Resources, Articles, & Advocacy
Article | November 17, 2025
Attend Examinations for Discovery… Or Else?
Two recent decisions of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice consider the consequences of parties' failure to attend examinations for discovery in the wrongful dismissal context.
Article | November 17, 2025
More Entries from “The Totally Not Fake Dictionary of Ontario Employment Law”
A sequel to Mitchell Rose' "The Totally Not Fake Dictionary of Ontario Employment Law".
Article | November 17, 2025
Strategic Use of New Rules: Practical Tips for Litigators
Read about strategic considerations that all litigators should have in mind with the upcoming changes to Ontario's Rules of Civil Procedure.
Article | November 16, 2025
Old Cargo in New Vessels: A Simple Guide to Smart Contracts
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.
Advocacy | November 14, 2025
Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of November 10
Ontario Fall Economic Statement: The Ontario government tabled their Fall Economic Statement on Thursday providing updates on their plan to "Protect Ontario". The projected deficit is down by $1.1 billion compared to the projections in the 2025 budget, while the unemployment rate is expected to rise by 1%, to 7.8%. The government still plans to balance the books by 2027-28.
Article | November 12, 2025
Port of Entry Practice: Insights, Challenges, and Best Practices for Counsel
The OBA Immigration Section hosted a session with CBSA officials and senior immigration lawyers to discuss evolving port of entry issues, including TRPs, criminal rehabilitation, work permits, flagpoling, section 44 reports, enforcement flags, and searches of electronic devices. CBSA emphasized the importance of complete, well-organized applications and confirmed that officers cannot pause adjudications to request missing documents. Criminal rehabilitation applications should generally be submitted to consulates, not at the border, due to the risk of refusal. Flagpoling restrictions continue nationwide, and TRPs cannot be used to bypass them. For work permits, clients should bring full documentation and ensure processing occurs before leaving the port. Enforcement flag removals must be approved by a minister’s delegate, and CBSA clarified that device searches are limited to cases with reasonable grounds, with safeguards for solicitor-client privilege. The discussion highlighted that preparation, completeness, and client awareness are key to success at the border.
Article | November 11, 2025
Canadian Immigration for Americans: An LGBTQ+ Immigration Lawyer’s Perspective
As the rights of the American 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and in particular the trans community, continue to be under serious attack, many 2SLGBTQIA+ Americans are beginning to consider immigration to Canada, where they may experience greater legal protections. Adrienne Smith, an immigration lawyer who assists 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals in her practice, discusses the recent uptick in immigration inquiries from trans and non-binary Americans, and the challenges these individuals face in making a refugee claim in Canada.
