Hiring a “Competent Contractor”: Shield or Mirage?
A mediation I conducted not long ago involved a condominium corporation facing a slip-and-fall claim. The corporation...
Justice in Motion: The Case for Reforming Ontario’s Motion Process
Introduction: The Problem of Motion Overload “Motions have become a source of delay, expense, and procedural...
Meyer v. Bright, Three Decades On: Ontario’s Auto “Threshold” Still Rules the Gate (2025 Update)
Preparing for a recent motor-vehicle mediation, I was struck—reading a sharp brief from a young defence counsel—by a...
SABs, Silos, and the End of “Apples to Apples”: Lessons from Cadieux
Recently, I came across a post on LinkedIn from a fellow mediator that got me thinking. It described a situation many...
The Over-Demanding Client: When Compassion Collides with Capacity
As a mediator, I’m often reminded of the hidden pressures that lawyers carry into the room. In a recent mediation, I...
The Estate Litigation Landscape in Ontario: Key Issues Every Litigator and Mediator Should Know
Estate litigation in Ontario sits at the crossroads of family law, trust law, and civil procedure. It is an area where...
The CAT Gambit: Risk and Reward in Tort Mediation Before the LAT Decision
In the world of motor vehicle litigation, mediations often involve two distinct but overlapping battlegrounds: tort...
The Jury’s Still In: But for How Long in Ontario?
Jury Trials Still Exist—but Their Future Is Shrinking Ontario remains one of the few provinces where civil jury...
Quiet Quitting and the Law: How Canada’s Courts Could Respond
In a recent BBC article, “Quiet quitting is the status quo. Workers are still proud to do the bare minimum,”...
Case Commentary: Sinclair v. Venezia Turismo (2025 SCC 27)
Context & Procedural Path The Sinclairs—Canadian travellers—were injured in a water taxi accident in Venice,...
Three Years to Sue? Not So Fast.
Ontario’s Proposed Basic Limitation Period Shift and What It Means for Litigants Ontario’s civil justice reform...
Mind the Gap: THE SEQUEL: When a “Ledge” Stops Being a Defect (and becomes your responsibility)
In my earlier post, “Mind the Gap: When Sidewalk Transitions Become Legal Traps,” I walked through Ontario’s...
Mind the Gap: When Sidewalk Transitions Become Legal Traps
It happened in an instant. My elderly friend was crossing the street on a bright afternoon, stepping from the painted...
ZOOM Justice: The Quiet Revolution in How We Settle Cases
Introduction Five years ago, when I transitioned from litigation to full-time mediation, I did not expect I would...
When Elevator Doors Attack: How Evidence—and Foreseeability—Decide Elevator Liability Cases
Elevator cases look simple to clients. Something slams, jerks, mislevels, or traps them, and they get hurt. But in...
The Office Mandate Backfire: When Return-to-Work Orders Cross the Line
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced millions into remote work, few imagined that the most enduring legal battleground in...
Grenade in the Will, THE SEQUEL: No-Contest Clauses, Discoverability, and the Hidden Risk of Successor Solicitor Negligence
In my recent blog, Grenade in the Will: No-Contest Clauses, Solicitor Negligence, and the Two-Year Limitation Trap, I...
Dead Man Signing: Forgery, Friendship, and the Fall of a Farmhouse Will
This is a story of a will with two faces. One signed but unwitnessed. The other fully executed—or so it seemed. Found...
The Threshold Trap: When Pain, Paperwork, and Time All Turn Against You
Introduction In the wake of the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in Grant Thornton LLP v. New Brunswick, 2021 SCC...
Tick…Tock…Time’s Up: Grant Thornton and the Limitation Period Time Bomb
Introduction Every civil litigator eventually confronts the question: When exactly did the clock start ticking? The...