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Michael C. Smith

Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Partner

Reyhaneh Rahimi

Articling Student at Bennett Jones in Toronto

Articling Student

Ontario has launched a 10-year pilot program, running from August 1, 2025 to August 1, 2035 to evaluate the use of automated commercial motor vehicles (ACMVs) on Ontario's roads.

Ontario Introduces Pilot Project for Automated Commercial Motor Vehicles

Kanwar Brar

Commercial Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Associate

Regulations Amending Certain Regulations Made Under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act (Recall Information), <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2025/2025-01-01/html/sor-dors274-eng.html" target="_blank">SOR/2024-274</a> (Regulations) came into force on January 1, 2025.  The Regulations amend: The Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations; The Motor Vehicle Restraint Systems and Booster Seats Safety Regulation; and The Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations.

Driving Compliance Updates to Canadas Motor Vehicle and Equipment Safety Regulations

Driving Compliance: Updates to Canada's Motor Vehicle and Equipment Safety Regulations

Passed on May 30, 2019, the British Columbia <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/19029" target="_blank">Zero-Emission Vehicles Act</a> requires automakers, and indirectly their dealers, to sell or lease an escalating percentage of new zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) vs. new internal combustion engine vehicles in the province, and to reach certain milestones: 10 percent ZEVs by 2025, 30 percent by 2030, and 100 percent by 2040.  Bill 39-2023, the <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.leg.bc.ca/parliamentary-business/legislation-debates-proceedings/42nd-parliament/4th-session/bills/first-reading/gov39-1" target="_blank">Zero-Emission Vehicles Amendment Act, 2023</a>, has been introduced in the British Columbia Legislative Assembly.  If passed, it will increase the milestones to:  26 percent ZEVs by 2026, 90 percent by 2030, and 100 percent by 2035.

BC Accelerating Zero Emission Vehicle Sales Mandate

B.C. Accelerating Zero Emission Vehicle Sales Mandate

Greg M. Johnson

Energy Industry Corporate Tax, Reorganization, M&A and Private Equity Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Jason D. Roth

Infrastructure Development Project, Engineering, Construction and Procurement Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Ashley M. White

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

The Government of Canada continued their drive to decarbonize the economy through the use of the carrot rather than the stick in <a rel="noopener noreferrer" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.budget.canada.ca/2023/pdf/budget-2023-en.pdf" target="_blank">Budget 2023</a> by announcing two new investment tax credits (1) A Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit, and (2) A Clean Technology Manufacturing Tax Credit.

Canada Using the Carrot Instead of the Stick to Decarbonize in Budget 2023

Serge Dupont

Senior Advisor at Bennett Jones Ottawa

Senior Advisor

The U.S. and global economies proved resilient in 2025. There were reasons, particularly around U.S. President Donald Trump&rsquo;s April 1 &ldquo;Liberation Day,&rdquo; to fear a global trade war or corrections in financial markets that would cause a recession in the United States and a sharp slowing of the global economy. In fact, while growth in the United States and most major economies slowed in 2025, other policy and market factors offset at least in part the early effect of disruptive policies by the U.S. administration. The United States&rsquo;s trading partners chose to avoid an all-out trade war, and most negotiated some form of accommodation with President Trump.

Economic Outlook 2026

Adapting to a New World: From Ambition to Investment

Ahmed Elmallah

Intellectual Property Lawyer at Bennett Jones Edmonton

Counsel, Patent Agent, Trademark Agent

Benjamin K. Reingold

Intellectual Property Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Stephen D. Burns

Technology Lawyer, Intellectual Property Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Partner, Trademark Agent

Stephen Thaler has appealed the Commissioner of Patents&rsquo; refusal to recognize his AI system, DABUS, as an inventor under the Patent Act. The case raises legal and practical questions as AI systems play a growing role in generating novel inventions. The outcome could influence how Canadian innovators protect AI-driven discoveries, particularly in pharmaceutical R&amp;D.

Appeal Filed Thaler Challenges Refusal to Recognize AI

Appeal Filed: Thaler Challenges Refusal to Recognize AI as an Inventor on a Patent—Implications Beyond Inventorship

David Wainer

Commercial Transactions Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

This end-of-year overview examines the Federal Government&rsquo;s rapid expansion of AI-related funding in 2025, from large-scale investments in data centres and public compute infrastructure to programs supporting AI access, adoption and domestic research. It also explores the new commitments announced in Budget 2025 and signals key trends to watch in 2026 as Canada strengthens its AI ecosystem.

Canadas AI Efforts in 2025 A Year in Review

Canada's AI Efforts in 2025: A Year in Review

Laura Inglis

Commercial Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Edmonton

Christine Plante

Civil Fraud Recovery, Employment and Shareholder Disputes Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

David M. Price

Employment Services Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Effective January 1, 2026, Alberta will increase job-protected long-term illness and injury leave from 16 to 27 weeks. This update aligns Alberta with other leading Canadian jurisdictions that recently implemented similar extended leaves. Employers will need to revisit their workplace policies to ensure compliance with the new requirements. The blog explains the legislative amendments and their implications for employers.

Alberta Aligns with Other Provinces in Extending Long Term Illness and Injury Leave

Ashley L. Paterson

Morgan Sutherland

Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Associate 

Health Canada has proposed amendments to the Medical Devices Regulations focused on modernizing the MDEL framework. The changes would affect importer&ndash;distributor relationships, mandatory supplier disclosures, and safety documentation requirements. This update summarizes the key proposals and their potential impacts on MDEL holders and applicants.

Michael Smith on The High Stakes World of Emissions Litigation

From the Same Authors