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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

Partner

Chyna Brown

Commercial Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary 

Associate

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

Luke Morrison

Energy Project Development, M&A, and Commercial Transaction Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Years after an insolvency proceeding is closed, can a solvent co-lessee/working interest participant (WIP) still be on the hook for their former partner’s share of unpaid Crown royalties? A recent Alberta Court of Appeal decision to allow an appeal in <a href="https://www.canlii.org/en/ab/abca/doc/2025/2025abca181/2025abca181.html">Spartan Delta Corp v Alberta (Energy and Minerals), 2025 ABCA 181</a> [Spartan Delta], raises concerns around whether the answer to such question can be 'yes'. The oil and gas industry is closely tracking the outcome of this appeal (anticipated to be heard in Fall 2025) on the basis that if the appeal were to be granted it would create uncertainty for upstream oil & gas joint interest owners as to the impact of insolvency proceedings on existing liabilities (and would have implications for purchasers and WIPs alike in relation to oil & gas M&A out of insolvency proceedings).

Spartan Delta Corp

Spartan Delta Appeal Raises Uncertainty for Co-Lessees After Insolvency

Adam Kalbfleisch

Competition, Foreign Investment Review and Regulatory Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Alixe A.L. Cameron

Corporate Commercial and Real Estate Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Jane C. Helmstadter

Real Estate Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

The Competition Bureau (Bureau) has released its <a href="https://competition-bureau.canada.ca/en/how-we-foster-competition/education-and-outreach/publications/competitor-property-controls-and-competition-act">finalized property control guidelines</a> (Guidelines) outlining the Bureau's ongoing approach to enforcing competition property controls under the Competition Act (Act). These replace the preliminary guidelines published on August 7, 2024, which were subject to a public consultation process last summer/fall

Breaking Ground The Competition Bureau Weighs in with Final Property Control Guidelines

The Competition Bureau Weighs in with Final Property Control Guidelines

Michael D. W. Ramsay

Banking (Financial Services) and Commercial Real Estate Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Counsel

To ensure that future borrowers and lenders alike are aware of a potentially significant change in Mortgage registration fee calculations at the Alberta Land Titles Office, and to help prevent any registration fee surprises on future debt financing deals, we confirm that as of January 31, 2025, Section 9 of the Financial Statutes Amendment Act (FSAA) was proclaimed into force, and Section 102.1(3) of the Alberta Land Titles Act (LTA) is repealed.
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Changes in Effect to the Cost of Collateral Mortgage Registration

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  

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 

Bennett Jones Celebrates International Women's Day 2020

From the Same Authors

Alberta Court of Appeal Clarifies PPSA Priorities in Insolvency Sales

Spartan Delta Appeal Raises Uncertainty for Co-Lessees After Insolvency

The Competition Bureau Weighs in with Final Property Control Guidelines

Latest Insights

ONCA Affirms Denial of Claim for Earn-Out Acceleration

Hiding in the Shadows: The Perils of Shadow AI on Your Organization

Alberta Court of Appeal Clarifies PPSA Priorities in Insolvency Sales

The Canadian Class Actions Handbook

Stay Informed. Stay Ahead.