Canada: Corporate/Commercial Law

The Canada Revenue Agency (“CRA”) has started to lift the veil on its promised “modernization” project for the charitable sector, and the early signals point to changes in administrative processes, compliance oversight and how charities interact with the Charities Directorate.

Online incorporation services make it easy to file articles and create a legal entity, but they often leave critical gaps in corporate governance, bylaws, and organizational documentation.

Canadian registered charities often establish parallel foundations to enhance fundraising, manage investments, and hold endowments separately from day-to-day operations. While this dual structure offers flexibility and long-term stability, it also introduces governance risks, administrative burdens, and complex tax considerations that organizations must carefully navigate to maintain alignment between the two entities.

Having last implemented revisions to the Canadian take-over bid and issuer bid regime more than a decade ago, on May 14, 2026, the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) proposed changes [PDF] to securities law requirements governing issuer bids, take-over bids and early warning reporting obligations.

In its recent decision in Angus A2A GP Inc v Alvarez & Marsal Canada Inc (“Angus A2A”),[1] the Alberta Court of Appeal upheld an “unusual” set of proceedings under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (Canada) (“CCAA”) initiated by equity investors rather than the debtor companies themselves or creditors. The principal issue before the Court was whether such investors could qualify as “interested persons” capable of commencing CCAA proceedings and, more broadly, whether the proceedings were consistent with the underlying purposes of the CCAA.

In today’s competitive marketplace, intellectual property (IP) and the IP rights that protect them are often among the most valuable assets a company possesses.

The Canada Revenue Agency (“CRA”) has started to lift the veil on its promised “modernization” project for the charitable sector, and the early signals point to changes in administrative processes, compliance oversight and how charities interact with the Charities Directorate.

Ce bulletin présente une rétrospective des principaux développements réglementaires en matière d’assurance et de distribution au Québec des six derniers mois. Comme vous pourrez le constater, l’Autorité des marchés financiers (l’« Autorité ») et le gouvernement du Québec ont été actifs au cours de cette période.

A tax opinion may confirm that a filing position is defensible, but does it address how that structure will perform when the Canada Revenue Agency challenges it? This analysis examines the gap between implementation support and dispute readiness, exploring what remains unanswered after the opinion is delivered and why multiple participants may assess different aspects without evaluating the structure outside the implementation frame.

Join Heather Barnhouse, Partner in our Edmonton office, as she explores women in leadership and entrepreneurship, and the ecosystem that supports them.

We proudly announce the release of the Osler Deal Points Report: Venture Capital Financings 2025, the essential guide to the latest trends and developments in the Canadian venture capital market.

Welcome to Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP’s fifth annual comprehensive report on venture capital and growth equity financing transactions in Canada’s emerging and high growth companies ecosystem.