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.
Our longstanding dedication to practice innovation means we are prepared to navigate unforeseen circumstances like these. With our innovative tools and project management methodologies, we continue to deliver uncompromised service to our clients while working in a remote environment.
We are here to help you think: forward when you need it most.
Kathleen Leighton Those who have vacation homes or cottages in Canada may be starting to form their summer plans as temperatures begin to rise. However, the ongoing pandemic has resulted in a host of restrictions limiting travel to Canada, and these rules have been changing rapidly. Many are understandably unclear on whether they are able…
Read More*Flowchart below last updated June 2, 2020 (Originally published April 14, 2020) Dante Manna With the passing of Bill C-14, the COVID-19 Emergency Response Act, No. 2 on April 11, 2020, the federal government has now laid a legislative foundation for various initiatives to assist employers and employees who are affected by COVID-19. The main…
Read MoreBurtley Francis Recently, the Government published for public comment draft legislation referred to as the Time Limits and Other Periods Act (COVID-19). The underlying purpose of the draft legislation, which was published on May 20, is to allow various timelines and other review periods under certain existing statutes to be extended or suspended up to…
Read MoreMark Tector and Katharine Mack The province of Nova Scotia announced today that most sectors of the economy may begin to reopen. Provincial grant funding was also announced to help businesses open safely, as well as new infrastructure spending. Re-opening plan Effective June 5, most businesses that were required to close under the Public Health Order…
Read MoreBrian Tabor, QC, Ryan Baker, and Madeleine Coats On April 16, 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the beginning of a new piece to the COVID-19 federal economic response package – this time, in the form of the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance program (CECRA). Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced that the government would offer…
Read MoreChad Sullivan and Clarence Bennett As many employers resume operations during the ongoing pandemic, we have prepared a list of FAQs and a reopening checklist for businesses operating in Atlantic Canada. Do employers need to have a written plan for reopening? Some provinces have made it mandatory to develop a COVID-19 operational plan before reopening.…
Read MoreDaniela Bassan, QC Using its COVID-19 Protocol, the English Technology and Construction Court (TCC) handed down remotely a decision about the role of experts in international arbitration and how multiple retainers by a global firm can be problematic in A v B, [2020] EWHC 809. The case, which was heard in private and did not…
Read MoreRuth Trask On a typical, “normal” day in many Canadian households, adults leave home to go to work, and kids attend school or perhaps daycare. As we keep hearing, though, these are far from “normal” times. StatsCan reports that some five million Canadians worked from home during April, including 3.3 million who did not work…
Read MoreTo our clients who have been innovating to protect our communities, from all of us here at Stewart McKelvey, we thank you and are proud of your efforts. As we grapple with the profound impact that this virus has had on the world around us, it has brought tremendous opportunity for innovation, and for many,…
Read MoreClarence Bennett and Chad Sullivan The May 8, 2020 announcement On Friday, May 8, 2020, the New Brunswick Government made a significant announcement that the province was moving into the second phase of NB’s four phase economic recovery plan – the “Orange Alert Phase” – permitting the reopening of several businesses. With this announcement came…
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