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Sara G. Parchello

Employment Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Partner

David Cassin

Brendan J. Weiler

Employment Services Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Associate

Two recent Ontario Superior Court decisions&mdash;Li v Wayfair Canada Inc. and Jones v Strides Toronto&mdash;clarify that the phrase &ldquo;at any time&rdquo; in a termination clause does not automatically invalidate an employment agreement under the ESA. While both cases distinguish earlier restrictive rulings, ongoing inconsistencies, including the Chan decision, highlight the need for appellate guidance. Employers should continue to review contracts carefully to ensure ESA compliance.

Termination At Any Time A Review of Recent Developments

Termination “At Any Time”? A Review of Recent Developments from Li v Wayfair Canada Inc. and Jones v Strides Toronto

Katelyn Weller

Counsel at Bennett Jones Toronto

Counsel

Carl Cunningham

Management-side Employment Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Bill 27, introduced in October 2021, has now passed and received royal assent. Employers should review the employee-friendly legislation changes, including a ban on non-competes and a "Disconnect from Work" policy.

Ontario Bill 27 Working for Workers Act 2021 is Now the Law

Ontario Bill 27: Working for Workers Act, 2021 is Now the Law

There are now three recent Ontario arbitration decisions that address whether an employer may require its unionized employees to be vaccinated. While directly relevant to unionized employers, given the lack of case law considering the issue, these decisions may have further-reaching impacts on all employers in Ontario.

Challenging Mandatory Vaccination Policies in Ontario

Challenging Mandatory Vaccination Policies in Ontario: Arbitrators Take a First Look and Reach Differing Conclusions

Bill C-5, An Act to amend the Bills of Exchange Act, the Interpretation Act and the Canada Labour Code (National Day for Truth and Reconciliation) came into force on August 3, 2021. The Bill creates a new statutory holiday for federally-regulated employees that will take place on September 30 of each year. The holiday is named the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (the Truth and Reconciliation Day).

Parliament Enacts New Statutory Federal Holiday Truth and Reconciliation Day

Parliament Enacts New Statutory Federal Holiday—Truth and Reconciliation Day

Drew C. Broughton

Corporate Commercial and M&A Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Jie (Kevin) Zhou

M&A, Private Equity and Corporate Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Jesse Fontaine

Commercial Transactions Lawyer at Bennett Jones Edmonton

The Ontario Court of Appeal confirmed that earn-out acceleration clauses are to be interpreted contextually, with materiality turning on a transaction&rsquo;s impact on the earn-out regime rather than its size or value. The decision reinforces the exceptional nature of earn-out acceleration remedies and the importance of precise drafting in share purchase agreements.

ONCA Affirms Denial of Claim for Earn Out Acceleration

ONCA Affirms Denial of Claim for Earn-Out Acceleration

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

Michael A. Eizenga L.S.M.

Leading Canadian Class Action Litigator at Bennett Jones Toronto

Pascale Dionne-Bourassa

Civil and Commercial Litigator, Construction Law Lawyer at Bennett Jones (Québec) LLP

Montréal Managing Partner

Katherine Booth

Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Vancouver

Bennett Jones partners <a href="/People/E/Eizenga-Michael">Michael Eizenga</a>, <a href="/People/D/Dionne-Bourassa-Pascale">Pascale Dionne-Bourassa</a>&nbsp;and <a href="/People/B/Booth-Katherine">Katherine Booth</a>&nbsp;have co-authored The Canadian Class Actions Handbook, published by LexisNexis. Building on The Class Actions Handbook released in 2022, this new edition brings together the core principles of class proceedings law and provides essential coverage of recent developments across Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and the Federal Court.

The Canadian Class Actions Handbook

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 

Sara Parchello on Human Resource Issues for Business: GVBOT Webinar

From the Same Authors