COVID-19 Developments and Legal Updates
We are committed to providing you with the latest COVID-19 regulatory initiatives and government programs, and how these developments can impact you and your business. Our real-time updates in areas such as business, labour & employment, litigation and tax, offer valuable legal insights and summaries that will help inform what you need to do for business continuity, to protect your employees, to meet your contractual and regulatory obligations, and to re-open with the ease of government restrictions.
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Nancy G. Rubin, QC and Erin McSorley In response to the immense public health and safety challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Courts across the country have modified their practices and procedures. This article provides an overview of current COVID-19 restrictions and practices implemented by Courts in Atlantic Canada, focused on civil matters. Measures relating…
Read More*Last updated: May 6, 2020 (Originally published May 4, 2020) Kathleen Leighton On March 18, 2020, Newfoundland and Labrador declared a public health emergency as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While a declaration of public health emergency is in effect, the Chief Medical Officer of Health (“CMOH”) may introduce certain special measures to protect…
Read MoreBrian Johnston, QC and Brittany Trafford Governments and employers are strategizing ways to open economies, businesses and services following unprecedented closures around the world.1 In Canada, each Province is taking its own approach and various timelines will apply. For example, while Ontario has not set dates for its plan in the Framework for Reopening our…
Read MoreStephanie Stapleford, Andrew Burke, Mike Carver, Matthew Craig and Divya Subramanian Part 1: Virtual shareholders’ meetings The escalating COVID-19 crisis, and federal, provincial and local governments’ directives for individuals to comply with social distancing policies, are forcing businesses to re-think traditional corporate governance practices. Questions arise as to whether the applicable business corporations statutes—many of…
Read MoreCatherine Lahey, QC, Iain Sinclair and Robert Bradley The Province of New Brunswick declared a State of Emergency on March 19, 2020 related to the COVID-19 pandemic and issued a Mandatory Order stipulating restrictions on numerous activities aimed at slowing the spread of the virus. On April 24, 2020, the Minister of Public Safety issued a…
Read MoreHalifax Partners Richard Niedermayer, TEP, Secretary, STEP Canada, and Tim Matthews, QC, TEP, and Articled Clerk Madeleine Coats, have prepared a useful resource for STEP Canada members outlining the options in place for having estate documents signed in each province and territory during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the limitations brought on by social distancing,…
Read MoreJoe Thorne In our update on April 2, 2020, Newfoundland and Labrador passes law to allow variation periods and statutory timelines during COVID-19 pandemic, we reported on Newfoundland and Labrador’s passage of the Temporary Variation of Statutory Deadlines Act (the “Act”).1 Since our last update, there have been several procedural variations enacted, but few substantive…
Read MoreRick Dunlop The question on many businesses’ mind is when and what exactly does an end to the COVID-19 lockdown look like. The Economist describes various European government’s easing of COVID-19 restrictions as being done “gradually, cautiously, and with only a hazy idea of what works.” https://www.economist.com/international/2020/04/16/governments-are-starting-to-ease-restrictions. The three questions governments have to tackle is:…
Read MoreBurtley Francis In a statement issued on April 18, 20201, the federal government (through Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada) signalled that certain foreign investments into Canada will now face enhanced scrutiny under the Investment Canada Act as Canada continues to grapple with the impacts of COVID-19. The enhanced scrutiny comes as the national health…
Read MoreStephanie Stapleford and Allison Whelan,LL.M In a previous Thought Leadership piece, “Tax update – response to COVID-19” (26 March 2020), we reviewed the Federal COVID-19 Emergency Response Act and provided an update on operational changes announced by the Canada Revenue Agency (the “CRA”) and the Tax Court of Canada (the “TCC”) in light of the…
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