Technology Law and Digital Law

Canada’s income tax system is fundamentally based on self-assessment. Individual taxpayers are responsible for reporting their income, claiming applicable deductions and credits, and determining their tax position through the T1 General, formally the T1 Income Tax and Benefit Return.

Free tokens are rarely free of tax consequences. Airdrops, staking rewards, yield-farming distributions and DAO compensation all arrive in a crypto wallet without a purchase, which makes them easy to overlook at filing time, and difficult to characterize when they are not overlooked.

The Canada Revenue Agency’s access to information about cryptocurrency and other crypto-assets is entering a new phase. Canadian taxpayers have always been responsible for identifying, valuing, classifying, and reporting taxable crypto activity, even where an exchange issued no Canadian tax slip, the transaction occurred through a foreign platform, or the assets were never converted into Canadian dollars. 

Ce bulletin mensuel a été préparé par le groupe Protection des renseignements confidentiels, vie privée et cybersécurité de Fasken pour vous présenter les actualités et les développements récents qui ont attiré notre attention. Si vous avez des questions sur l’un des sujets abordés dans ce bulletin, communiquez avec l’un des membres de ce groupe, qui se fera un plaisir de vous aider.

The guidance emphasizes that organizations remain accountable for personal information under their control, including where it is collected, used, disclosed or processed by a third party, and should conduct privacy due diligence to identify compliance risks, inform contractual protections and demonstrate accountability. The OPC is accepting comments on the guidance until December 4, 2026.

The Ontario Court of Appeal's decision in Panasonic Canada Inc. v. XL Specialty Insurance Company establishes that coverage analysis must focus on the true nature of the loss rather than the coverage provision an insured selects. When a ransomware endorsement contains specific language governing losses connected to cyber-extortion threats, that endorsement may control the claim even when the insured seeks recovery under different policy provisions and never paid a ransom.

With the rapid progress of artificial intelligence in the legal field, we often hear the same question arise again and again: will AI replace the need for estate planning lawyers?

The guidance emphasizes that organizations remain accountable for personal information under their control, including where it is collected, used, disclosed or processed by a third party, and should conduct privacy due diligence to identify compliance risks, inform contractual protections and demonstrate accountability. The OPC is accepting comments on the guidance until December 4, 2026.

Le gouvernement de l’Alberta serait devenu le premier au Canada à utiliser l’intelligence artificielle (l’« IA ») pour la rédaction initiale d’une loi, soit l’Alberta Whisky Act (la « Loi »). Les fonctionnaires et les conseillers législatifs ont conservé la responsabilité de l’examen, de la révision et de toutes les étapes d’approbation.