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Christine Plante

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

Partner

Justin R. Lambert

Energy Industry Dispute, Fraud, Securities and Corporate Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Michael A. Eizenga L.S.M.

Leading Canadian Class Action Litigator at Bennett Jones Toronto

Partner 

Workplace class proceedings are on the rise in Canada. Recent class actions have involved employee claims for <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onca/doc/2022/2022onca115/2022onca115.html" target="_blank">overtime</a>, <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2020/2020onsc5368/2020onsc5368.html" target="_blank">vacation time</a>, <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcsc/doc/2021/2021bcsc2414/2021bcsc2414.html?searchUrlHash=AAAAAQAgImVzY29iYXIiIEFORCAiY2xhc3MgcHJvY2VlZGluZyIAAAAAAQ&resultIndex=1#_Toc89857824" target="_blank">damages for COVID-19 pandemic terminations</a>, <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcsc/doc/2022/2022bcsc1608/2022bcsc1608.html?searchUrlHash=AAAAAQAgImVzY29iYXIiIEFORCAiY2xhc3MgcHJvY2VlZGluZyIAAAAAAQ&resultIndex=2#_Toc113546909" target="_blank">extended healthcare benefits</a>, <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2021/2021onsc5518/2021onsc5518.html" target="_blank">misclassification of workers</a> and <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/fct/doc/2017/2017fc51/2017fc51.html?searchUrlHash=AAAAAQAKaGFyYXNzbWVudAAAAAAB&offset=0" target="_blank">systemic discrimination and harassment</a>. The Alberta Court of Appeal decision in <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.canlii.org/en/ab/abca/doc/2022/2022abca374/2022abca374.html?searchUrlHash=AAAAAQBTImNsYXNzIHByb2NlZWRpbmdzIiBPUiAiY2xhc3MgYWN0aW9uIiBPUiAiYWN0aW9uIGNvbGxlY3RpdmUiIE9SICJyZWNvdXJzIGNvbGxlY3RpZiIAAAAAAQ&resultIndex=3" target="_blank">Flesch v Apache Corporation, 2022 ABCA 374</a> now adds claims for long-term incentive compensation to this growing list. This decision also revisits the "gatekeeping" role the court has in certifying such class proceedings.

Tis the Reason ABCA Considers Expanding Gatekeeping Role of Courts

'Tis the Reason: ABCA Considers Expanding Gatekeeping Role of Courts in Certification of Workplace Class Proceeding

Martin Ignasiak KC

Regulatory Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

A majority of the Supreme Court of Canada recently clarified that any public “advantage” that government obtains through land regulations that deprives a property owner of all reasonable or economic uses of their property is sufficient to establish a de facto expropriation claim. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/19534/index.do" target="_blank">Annapolis Group Inc v. Halifax Regional Municipality</a>, 2022 SCC 36 is a welcome development for land and resource developers.

Government Advantage and Reasonable Land Use Supreme Court of Canada Clarifies Law

Government Advantage and Reasonable Land Use

Supreme Court of Canada Clarifies Law In de facto Expropriation Cases

Munaf Mohamed KC

Civil Fraud, Commercial Litigation and International Asset Recovery Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Lead Director and Partner

Michael D. Mysak

Corporate, Fraud and Securities Litigation and Shareholder Dispute Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

In Henenghaixin Corp v Deng, 2022 ABCA 271, the Alberta Court of Appeal sent a clear warning that counsel applying for extraordinary remedies must be careful when relying on hearsay evidence to ground their claims. In this case, the applicants relied on hearsay evidence without explaining why they were required to do so. The result was that the order was set aside on appeal.

Is it Getting Harder to Get a Worldwide Freezing Injunction in Alberta

Is It Getting Harder to Get a Worldwide Freezing Injunction In Alberta?

Keely Cameron

Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Belal Zaher

Commercial Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Associate

In Perez-Nana v Cargill Limited, 2022 ABQB 283, the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench considered a sequencing application. Guided by efficiency and fairness, the Court refused to hear the motion to strike the claim or portions thereof prior to the certification application, and ordered the applications be heard concurrently.

Alberta Court Denies Application to Hear Motion to Strike Prior to Class Action

Alberta Court Denies Application to Hear Motion to Strike Prior to Class Action Certification Hearing

Denise D. Bright

Public and Private Company Financial Transactions and Securities 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.

Alberta Expands ASC Powers to Address Financial Misinformation

Laura James

Corporate Lawyer at Bennett Jones Vancouver

Rebecca Burnand

Corporate Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Madison Sutherland

Newly released market data out of the US shows the demand for beauty products remained strong in 2025 despite pressure on overall consumer spending. Beauty M&amp;A deal volume in the US decreased slightly this year due to tariff and trade concerns, but analysts are optimistic for a busier 2026 on the dealmaking front.

University of Calgary Law School Guest Lecture

From the Same Authors