LEGAL INSIGHTS & UPDATES
Legal insights and commentary from Baker Law Firm.
In Alberta, a shareholder needs the court's permission before suing in a corporation's name. Young v Scheuerman denied leave where the applicant preferred a personal inheritance interest over the corporation's recovery and the claim faced limitations and business judgment rule defences.
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The oppression remedy protects a shareholder's reasonable expectations. BCE supplies the two-part test, Shefsky marks the remedy's limits, and Giles applies it to two equal owners of a private company who can no longer work together.
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Two appellate decisions mark out the edges of the entire agreement clause. Houle enforced one against a rescission claim built on a pre-contract estimate; Project Freeway held one did not stop a court from using a superseded letter of intent to interpret the deal.
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A fundamental breach deprives the innocent party of substantially the whole benefit of the bargain, and even then the contract ends only when the repudiation is accepted. Three Alberta decisions show who may walk away, what must happen first, and what mistakes cost.
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A settlement binds when the parties agree on its essential terms, even if the release and the rest of the paperwork remain unresolved. In Buterman, years of disputes over the settlement documents never undid the deal formed in an exchange of letters.
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In Bazley v Curry, the Supreme Court of Canada held that an organization can be financially responsible for sexual abuse committed by its employee even without negligence. The strong-connection test asks whether the enterprise materially increased the risk.
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The Court of King's Bench sets aside a summary dismissal, holding that hearsay evidence can raise a genuine issue for trial when the person behind it can be cross-examined. A shifting witness account is a reason for trial, not dismissal.
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A television consumer segment defamed an Edmonton martial arts organization through inaccurate presentation. Important information was left out, and events were reported in a misleading order. One of the broadcast's three meanings carried liability, and every media defence failed on it. Baker Law Firm acted for the plaintiffs at trial.
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When a contract is ambiguous and the ordinary tools of interpretation cannot resolve it, Canadian courts read it against the party who drafted it. A walk through the rules of construction, and the place of contra proferentem, via the Supreme Court's decisions in Sattva and Ledcor.
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Court of King's Bench justices are openly urging reform of Rule 6.14, which lets parties appeal an Applications Judge with no deference and file new evidence on a lax test. A look at the criticism through Radi, Liberty Land, and Interra.
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In Alberta, a money judgment carries interest as of right. A guide to how pre-judgment and post-judgment interest work under the Judgment Interest Act, the two rates that apply, and when courts depart from them.
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A single "reply all" email accusing a business of fraud can reach dozens of inboxes in seconds. Decisions from courts in Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta show how seriously Canadian law treats accusations of fraud, dishonesty, and criminal conduct.
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The Alberta Court of Appeal's Liberty Mortgage decision drew a sharp distinction between setting aside a noting in default and a default judgment. Three early 2026 King's Bench decisions reveal an area of law in active flux.
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Canadian courts have developed a robust body of law on the meaning of consent to sexual contact. This article provides a broad overview of the law of consent as it relates to civil claims for sexual assault.
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