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James J. Heelan KC

Commercial/Securities Litigation, Employment and Professional Negligence Lawyer and Mediator at Bennett Jones Edmonton

Partner

Laura Inglis

Commercial Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Edmonton

Sarah J. Huot

Litigation, Professional Negligence, Health, Employment and Estate Lawyer at Bennett Jones Edmonton

Employee restrictive covenants are often a contentious issue, especially when employees leave to form (or join) competing firms. A recent Alberta Court of King’s Bench decision, People Corporation v Quinn et al. (<a rel="noopener noreferrer" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.canlii.org/en/ab/abkb/doc/2024/2024abkb711/2024abkb711.html" target="_blank">2024 ABKB 711</a>), offers valuable insights into how courts balance the enforceability of restrictive covenants, employee rights, and employer interests. This case revolves around allegations of breach of restrictive covenants and the legal intricacies involved in assessing their validity.

Legal Precedent on Restrictive Covenants in Employment Agreements A Case Study

Legal Precedent on Restrictive Covenants in Employment Agreements—A Case Study

Matt Riskin

Commercial Litigation, Health and Employment Lawyer at Bennett Jones Edmonton

Varun Kapoor

Corporate Commercial Lawyer at Bennett Jones Edmonton

Associate

When only some of the defendants to a lawsuit want to settle, Pierringer agreements can be an attractive solution. However, in a recent decision that adopted principles from Ontario jurisprudence, the Court of King's Bench of Alberta confirmed that failure to promptly disclose a Pierringer agreement can have dire consequences for the action.

Alberta Court of Kings Bench Confirms Requirement for Immediate Disclosure of Pierringer Agreements

Alberta Court of King's Bench Confirms Requirement for Immediate Disclosure of Pierringer Agreements

Richard Dion

Economic Analyst and Forecasting Advisor at Bennett Jones Ottawa

Senior Business Advisor

Serge Dupont

Senior Advisor at Bennett Jones Ottawa

Senior Advisor

The global and Canadian economies are still adjusting to the shocks of COVID and war. Inflation remains elevated, and monetary conditions are restrictive. There are legacies, in particular high public and private debt.
Concurrently, the forces of demographic ageing, climate change, and digitalization are intensifying in a new fragmented world, transforming our economies, and requiring more public and private investment. These two factors—short-term adjustment and structural change—set the background for our 2024 Economic Outlook.

2024 Economic Outlook The LongTerm Is Now

2024 Economic Outlook: The Long-Term Is Now

For the last three years, governments, businesses and workers have confronted a series of shocks and disruptions that have tested their agility and resilience. The pandemic, the war in Ukraine, supply chain constraints, swings in commodity prices, and higher inflation and interest rates, have demanded swift responses and adjustment. There are aftershocks, uncertainty and risk, and still a need to adapt. Navigating turbulent times remains a key function of policy and business planning. Yet, given forces shaping the world of tomorrow, it matters even more how governments and businesses plan to invest, innovate and create the conditions for sustainable growth over the longer term. This Economic Outlook entitled Playing the Long Game reviews recent developments and short-term prospects, sets out a baseline scenario and risks to assist business planning and describes some of the context for the longer term and key tasks ahead for Canadian governments and firms.

Economic Outlook Playing the Long Game

Economic Outlook: Playing the Long Game

J. Sébastien A. Gittens

Intellectual Property and Technology Commercialization Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Partner, Trademark Agent

Stephen D. Burns

Technology Lawyer, Intellectual Property Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Ahmed Elmallah

Intellectual Property Lawyer at Bennett Jones Edmonton

Counsel, Patent Agent, Trademark Agent

Shadow AI is increasingly present in workplaces as employees adopt unauthorized AI tools to improve efficiency, often without organizational oversight. While these tools may offer short-term productivity gains, they create significant compliance, governance, privacy and liability risks. This post examines the drivers of shadow AI, the risks it poses and practical strategies organizations can implement to manage and mitigate those risks.

Hiding in the Shadows The Perils of Shadow AI on Your Organization

Hiding in the Shadows: The Perils of Shadow AI on Your Organization  

Denise D. Bright

Public and Private Company Financial Transactions and Securities Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Partner 

Keely Cameron

Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Chyna Brown

Commercial Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary 

In Royal Bank of Canada v Patterson Dental Canada Inc, the Alberta Court of Appeal clarified how PPSA priority rules apply where assets used in a corporate business are personally owned by a director. The Court confirmed that ownership and registration against the correct debtor are decisive in priority disputes, and provided guidance on the treatment of leases and the proper distribution of holdbacks in insolvency sales.

Alberta Court of Appeal Clarifies PPSA Priorities in Insolvency Sales

Katherine Booth

Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Vancouver

Nina Butz

Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

In RateMDs Inc. v. Bleuler, 2025 BCCA 329, the BC Court of Appeal overturned certification of a proposed privacy class action, finding that the plaintiff's novel claims that use of health professionals' names violated their privacy and amounted to commercial exploitation under provincial privacy statutes were bound to fail.

BC Court of Appeal dismisses proposed privacy class action

BC Court of Appeal Dismisses Proposed Privacy Class Action; Finds Use of Professionals' Names Was Not Commercial Exploitation 

Andrew Bozzato

Corporate, M&A, Securities Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Matthew Flynn

Technology Transaction Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Oscar Crawford-Ritchie

Corporate Commercial Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

The Canadian government recently formalized its commitment to the quantum computing sector with the launch of Phase 1 of the Canadian Quantum Champions Program (CQCP), under which it has committed up to C$92 million (C$23 million each), to four Canadian-headquartered quantum computing companies to accelerate the development of industrial-scale quantum computers capable of solving real-world problems across industries in a variety of commercial and defence applications.

Quantum Computing Investments Aligning with Canadas Defence Priorities

Quantum Computing Investments Aligning with Canada's Defence Priorities

William S. Osler KC

Capital Markets, Securities, M&A and Corporate Governance Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Olu Akinniyi

Articling Student

Recent amendments to Alberta&rsquo;s Securities Act strengthen the Alberta Securities Commission&rsquo;s ability to address financial misinformation and protect investors. Enacted through the Financial Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 (No. 2), the changes expand the definition of forward-looking information and grant the ASC new authority to temporarily halt trading where misleading or inaccurate information is being disseminated. While aimed at curbing harmful online promotion, including by &ldquo;finfluencers,&rdquo; the amendments also have important implications for reporting issuers and their disclosure practices.

Association of Corporate Counsel (Edmonton)

From the Same Authors