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David R. McKinnon

Energy & Environmental Litigation, Commercial Disputes, and Health Law at Bennett Jones Calgary

Partner

Navdeep Kaur

Commercial Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Associate

Ellen Forsyth

The Alberta Court of King's Bench stood firm on its commitment to address delays and improve efficiency in Alberta's civil justice system. In Boucher v Bailey, 2025 ABKB 384, the Court dismissed the plaintiffs' request to adjourn a 31-day trial due to its counsel being double booked with another trial in another jurisdiction. The Court held that adjourning the trial as requested would cause prejudice to the justice system, including sub-optimal use of judicial resources and negatively affecting the public's confidence in the administration of justice.

Trial Dates Are Final Alberta Courts Confirm Commitment to Swift Justice

Trial Dates Are Final: Alberta Courts Confirm Commitment to Swift Justice

Michael D. Mysak

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

Ciara J. Mackey

In the glow of negotiating a commercial lease, no landlord or tenant wants to think about how it might end early. But recent developments again remind us that a nuanced termination clause will significantly affect if, when and how a termination right is triggered.

Lease Termination Clauses

Lease Termination Clauses: Know the Target Before Pulling the Trigger

Alicia Yowart

Civil Practice Note 7, entitled “Vexatious Application/Proceeding Show Cause Procedure”, is a useful tool to manage hopeless litigation quickly and efficiently. Introduced in 2018, it is a summary procedure under Rule 3.68 of the Alberta Rules of Court that may be used to address a “claim, defence, action, application, or proceeding that appears on its face to be frivolous, vexatious, or otherwise an abuse of process.” It is intended as a “fair and proportionate mechanism to respond to apparently abusive litigation”.

Utter Waste of Time Alberta Court of Appeal Provides New Guidance on Civil Practice Note 7

“Utter Waste of Time”: Alberta Court of Appeal Provides New Guidance on Civil Practice Note 7 

Christine Plante

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

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

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

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

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 

Four Bennett Jones Lawyers Recognized in the Benchmark Under 40 Hot List

From the Same Authors