Resources, Articles, & Advocacy
Legislative Update | January 30, 2026
Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of January 26
Eglinton LRT: The long-awaited and overbudget Eglinton LRT is targeting a February 8, 2026 launch date. More than 15 years since construction began, and six years since it was originally slated to open, the 19-kilometre, 25-station line will run between Kennedy Station and Mount Dennis.
Legislative Update | January 23, 2026
Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of January 19
EV Boycott: Premier Ford is calling on Canadians to boycott Chinese-made EVs following a deal between Canada and China to allow up to 49,000 vehicles to enter Canada tariff-free.
Legislative Update | January 20, 2026
Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of January 12
Premier Ford and China EVs: Following Prime Minister Carney’s meeting with Chinese President Xi, Premier Ford has raised alarm bells about the impact cheap Chinese EVs would have on Ontario's auto sector. The Premier has called the deal, which would allow up to 49,000 Chinese EVs to enter Canada tariff-free, as a lopsided deal.
Legislative Update | January 12, 2026
Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of January 5
Premier Ford to Turn Over Personal Phone Records: The Ford government’s request for a judicial review of two IPC rulings on access to the Premier’s private phone logs was dismissed. In their decision, the judges wrote, “The conclusion that the Premier used his personal cellphone to conduct Cabinet Office matters is a finding of fact that attracts a high degree of deference.” The Premier’s office will be seeking leave to appeal the decision.
Article | January 07, 2026
"To Serve Man": Governing AI and the Era of Digital Soma
When lawyers reference Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, they often treat "soma" as a literary symbol: a metaphor for the numbing effect of mindless entertainment. But soma is not just a metaphor; it is a product specification. It is a set of functional requirements: rapid, predictable relief from distress; minimal downside; and a secondary effect that is central, not incidental, which is social pacification. As Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes capable of optimizing human experience with greater precision, soma stops being a philosophy seminar and becomes a governance problem. Crucially, that governance problem is not limited to the digital. A superhuman scientific capability could plausibly contribute to a literal, pharmacological soma through generative chemistry and inverse molecular design (a subject that raises its own governance challenges at the intersection of IP, bioethics, and regulatory law). But the first widely deployed soma analogues will almost certainly arrive through recommendation systems, immersive media, and bewitching AI companions. That is where entertainment lawyers need to focus.
