Resources, Articles, & Advocacy
Legislative Update | June 27, 2025
Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of June 23
Crime Bill with Tougher Bail, Sentencing Provisions Coming in Fall: The federal government will table a bill this fall introducing stricter bail conditions and sentencing for some crimes, particularly those involving organized crime, human trafficking, home invasion and car theft. Justice Minister Sean Fraser says the government will “at minimum” implement the crime policies the Liberals promised during the spring federal election. These include making bail more difficult to get for some offences. They also promised tougher sentencing guidelines for repeat car thieves and violent and organized crime, and to allow for consecutive sentencing for some cases of car theft and for serious and violent offences.
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
Entertainment Law Fundamentals: Lessons from the Frontlines – A Recap of a Fabulous Event
On April 8, 2025, the Ontario Bar Association’s Entertainment, Media, and Communications Law Section hosted Entertainment Law Fundamentals at the OBA Conference Centre in Toronto. The event demystified the glitz and glamour of this dynamic area of practice through a candid and compelling conversation with three experienced entertainment lawyers: Laura Wilson-Lewis (Warner Music Canada), Tara Parker (Goodmans LLP), and Adrian Barnardo (Taylor Oballa Murray Leyland LLP).
Article | June 03, 2025
The Hatter and a Clock That Ran Out of Rights
January 15 is celebrated as National Hat Day, a throwback to a time when no outfit was complete without a hat. By the 1980s hats had become novelties, but on January 15, 2025, they roared back into relevance: Ontario Premier Doug Ford donned a bright blue cap reading “CANADA IS NOT FOR SALE.” The hat, a gift from Ottawa branding agency Jackpine, exploded across social media, and by dawn on January 16, Jackpine’s Shopify store had logged more than 8,000 orders.That same morning, an Ontario resident registered canadaisnotforsalehat.ca, quickly launching an independent online storefront selling hats bearing the same slogan.
