News

On January 23rd, the eleven remaining members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement announced the conclusion of their discussions on a revised free trade agreement. Re-branded the “Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership” (CPTPP), the new deal is expected to be signed on or about March 8th at a ceremony in Chile.

Round six of the NAFTA negotiations concluded in Montreal on January 29, 2018. Trade ministers from Canada, the United States and Mexico rejoined the talks this round with the aim of creating movement on contentious chapters.

On September 21, 2017, a landmark trade deal between Canada and the European Union (“EU”), the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (“CETA” or the “Agreement”), came into provisional effect after almost a decade of negotiations. Provisional application of CETA is a milestone achievement which ushers in a number of significant changes to the Canadian legal and regulatory landscape.

Foreign buyers of Canadian businesses are less likely to require approval from the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development under the “net benefit to Canada” test as a result of increases in the review thresholds this year. At the same time, acquisitions of even small Canadian businesses—including minority investments—can still be subject to national security review.

On September 21, 2017, a landmark trade deal between Canada and the European Union (“EU”), the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (“CETA” or the “Agreement”), came into provisional effect after almost a decade of negotiations. Provisional application of CETA is a milestone achievement which ushers in a number of significant changes to the Canadian legal and regulatory landscape.

In the budget released on March 20th, 2017, the federal government announced its intention to introduce amendments to the proceeds of crime legislation (the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act, or “PCMLTFA”)

A deadlocked board of directors, talk of a “public flogging”, and a court reluctant to intervene. The case of Goldstein v. McGrath is a colourful recent example of a requisitioned public company shareholders’ meeting, with the twist that the requisitioning shareholders were represented by or aligned with three of the company’s six directors.

Mark Wilson from Wildeboer Dellelce LLP explores the Koh v. Ellipsiz Communications Ltd., 2016 ONSC 7345 case

If there is one area of law that seems to be the least understood among members of the profession, it is financial crime. Financial crime involves, among other things, money laundering, terrorist financing, tax evasion, insider trading, corruption, illegal gambling, drug trafficking and prostitution. We call these financial crimes because of the financial transactions associated with the criminal activity.

A proposed class action was filed a mere six weeks after the British Columbia government introduced amendments to the Property Transfer Tax Act to impose an additional 15% tax on the purchase of residential property by foreigners in the Greater Vancouver Regional District (the “Foreign Buyer Property Tax”).