Our Take On Things

Today I am tasked with writing a blog entry on the impact of last night’s general election without offending anyone.  That shouldn’t be too hard, as in federal politics, unlike soccer, I am unbiased (at least in terms of party politics). That having been said, I...

We tend to blog once a week, well, “tend” is not accurate: the boss (that would be me, writing this) has decreed, we must blog once a week & tweet at least twice. I have a good reason for this policy – I absolutely hate it when I follow a blog/twitter feed and nothing...

Right now, Ontario lawyers all around you are voting … well, maybe not at this exact moment, but still, they are/will/should be voting this month. Who are we voting for? Benchers. Naturally, if you’re not a lawyer you’re wondering: “What the heck is a bencher?” It’s...

Sometimes the stress of cash flow, business planning and the general day to day grind of people's jobs can lead to some really bad decisions. Generally the really bad decisions are ones that are made quickly or out of an emotional response, rather than a business...

Many business owners reading the entertainment news this week, and possibly following @CharlieSheen on twitter (not that anyone in our firm would do that) may be asking themselves “what would I do if I had an employee who was behaving in a similar fashion?” The law in...

It's almost February 28, have you prepared all of the T4s for your employees? Leave aside the obligations under the Income Tax Act, employees who are expecting a refund will appreciate getting T4s sooner than later. As a Business Law Firm, reminding clients of "small...

My wife is a psychologist. A clinical psychologist. A clinical psychologist who is a tenured professor at York University. She is smarter than me. She has a lot of degrees. She likes to send me psychology articles that are related to the law. Some I can digest, others...

It's starting to be the "most wonderful time of the year" if you're an accountant, which we are not. However, accountant or not, we all start to turn our minds to taxes as April looms closer & closer. In August 2010, the Federal Government released details of its new...

This is a piece of legislation that receives little attention, although for people in the repair and storage business, it is a powerful weapon. The Act applies to anyone who repairs or makes improvements to other people’s stuff (except land or buildings – that is the...

The paint is almost dry on the walls, the tiles just need some grout and God willing, Bell will figure out where they installed our T1 line so that we can have phone service ... ready or not .... here we come ! Our new home, effective tomorrow is: 703 Evans Avenue,...

Well that was an interesting holiday period. Having Christmas & New Years on weekends certainly added mass confusion to the "business week" in the legal industry. To my surprise, many firms simply shut their doors between Christmas & New Years. I cannot imagine...

Given the many issues that influence corporate practice, it is impossible for me to summarize all of the relevant developments in corporate law in the space I have here.  That said, there have been a few newsworthy items that were important enough to cover again.  For...

2010 was a year of change in the way trial lawyers were able to conduct law suits in Ontario.    The two areas of most significant change were matters that are $ 25 001 - $ 100 000 and those under $ 25 000.00.  A.      Changes to the Simplified Procedure($ 25 001.00 -...

Ontario’s new Not For Profit Corporations Act received Royal Assent this past October and the changes to the legislation are significant for many of the estimated 8 million Ontarians who work with, volunteer for, or represent incorporated volunteer associations. There...

Transparency is a topic that has been in the news this week. Regardless of political stripes, everyone must have chuckled when the CBC took out an ad to proclaim their commitment to transparency, while refusing to disclose very basic information on the same day. What...