required that the City of Toronto seek provincial government approval prior to installing bike lanes that would reduce the number of lanes available for motor vehicle travel. A non-profit cycling advocacy organization and two Toronto residents (the “Applicants”) brought a motion for an interlocutory injunction prohibiting the Ontario government from implementing the Target Bike Lane Removal Provision.
Tribunals Ontario | June 03, 2025
HRTO- Updates to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario’s Rules of Procedure, Practice Directions, and Processes
Effective June 1, 2025, the HRTO is launching a mandatory mediation process.
