The registered charities provisions of the Income Tax Act (ITA) feature a number of obscure terms. That makes registered charities vulnerable to inadvertent non-compliance. It means prudent organizations need to keep a keen eye on regulatory trends and emerging issues. Looming regulatory concerns … [Read more...]
Bankruptcy Increases Among the Young and Old
A recent bankruptcy study by my firm found that the average person who files for bankruptcy in Canada is 44 years old. He is likely to be married, may have a mortgage, and owes almost $53,000 in unsecured debt. In fact, the clear majority of insolvent debtors, 77%, are between the ages of 30 and … [Read more...]
Human Rights Laws and Inclusion of New Grounds—Criminal Record
Various provincial and federal jurisdictions choose to protect people from discrimination on various grounds in areas such as employment, services customarily available to the public and tenancy. In some cases, the grounds protected are the same across jurisdictions. In others, court challenges have … [Read more...]
Do we need the Court of Appeal to Weigh in About the Importance of Internet Use in Modern Society?
Why R. v. Brar [2016] ONCA 724 is a waste of court time, money and resources Mr. Brar was a 35-year-old who was convicted of sexual assault, child luring and prostituting a person less than 18 years old and a breach of his bail conditions. He was first time offender. He was convicted of these … [Read more...]
Conflict Between Parents, Part 1: The Effect of Conflict on Children
When parents separate, they must find ways of answering a lot of difficult questions about how they will care for and manage their children. Where will the children live? How much time will each parent spend with them? How will decisions about the children be made? Who will pay child support, and … [Read more...]
Innovation and the Charitable Sector
The merger of the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation announced on February 1, 2017 has been welcomed by many. The hope is that by joining forces the two organizations can have greater impact on cancer research and support programs. For those who lament the large … [Read more...]
Mr. Green from The Company Brings Bloodshed to the Republic
George Orwell famously sought to make writing on politics into an art. It’s important to remember that he wasn’t the only one. So too did a radically different kind of writer, the cocksure American Gore Vidal. I bring up Orwell because I continue to ponder the notion that his dystopian novel 1984 … [Read more...]
Recovering the Species at Risk Act
Wildlife is central to the Canadian identity. From Indigenous communities to the urbanites of our largest cities, an overwhelming majority of Canadians want the federal government to protect and restore species at risk of extinction. The principal federal instrument that provides for this … [Read more...]
Alberta’s Climate Leadership Plan: An Update on Law and Policy Developments
Over the past 18 months we have seen a rapidly changing law and policy landscape for climate change mitigation in Alberta. The Climate Leadership Plan Changes began in November 2015 with the release of the long anticipated Climate Leadership Plan (the “Plan”). The Plan, based upon recommendations … [Read more...]
Murdoch v. Murdoch
[I did] “haying, raking, swathing, moving, driving trucks and tractors and teams, quietening horses, taking cattle back and forth to the reserve, dehorning, vaccinating, branding, anything that was to be done. I worked outside with him, just as a man would…” Irene Murdoch’s … [Read more...]
