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Christine A. Viney

Commercial Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Partner

Margaret (Meg) Bennett

Commercial Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Associate

Kaamil Khalfan

The Supreme Court of Canada&rsquo;s decision in Emond v Trillium Mutual Insurance Co clarifies how insurance policies are interpreted when endorsements enhancing coverage conflict with policy exclusions. The Court confirmed that a guaranteed rebuilding cost endorsement does not extend coverage to costs expressly excluded, highlighting potential gaps for homeowners and the importance of reviewing policies holistically.

Emond Rebuilding Dreams or Interpreting Realities The Supreme Court Weighs In

Emond: Rebuilding Dreams or Interpreting Realities? The Supreme Court Weighs In

Ethan Z. Schiff

Sidney (Sid) Brejak

A plaintiff’s obligation to establish “some basis in fact” for a common issue is acknowledged as a low bar. Several Canadian appellate courts have, however, confirmed a “two-step test” as the standard analytical framework. Under the two-step test, plaintiffs must not only show that the proposed common issues can be answered across the class, but must also establish, as a matter of fact, that the proposed issues exist. The two-step test stands in contrast to a one-step test that considers only if the proposed common issue can be answered across the class.
The added requirement of proving the existence of proposed common issues means plaintiffs need sufficient factual evidence at the certification stage. Looking forward, representative plaintiffs may pursue innovative strategies to gather the evidence needed to meet their evidentiary burden. One such avenue, considered below, involves requesting pre-certification discovery.

Raising the Low Bar Plaintiffs Seek New Strategies to Prove Common Issues for Certification

Raising the “Low Bar”: Plaintiffs Seek New Strategies to Prove Common Issues for Certification 

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 

Gannon Beaulne

Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

In our 2025 edition of Looking Forward, 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.

Class Actions Looking Forward 2025

Class Actions: Looking Forward 2025

Daniel L. Morrow

Medical Negligence & Professional Liability Lawyer

In Abbas v Esurance Insurance Company of Canada, 2023 ABCA 36, the Alberta Court of Appeal endorsed what it described as draconian consequences for insurance fraud as consistent with the Insurance Act, RSA 2000 c I-3 and necessary to further the underlying purpose of the legislation. Specifically, the Court confirmed the longstanding rule that all claims under a single insurance policy stemming from one incident are void if the insured commits fraud, even if the fraud is material to only a portion of the claim.

Court of Appeal Endorses Draconian Deterrent to Insurance Fraud

Simon P. Crawford

Leading Commercial Real Estate Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Dana Talucci

Corporate Commercial Practice at Bennett Jones Toronto

Hennadiy Kutsenko

Tax Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

A court decision on the sale of mixed-use property highlights the risks of failing to allocate purchase price between residential and commercial portions for HST purposes. The ruling underscores the importance of precise drafting and obtaining representations to avoid uncertainty and tax disputes.

Mixed-Use Mixed Signals Why Purchase Price Allocations Matter

Mixed-Use, Mixed Signals: Why Purchase Price Allocations Matter

Leanne C. Krawchuk KC

Corporate, Mining & Construction Lawyer | Capital Markets

Partner, Corporate

James T. McClary

Private Equity and M&A Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Private equity investment in mining has grown over the past decade, driven largely by opportunities in mining sub-industries such as materials, software and industrial machinery despite persistent risk and scalability concerns. The article analyzes global and Canadian deal trends, structures and strategies, offering insights on where PE capital is being deployed and the outlook for investors and mining companies.

Private Equity Investment in Mining

Robert W. Staley

Securities & Commercial Litigation Lawyer | Shareholder Disputes

Vice Chair and Partner

Doug Fenton

Sophia DiNicolo

Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Associate 

The Ontario Superior Court in Dziedziejko v Canopy Growth held that materiality may be inferred from a significant share price drop following corrective disclosure, granting leave to pursue secondary market misrepresentation claims. The decision signals a potential shift from contextual materiality analysis and raises challenges for issuers with volatile share prices. 
<div>&nbsp;</div>

Inferring Materiality from Share Price Movement Dziedziejko v Canopy Growth

Inferring Materiality from Share Price Movement: Dziedziejko v Canopy Growth

Jonathan Hillson

Commercial Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Edmonton

Alex Payne

Prompt payment and dispute resolution reforms are changing how construction project participants are to be paid, their disputes determined and when liens are to be filed and holdbacks released.

Updates to Prompt Payment Legislation

An At-a-Glance Comparison: Have You Been Keeping Up with All the Changes?

Updates to Prompt Payment Legislation in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta

Natalia E. Iamundo

Commercial Real Estate Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Canada&rsquo;s proptech sector is entering a new phase marked by disciplined growth, scaled AI implementation and deeper public-private collaboration. The 2026 Proptech in Canada report highlights a funding reset, a shift from AI experimentation to real-world deployment and significant government investment aimed at addressing housing affordability.

Christine Viney on CBC's Calgary Eyeopener

From the Same Authors