Canada: Contracts and Commercial Law

If you ski or snowboard in Alberta, you have likely seen the signs: a notice above the ticket window, fine print on the back of your lift ticket, a warning at the gate of the terrain park. Most of them say the same thing, that by using the hill you accept the risks and give up the right to hold the resort responsible if you get hurt.

Many professionals (accountants, engineers, lawyers, dentists and other health professionals) operate through professional corporations believing this structure protects their personal assets from business liabilities. A recent Alberta Court of King's Bench decision serves as a reminder that this assumption can be wrong, and costly.

Starting in 2027, all Ontario project owners with contracts entered into on or after January 1, 2026, and most owners with contracts dating back to July 1, 2018, must start releasing statutory holdback to their contractors on an annual basis. This requirement is the latest in a series of construction payment reforms under Ontario’s Construction Act. It replaces the traditional model of retaining holdback until substantial performance. Owners and contractors who fail to comply with the notice and payment timelines face exposure to interest claims, payment disputes, and adjudication proceedings.

The Canadian Construction Documents Committee (CCDC) has released the 2026 edition of CCDC 14 – Design-Build Stipulated Price Contract, marking the first update to the CCDC 14 since 2013. The revised contract introduces several notable changes, including new project completion requirements, expanded provisions addressing design responsibilities and intellectual property, and revisions to the allocation of contractual liability.

Picture this: a pipe bursts, or a small fire breaks out in the back office, and you file a commercial property insurance claim expecting it to be straightforward. Instead, the cheque that arrives is thousands of dollars short of what you lost. Nine times out of ten, the reason is buried in a clause most policyholders never read closely, the co-insurance clause. By the time they find out about it, it’s too late to do anything but pay the difference themselves.

A U.S. franchisor negotiating its first Canadian area development agreement typically sets the territory and the development schedule the way it would anywhere else: draw a radius, apply a minimum population threshold calibrated to domestic absorption rates, and attach a schedule that assumes the territory fills at a comparable pace.

La récente rupture des négociations commerciales entre le Canada et les États-Unis ainsi que les mesures tarifaires qui ont suivi ont amené les entreprises canadiennes à revoir leur façon de gérer leurs échanges commerciaux transfrontaliers. Si la hausse des coûts représente l’enjeu le plus immédiat, le véritable défi tient plutôt à l’imprévisibilité de la situation, qui pourrait bien s’inscrire dans la durée.

Le Bureau de la concurrence du Canada a conclu une entente historique avec Empire Company Limited, société mère de Sobeys et autres enseignes d'épiceries, limitant l'utilisation de contrôles de propriété dans l'immobilier commercial. Cette mesure d'application de la loi soulève des questions importantes sur l'avenir des clauses restrictives et d'exclusivité dans le secteur de l'épicerie et au-delà.

Artificial intelligence features are rapidly being embedded into the enterprise software that organizations rely on daily. From customer relationship management platforms and document management systems to human resources tools and financial reporting software, technology vendors are racing to integrate AI capabilities into their existing products, particularly SaaS offerings. For clients, this trend presents a mix of opportunity and risk.