2020

Prospective cannabis producers got their first look in March at the packaging and labelling regulations that will govern the new industry once the Cannabis Act is passed. Christelle Gedeon, Barbara Miller and Ryan Schnier of Fasken take a look.

The United States’ broad-reaching Immigration and Nationality Act will create difficulties and confusion for Canadians crossing the border after the Cannabis Act is passed, likely this summer, writes Veronica K. Choy, of Miller Thomson in Calgary.

Recently, the Government of British Columbia announced it is considering a series of proposed measures to restrict the shipment of diluted bitumen from Alberta oilsands operations by rail or pipelines, setting the stage for a constitutional dispute.

On Jan. 23, the eleven remaining members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement announced the conclusion of their discussions on a revised free trade agreement.

On June 16, 2017, the OSC released the reasons for its April, 2017 order which reversed a tactical private placement in the context of a proxy contest involving Eco Oro Minerals Corp.1 The OSC’s reasons unpacked its determination to overturn a decision of the TSX and cease trade certain recently issued Eco Oro shares.

A deadlocked board of directors, talk of a “public flogging,” and a court reluctant to intervene. The case of Goldstein v McGrath is a colourful recent example of a requisitioned public company shareholders’ meeting, with the twist that the requisitioning shareholders were represented by or aligned with three of the company’s six directors.

Foreign buyers of Canadian businesses are less likely to require approval from the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development under the “net benefit to Canada” test as a result of increases in the review thresholds this year.

On Sept. 21, 2017, a landmark trade deal between Canada and the European Union, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, came into provisional effect after almost a decade of negotiations. Provisional application of CETA is a milestone achievement which ushers in a number of significant changes to the Canadian legal and regulatory landscape.

The British Columbia Securities Commission has made it easier for B.C. issuers to access capital outside the province. As of Oct. 31, 2017, three new and/or improved exemptions to the prospectus requirement are available for distributions to purchasers outside B.C.:

Due to the difficulty in obtaining direct evidence, insider trading and “tipping” cases are relatively rare. As a result, the high-profile decision of Finkelstein v Ontario (Securities Commission) (2016) is significant.