Following in the footsteps of British Columbia and Ontario, a Federal Court judge declared retroactive record suspension eligibility requirements to be unconstitutional, opening the door to thousands of offenders across the country to be eligible for a pardon.
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Federal court judge declares retroactive record suspension eligibility requirements unconstitutional
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Owners of pyrrhotite-damaged homes win long-standing legal battle
More than 800 homeowners and 18 business owners of pyrrhotite-damaged buildings won a long-drawn out legal battle after the Quebec Court of Appeal upheld a lower court ruling that ordered a Canadian engineering giant, concrete owners, construction contractors, and a geologist to pay more than $200 million, including interest. -
Mandatory minimum sentence declared unconstitutional for Aboriginal accused
A Court of Quebec judge declared the minimum mandatory sentence of four years imprisonment for discharging a firearm while being reckless to the life or safety of another person as unconstitutional and inoperative for an Aboriginal offender. -
Quebec notaries can sign documents remotely during pandemic
Under pressure to deliver legal services in spite of Quebec‘s public health state of emergency, notaries in the province have been given the go-ahead by the Quebec Ministry of Justice to sign notarized documents remotely.Tags: notaries -
Photo radar class action dismissed by Quebec appeal court
A proposed photo radar and red light camera class action, dismissed by the Quebec Court of Appeal, was doomed to fail because the class representative was convicted of speeding when she chose to pay the fine for speeding, according to class action experts.Tags: photo radar -
Time for the Quebec disciplinary council to Zoom out
The Quebec justice system, like elsewhere, is scrambling to put in place measures to make things move along during the Covid-19 outbreak. Sometimes, though, well-intentioned efforts risk doing more harm than good, especially if the recourses are rushed and not necessarily well researched, examined and analyzed.This appears to be the case with efforts by the Quebec disciplinary council of presidents.
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Covid-19 – Quebec legal developments – April 17
A shutdown of non-essential economic activity in Quebec, originally scheduled to end in mid-April, has been extended to May 4.
Here are the latest legal developments affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Equity crowdfunding CSA proposals unlikely to draw more investors
A proposal by Canadian securities regulators to make equity crowdfunding more appealing for start-ups and investors has drawn lukewarm praise by securities lawyers.Categories: BusinessTags: crowdfunding -
Business considering force majeure
Forced to navigate the daunting challenges wreaked by the precipitous outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Canadian businesses are beginning to consider whether to invoke force majeure clauses and the common law doctrine of frustration to assuage the impact of the crisis on their business, according to corporate lawyers.But corporate lawyers are fielding just as many queries over what Canadian businesses should do if they are on the receiving end of claims that seek to be excused for the non-performance of contractual obligations.
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Employers facing challenges over Covid-19
With the spread of coronavirus picking up speed, prompting the World Health Organization to declare it a pandemic, it is having a ripple effect on global industry and markets. Supply chains are being disrupted, travel restrictions have been imposed, and containment measures introduced.
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Quebec bar launches free telephone call-in legal clinic
The Barreau du Québec has launched a free telephone call-in legal clinic to help citizens with questions they may have regarding their rights and responsibilities in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.Some 200 Quebec lawyers from across the province are expected to voluntarily man the phones to reply to legal questions. Lawyers will answer legal questions ranging from employment to insurance to mortgage payments as well as admissibility to federal and provincial aid packages launched over the past week.
The bilingual service, a collaborative effort with the Quebec Ministry of Justice, the legal information broker Centre d’accès à l’information juridique (CAIJ) and the provincial legal aid agency Commission des services juridiques, is expected to be in operation for at least several weeks.
Calls by citizens will be screened so that they can be forwarded to lawyers who can reply to their questions.
Here’s how you can reach them.
- 1-866 699-9729 (toll-free)
- 1-514-789-2755 (Montreal)
- 1-418-838-6415 (Quebec City area)
- 1-819-303-4080 (Gatineau)
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Quebec justice system at a standstill
The Quebec justice system is on pause.
Days after the Quebec government declared a public health emergency to slow the spread of Covid-19 pandemic, courthouses across the province suspended the majority of their activities.
The courts too are at a standstill, except for urgent measures. Here is a breakdown.
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Montreal lawyer behind racial profile class action struck off the roll for 45 days
A Montreal lawyer who is one of the driving forces behind a racial profiling class action seeking $171 million in damages has been struck off the roll for 45 days by the Quebec legal society disciplinary council for failing to take into account the best interests of his client in a medical malpractice suit.Tags: ethical misconduct -
Privacy commissioner launches consultation on artificial intelligence
The chief executive of Alphabet and Google made it plain. Artificial intelligence needs to be regulated. It is too important not to, wrote Sundar Pichai in a Financial Times opinion piece.
“The only question is how to approach it,” said Pichai succinctly.
That’s what the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) is grappling with as well.
