Publications

June 21, 2017

Business Succession Planning: Transfer, Financing and Planning

Have you built a prosperous business through your hard work and perseverance? Are you the kind of entrepreneur who invests countless hours in growing your business? Every business owner must one day plan for the succession of his business, whether with a view to his retirement, to sell the business (…)

June 15, 2017

The new act to prohibit and prevent genetic discrimination

On May 4, 2017, the Senate passed the Act to prohibit and prevent genetic discrimination (Genetic Non-Discrimination Act), which came into force on the same date. This Act also amended the Canada Labour Code and the Canadian Human Rights Act. The new Act aims to regulate the use of genetic tests, (…)

June 14, 2017

“Like our Facebook page and you could win a tablet computer” - are you following the rules?

Promotional contests are among the advertising activities favoured by businesses. In the age of social media, they are increasingly frequent and popular — “Win a trip down South!”, “Fantastic stroller to be won among everyone who likes our Facebook page!”. However, not everyone is aware of all the (…)

May 29, 2017

Latest developments in the Canadian infrastructure market / The Canada-Europe Free Trade Agreement: impacts on the infrastructure industry / Biomethanization: a fast-growing market in Québec

TABLE OF CONTENTS Latest developments in the Canadian market Fengate acquires a solar project portfolio from Canadian Solar TerraForm Power increases the financing of its Canadian solar power portfolio SaskPower launches a call for tenders for 200 MW of wind energy Boralex closes the (…)

May 25, 2017

A bid’s nonconformity to the eligibility criteria set out in a call for tenders, such as minimum experience, constitutes a major irregularity

When it comes to presenting a bid in response to a call for tenders made by a public body, two major questions are of interest to businesses concerned, namely “What is the nature of the contract?” and “Does my business conform to the conditions of the call for tenders, for example, those concerning (…)

May 19, 2017

A bid’s nonconformity to the eligibility criteria set out in a call for tenders, such as minimum experience, constitutes a major irregularity

When it comes to presenting a bid in response to a call for tenders made by a public body, two major questions are of interest to businesses concerned, namely “What is the nature of the contract?” and “Does my business conform to the conditions of the call for tenders, for example, those concerning (…)

May 16, 2017

When artificial intelligence is discriminatory

Artificial intelligence has undergone significant developments in the last few years, particularly in respect of what is now known as deep learning.1 This method is the extension of the neural networks which have been used for a few years for machine learning. Deep learning, as any other form of (…)

May 12, 2017

A physician refusing to follow a professional training course constitutes sufficient ground for an establishment to refuse to renew the physician’s status and privileges – TAQ confirms its decision

On March 29, 2017, the Tribunal administratif du Québec issued a decision1 (the “TAQ2 decision”) reviewing one of its own judgments (the “TAQ1 judgment”)2 which had confirmed the decision of a health establishment not to renew the privileges of a physician who had refused to follow a professional (…)

May 10, 2017

Getting on the fast track: Accelerating patent examination in Canada

Would you like to obtain a Canadian patent quickly? You’re in luck – mechanisms are available to accelerate patent examination at the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO), depending on the technology, the situation and your particular needs. Benefits Such acceleration of examination (…)

May 8, 2017

The Role of the Expert under the new Code of Civil Procedure

The coming into force of the new Code of Civil Procedure on January 1, 2016 created some uncertainty for litigation lawyers. One issue was the role of experts in litigation and in particular the emphasis on joint experts and the filing of an expert’s report in lieu of testimony. Other provisions (…)

May 5, 2017

Arbitration and quasi-judicial tribunals: Must corporations and private bodies necessarily be represented by a lawyer?

While individuals (natural persons) may represent themselves and need not resort to a lawyer before the courts, a legal person or a corporation must necessarily be represented by a lawyer, both pursuant to the Code of Civil Procedure (articles 23, 86 and 87) as well as by reason of the acts reserved (…)

May 1, 2017

Artificial intelligence and its legal challenges

Is there a greater challenge than to write a legal article on an emerging technology that does not exist yet in its absolute form? Artificial intelligence, through a broad spectrum of branches and applications, will impact corporate and business integrity, corporate governance, distribution of (…)

April 26, 2017

Employers, the VRSP: Ring any Bells?

On July 1, 2014, most of the provisions of the Voluntary Retirement Savings Plans Act1 (the “VRSP Act”) came into effect. At the time, this raised questions in the minds of numerous employers about their obligations under this new law. Since a first group of employers had until December 31, 2016 to (…)