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	Good Fences Make Good Neighbours The old adage "good fences make good neighbours" remains as true today as it has over the past centuries.... [ FULL STORY ]

	Proposed Legislation Will Affect 19,000 Federal Not-for-profit Corporations On June 13, 2008, a bill was tabled in the House of Commons which will dramatically affect some 19,000 federally incorporated not-for-profit corporations. If enacted into law, the bill (Bill C-62)...... [ FULL STORY ]

	Do You Need A Lawyer To Prepare A Will? It is important to have a will prepared by a lawyer and it is important to do it while you are in good health. ... [ FULL STORY ]

	Employees' Duties to Accept a Reasonable Accommodation Much has been written about employers' duties to accommodate an employee who is disabled or requires accommodation for religious reasons or other grounds enumerated in the Human Rights Code. However,...... [ FULL STORY ]

	The Impact of Recent Amendments to the Ontario Human Rights Code on Employers Significant amendments to the Ontario Human Rights Code (the "Code") will come into force on June 30, 2008 as per the Human Rights Code Amendment Act, which received Royal Assent on Dec. 20, 2006....... [ FULL STORY ]

	Workplace Bullying and Harassment: Reducing the Risk and Responding Appropriately Bullying and other forms of harassment in the workplace can be extremely costly to employers. In addition to the potential for declining productivity levels due to victim illness and stress leaves,...... [ FULL STORY ]

	Asset Protection From A Tax Law Perspective There are many pieces of legislation in Canada, both federal and provincial, that protect the interests of creditors. In general, these pieces of legislation provide that a conveyance of property to...... [ FULL STORY ]

	Exiting a Corporate Marriage Successful business relationships ("corporate marriages") require comprehensive shareholder agreements that address a range of issues such as control of the company and exiting the company. Since the...... [ FULL STORY ]

	The Ontario New Home Warranties Plan: Is Your New Home or Condo Covered? The decision to purchase a newly constructed home or condominium is a big one for most purchasers. Potential purchasers should take steps to reduce the risks associated with the transaction by...... [ FULL STORY ]

	New Land Transfer Tax Rebates For First-Time Homebuyers In Ontario, the Land Transfer Tax Act provides that every time a person acquires an interest in land, by either registered or unregistered transfers, land transfer tax is payable.... [ FULL STORY ]

	Changes to the Takeover Bid Regime for Reporting Issuers Effective Feb. 1, 2008, a series of changes was made to what may be generally called the takeover bid regime in Canada (the "Bid Regime"). The revised Bid Regime comprises the following statutes,...... [ FULL STORY ]

	Franchise: Expanding Your Business Over the past few decades, franchising has been the dominant small-business strategy in Ontario for the expansion of businesses and distribution of products and services. One reason for this...... [ FULL STORY ]

	License To Finance: The New Mortgage Brokerages, Lenders and Administrators Act Since the first of the year, those of us who are keenly "tuned in" to the real estate market have been privy to a number of rather ominous predictions. Everywhere you turn, in the media and in your...... [ FULL STORY ]

	Removing the Barriers: The Customer Service Accessibility Standard and Your Business On January 01, 2008 Ontario's Customer Service Accessibility Standards, a Regulation of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2005 came into effect. The Customer Service (CS)...... [ FULL STORY ]

	The OSC is Calling, Now What? The Ontario Securities Commission ("OSC") is Canada's largest regulator of the securities industry. Their central goal is to act as consumer protection agents for the investing public. They accomplish...... [ FULL STORY ]

	Proposed Changes to the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act: Personal Bankruptcies and Consumer Proposals Parliament has made some changes to the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (the "BIA") which are likely to have a significant impact on personal bankruptcies and consumer proposals in this country. The...... [ FULL STORY ]

	Navigating the Turbulent Waters of Off-shore Trusts For some time, Canadians have been using off-shore trusts to achieve certain objectives, most notably; protecting assets from potential creditors and, of course, deferring and/or reducing tax....... [ FULL STORY ]

	Immigration's New Category: The Canadian Experience Class Finally, there is a glimmer of hope for foreign nationals in Canada on work and/or study permits who deserve a little special treatment for their applications for permanent resident status. Long...... [ FULL STORY ]

	Paid Time off Policies Increasing in Popularity An increasing number of Canadian employers are converting their vacation policies, sick/ medical leave policies and personal leave policies into one paid time off ("PTO") policy. PTO policies gained...... [ FULL STORY ]

	Things to Consider When Hiring a Caregiver If you're considering hiring a caregiver for your child or children, who will work out of your house then there are a few things to consider. Before hiring a caregiver, you should register with the...... [ FULL STORY ]

	Holograph Wills In Ontario there are very formal requirements for signing Wills that are properly prepared by your lawyer. There are complex provisions requiring that the two independent witnesses who must sign the...... [ FULL STORY ]

	Listing your Company on the TSX or TSX-V The stock markets in Canada and around the world have been the subject of intense focus and attention as of late. On January 22, 2008, a record 1,030,720 trades took place on the Toronto Stock...... [ FULL STORY ]

