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Gannon Beaulne

Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Partner

Thomas Feore

Commercial Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Associate

Maisah Syed

The Court of Appeal for Ontario has certified a class action against the manufacturer of a stolen handgun used to carry out the 2018 mass shooting on Danforth Avenue in Toronto, reversing in part the motion judge’s decision below.

Court of Appeal Certifies Negligence Claim Against Gun Manufacturer for Mass Shooting

Emrys Davis

Commercial Litigation, Competition and Class Action Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Michael A. Eizenga L.S.M.

Leading Canadian Class Action Litigator at Bennett Jones Toronto

Partner 

<p>In our 2025 edition of <em>Looking Forward</em>, we review notable class action developments from the past year and consider what recent trends in the law might tell us about what to expect in the years ahead.</p>

Class Actions Looking Forward 2025

Class Actions: Looking Forward 2025

Edward W. Hulshof

Commercial Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Vancouver

<p>The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) has endorsed the constitutionality of British Columbia (BC) legislation empowering the province to seek recovery of opioid epidemic healthcare costs in a proposed class action brought on behalf of multiple Canadian governments.</p>
<p>In <em>Sanis Health Inc v British Columbia</em>, <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/scc/doc/2024/2024scc40/2024scc40.html" target="_blank">2024 SCC 40</a>, a majority of the SCC held that constitutional territorial limits on provincial legislative competence did not prevent BC from creating a direct statutory cause of action that it can pursue in a proposed class action on behalf of the federal and other provincial governments, subject to the right to opt out of the proceeding.</p>

Supreme Court Approves Constitutionality of Multi-Crown Class Action

Katherine Booth

Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Vancouver

Lamont Bartlett

Commercial Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Edmonton

<p>Thirty-seven Bennett Jones lawyers have been recognized in the <em><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://benchmarklitigation.com/Firm/Bennett-Jones/Profile/111070#lawyers" target="_blank">Benchmark Canada</a></em><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://benchmarklitigation.com/Firm/Bennett-Jones/Profile/111070#lawyers" target="_blank"> 2025 rankings</a>, including 30 Litigation Stars and 10 Future Stars. Five of our lawyers were also named among the Top 50 Trial Lawyers in Canada.</p>

Bennett Jones Lawyers Named Among Canadas Top Litigators By Benchmark Canada

Bennett Jones Lawyers Named Among Canada's Top Litigators By Benchmark Canada

Mahnaz Jan Ali

Financial Services Lawyer at Bennett Jones Montréal

Andrée-Anne Tremblay

Articling Student at Bennett Jones in Montréal

Articling Student

<p>A recent Quebec Court of Appeal&rsquo;s decision in <em>S&eacute;questre de Bois BSL inc. /</em> <em>BSL Wood Products Inc.</em>, 2025 QCCA 993, builds on the Superior Court&rsquo;s ruling&nbsp;and revisits the dissenting opinion in <em>Maschinenfabrik Rieter AG</em> c. <em>Canadian Fidelity Mills Ltd.</em>, 2005 QCCA 1033. It clarifies the legal treatment of ownership claims in the context of receivership and the consequences of late registration of security under Quebec law.</p>
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Whose Tractor Is It Anyway Quebec Decision Clarifies Ownership Claims in Receivership

Whose Tractor Is It Anyway? Quebec Decision Clarifies Ownership Claims in Receivership

Luke Morrison

Energy Project Development, M&A, and Commercial Transaction Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Ashley M. White

Corporate, Commercial Transactions, Power & Energy Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Pamela Clark

Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary 

Associate 

<span>On June 6, 2025, the federal government introduced Bill C-5, <em>An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act</em>, which proposes new legislation aimed at strengthening Canada's economy by removing interprovincial trade and labour mobility barriers and advancing major projects.</span>

Wind In The Sails of Canadian Energy Project Development

Wind In The Sails of Canadian Energy Project Development: Major Projects Office Open For Business, and Details of Fast-Tracked Projects Emerging

Robert W. Staley

Commercial, Securities and Class Action Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Vice Chair and Partner

Cheryl M. Woodin

Commercial Litigation, Product Liability & Class Actions Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Ciara J. Mackey

Commercial Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

In <em data-start="65" data-end="94">Sinclair v. Venezia Turismo</em>, 2025 SCC 27, the Supreme Court of Canada clarified that jurisdiction must be assessed for each defendant individually. A plaintiff cannot rely on one defendant&rsquo;s contract or weak connecting factors to extend jurisdiction to others. The decision strengthens the principles of corporate separateness in cross-border disputes.

The SCC Clarifies Approach to Jurisdiction Against Multiple Defendants in Cross Border Disputes

Sinclair v. Venezia Turismo: The SCC Clarifies Approach to Jurisdiction Against Multiple Defendants in Cross-Border Disputes

Stephen D. Burns

Technology Lawyer, Intellectual Property Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Partner, Trademark Agent

Matthew Flynn

Technology Transaction Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

J. Sébastien A. Gittens

Intellectual Property and Technology Commercialization Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

<span>AI transcription tools offer efficiency and accuracy in the boardroom but create risks to confidentiality, privacy and legal privilege. Organizations should adopt clear policies, safeguards and training to ensure responsible use and compliance with governance standards.</span>

AI Notetaking in the Boardroom

Lorelei Graham

Food and Agribusiness Lawyer, IP Lawyer, Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

<p style="text-align: left;">The United States Patent and Trademark Office's decision to cancel its Climate Change Mitigation pilot program for patents has not gone unnoticed in Canada. For Canadian policymakers and agri-tech innovators, this move by the United States raises two big questions: (1) How might this affect Canada&rsquo;s own intellectual property&nbsp; strategy for green tech, and (2) could it create opportunities for Canada (and others) to take the lead in certain climate-tech domains?</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">A particular area of interest is carbon-capture agri-tech, technologies that help farming not just reduce emissions but actively capture carbon (for instance, special crops or soil treatments that lock away carbon dioxide or farm machinery that traps greenhouse gases). These innovations are crucial for meeting climate goals and could become a competitive arena internationally.</p>

Fast Tracks and Green Gaps Part IV

Fast Tracks and Green Gaps Part IV: Shifting Gears: How the United States' Exit from Climate Protection Fuels Canada's IP Advantage

Gannon Beaulne in the Ottawa Citizen on Victim Surcharge

From the Same Authors