Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP

When venturing into Quebec it’s important to be familiar with the Québec Charter of French Language (the Charter), which establishes French as the official language of Quebec and governs use of the French language in a broad…more

In our March 2012 Franchise Review we completed the first part of our two-part commentary on important developments we have seen in franchise agreement and franchise disclosure document preparation in the past few years. We…more

In the recent decision, Sirianni v. Country Style, the Ontario Superior Court ordered a franchisor to pay punitive damages to a franchisee for breaching the statutory duty of fair dealing. The case offers useful insight…more

In a perfect world, a sincere apology could help resolve a dispute quickly, restoring the good working relationship between franchisor and franchisee without litigation. But when your apology is not accepted and you end up…more

Manitoba’s The Franchises Act (the Act) and Franchises Regulation (the Regulation) have been proclaimed into force with an effective date of October 1, 2012. On and after that date, franchisors granting franchises to be operated…more

On May 16, 2012, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources passed the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Act (H.R. 4402), legislation intended to streamline the permitting process for mining…more

Late last week, the Ontario government released another round of draft regulations. This time the focus is on disclosure of plan related documents to plan members, former members, retired members, and their spouses, as well as…more

In This Article: Federal Government Alberta British Columbia Manitoba New Brunswick Newfoundland Northwest Territories Nova Scotia Nunavut Ontario Prince…more

Taking a page from Ontario’s playbook, highly respected Delaware Chancellor Leo Strine Jr. recently found that a confidentiality agreement could temporarily block a subsequent hostile bid and proxy contest, even in the absence…more

Although investment policy statements are not required by the U.S. Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), it is highly recommended that every 401(k) plan have one. An investment policy statement (IPS) can protect the…more

In April 2011, the Ontario Court of Appeal rendered a unanimous judgment in Re Indalex Limited 1 which ordered that the amount the debtor was required to contribute towards its pension plan wind up deficiency be paid in higher…more

On April 30, 2012, British Columbia introduced Bill 38, Pension Benefits Standards Act, for first reading. If passed, the current British Columbia Pension Benefits Standards Act (PBSA) would be repealed and replaced in its…more

In This Article: - Federal Government - Alberta - British Columbia - Manitoba - New Brunswick - Newfoundland - Northwest Territories - Nova Scotia - Nunavut - Ontario -…more

We recently represented a US bank in Ontario on a secured refinancing for a Canadian borrower. The Canadian borrower owns a number of Canadian and US subsidiaries (the Canadian borrower and its subsidiaries, the “Loan Parties”)…more

The federal government followed up on its Budget announcement earlier this year by introducing Bill C-38, Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act, for first reading. …more