	Going Global: Taxation Perspectives Many Canadian high-technology companies are profiting through their sales of products around the world. Conducting international business through structures designed for the domestic environment can...... [ FULL STORY ]

	Good Fences Make Good Neighbours ... [ FULL STORY ]

	A Freight Train To Oblivion, Or Just Another Market Correction? I started as a financial advisor in 1985. Those of you old enough to have been managing your finances back then know that the last big recession ended in late 1982 or early 1983. ... [ FULL STORY ]

	Changes to Bankruptcy Laws: Knowing What to Expect in the Event The road towards bankruptcy is sometimes inevitable, but it can also be unpredictable (think how many were unexpectedly hit by financial burdens in the wake of 9-11). ... [ FULL STORY ]

	Gaining Valuable Employee Feedback Do you really value what your employees think? Can you honestly say that you ask your employees for their input or feedback on a regular basis to see how your team or organization is doing? At...... [ FULL STORY ]

	Canada's Copyright Law is Alive and Well With the recent tabling in the House of Commons of Bill C-61, the government of Canada is, for the second time in three years, seeking to make important and long-sought-after changes to Canada's...... [ FULL STORY ]

	So You've Decided To Acquire A Business Buying a business is not quite as simple as going to the grocery store, picking something off the shelf, pulling out the old debit card and walking away happily with your new purchase in a bag. Once...... [ FULL STORY ]

	Campus Partnerships: A Powerful Recruitment Strategy These days, we keep hearing about the "brain drain" and labour shortages that we will face in the not-so-distant future. According to Statistics Canada, an estimated 1.1 million people are expected to...... [ FULL STORY ]

	Financial Security Through Divorce We've all heard the statistics for divorce. Whether it is one in two or one in three, what we do know for certain is that it is a life-changing situation and the decisions we make in the process can...... [ FULL STORY ]

	Things That Go Bump in the Night: Outliving Your Money, Wrestling Inflation and Markets Dropping Just When You Decide to Retire The good news, for all those who love life, is that every generation has lived longer than the previous generation. This generation of baby boomers will be no different. We will, on average, live...... [ FULL STORY ]

	The Financial Plan - Built Upside-Down and Backwards I've been in the investment business for over 20 years. In that time I have seen multitudes of financial plans. The plans are quite long, very detailed and often covered in a thin layer of dust.... [ FULL STORY ]

	Who Owns Your Company's Logo? Canadian companies often use outside firms to create works such as logos, advertising, artwork, jingles, theme songs, websites and software code, among others. Depending on the situation, the company...... [ FULL STORY ]

	Collapsing Balconies, Sliding Rooftops and Other Preventable Tragedies The public was horrified by the recent tragedy involving students who were seriously injured when they were standing on a third-floor balcony that collapsed and fell to the ground. The balcony was...... [ FULL STORY ]

	Are Two Ottawa Downtowns Better Than One? Given its obvious strategic importance to Canada, Ottawa's business core is a comparatively small neighbourhood. It spreads over a mere 152 acres between Bronson and Elgin north of Gloucester Street....... [ FULL STORY ]

	The World's Most Successful Dad My father, Jack Prehogan, is 86 years old. If they gave out an award to The World's Most Successful Dad (which I would define as "the man who best empowers his child(ren) to be the best they can be"),...... [ FULL STORY ]

	My Product is Better Than Yours ... But Can I Say That? Comparative advertising continues to be one of the most popular forms of promoting consumer products in the marketplace. According to Advertising Standards Canada, this type of advertising consists of...... [ FULL STORY ]

	Fired For A Timbit The Canadian Press recently reported on a decision by a Tim Hortons manager to terminate the employment of one of its workers for giving a Timbit to a toddler. At the time, the district manager...... [ FULL STORY ]

	The City of Ottawa Introduces New Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw In 2001, the new City of Ottawa was created by amalgamating the former cities of Ottawa, Nepean, Kanata, Gloucester, Vanier and Cumberland and the former townships of West Carleton, Goulbourn, Rideau...... [ FULL STORY ]

	Cottages: Merriment, Death and Taxes Cottage season is mercifully just around the corner now. But as you will inevitably discover, owning a cottage is not all bonfires and frolics in the lake. It also requires thoughtful planning to...... [ FULL STORY ]

	Changes to Bankruptcy Laws: Knowing What to Expect in the Event of the Unexpected The road towards bankruptcy is sometimes inevitable, but it can also be unpredictable (think how many were unexpectedly hit by financial burdens in the wake of 9-11). ... [ FULL STORY ]

	So You've Decided to Acquire a Business Buying a business is not quite as simple as going to the grocery store, picking something off the shelf, pulling out the old debit card and walking away happily with your new purchase in a bag. Once...... [ FULL STORY ]

	Transitioning to the Third Generation Despite all the factors pulling against second-generation owners, they have successfully managed to transition from the parent generation to the sibling generation. There were bumps along the way, but...... [ FULL STORY ]

	Non-comps: To Tax or Not to Tax To paint the picture, we start with a successful business owner looking to sell a business. The business owner finds a willing purchaser and they negotiate a purchase price. Typically, the purchase...... [ FULL STORY ]

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