Resources, Articles, & Advocacy
Legislative Update | April 25, 2025
Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of April 21
Province Takes Control of School Board, Launches Probes at 3 Others: Ontario has taken control of one school board over financial mismanagement, launched financial probes of three other boards and ordered a fifth board to repay costs for a trip to Italy to buy art. New Education Minister Paul Calandra has ordered the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board to repay the cost of the board trip to Italy, as well as the $100,000 spent on art. The province has appointed a supervisor to the Thames Valley District School Board, in London, after it conducted a review in the wake of a staff retreat to Toronto that cost about $40,000. It is also launching investigations at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, the Toronto Catholic District School Board and the Toronto District School Board over ongoing financial deficits and spending concerns.
Article | April 22, 2025
Reminder about Family Law Rules Updates
Updates to the Family Law Rules concerning costs came into effect on January 22, 2025. The changes emphasize the summary nature of costs and the Court’s discretion in awarding them, and standardize the formatting of cost submissions. However, and maybe most importantly, all the numbers have changed in Rule 24 so counsel will need to reacquaint themselves when drafting submissions.
Legislative Update | April 22, 2025
Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of April 14
New Session Begins at Queen's Park: Tuesday's throne speech, delivered by Lt.-Gov. Edith Dumont, kicked off the new session of Premier Doug Ford’s third majority government. It leaned heavily on the theme of Ford’s successful election campaign, which tied the tariff threat to nearly every sector.
Article | April 14, 2025
Dividing the Enterprise: Business Law Solutions for the Family Business Separation
This guide seeks to provide an overview of the legal considerations involved in dividing a family business during a spousal separation. It attempts to demonstrate the importance and overlap of both business and family law aspects. This guide is written exclusively however, from a business lawyer perspective.
Legislative Update | April 07, 2025
Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of April 7
Province Wants More Strong Mayors: Ontario is proposing to expand strong mayor powers to the heads of council in 169 additional municipalities starting in May. The province said on Wednesday that the expansion would help ensure municipalities have the tools they need to reduce obstacles to new housing and infrastructure developments. The additional municipalities would include the City of Orillia, the Township of Uxbridge, the Town of Wasaga Beach, the Township of King, and the Town of Collingwood. The government first granted the powers to the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa in 2022, and since then has expanded them a few times. Public comments on the proposal may be submitted via email until April 16, 2025.
Superior Court of Justice | April 04, 2025
Superior Court of Justice – Notice to the Profession and Public – Northeast and Northwest Regions: Uploading to Case Center for Civil and Family Cases
Effective March 17, 2025, in the Northwest and Northeast regions, all properly filed Family Responsibility Office materials at the Superior Court of Justice, must be uploaded to Case Center. For both Family and Civil matters, Court Services will release orders and endorsements through Case Center and may assist self-represented litigants with uploading materials where appropriate.
Legislative Update | March 31, 2025
Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of March 24
OBA Seeks "Urgency, Transparency and Accountability" from LSO: In an op-ed published on Thursday, the OBA urged the Law Society of Ontario to deal quickly with the current crisis and then shift its focus from the insular considerations of how to govern itself to the vital work of governing. “These are hard times for the rule of law, access to justice and our economic stability. Lawyers have a critical role to play," OBA President Kathryn Manning wrote. “We must get past this issue and turn our efforts to these fundamental matters. The only way past this issue is to chart a straightforward course through; there is no getting around it. We look forward to working with the many benchers who recognize that.”
Article | February 04, 2025
Case Law Update: JFR v KLL 2024 ONCA 520
Last fall, I presented at the OBA Health Law Section – Case Law Update, a quarterly session aimed at summarizing recent important cases in the health law area. I presented the 2024 Ontario Court of Appeal decision, JFR v KLL, 2024 ONCA 520. While this is a family law case on its face, it has a huge bearing on health and disability law, as it fundamentally concerns the rights and autonomy of adult people living with disabilities.
