In this episode of the Blaneys Podcast, Chad Kopach, the co-chair of Blaneys’ construction group, discusses the challenges facing the construction industry caused by COVID-19, including the unintended consequences to the holdback regime caused by the Province’s emergency order suspending court deadlines, “essential workplace” issues, and site delays. Our producer and sound engineer Varoujan Arman (also a lawyer) joins in with an interesting recent anecdote regarding “essential workplaces”.

During the COVID-19 crisis, Blaneys is continuing its Podcast remotely, with a series of new Podcasts tackling the many challenging legal issues raised by the pandemic and the measures being taken to combat it. In this Podcast, our commercial leasing expert, Dennis Tobin, discusses the many legal and practical challenges facing both commercial landlords and tenants, but also how these parties are starting to cooperate to preserve their businesses without strictly relying on written contractual obligations of the lease.

During the COVID-19 crisis, Blaneys is continuing its Podcast remotely, with a series of new Podcasts tackling the many challenging legal issues raised by the pandemic and the measures being taken to combat it. In this episode, our labour and employment law expert, Jack Siegel, discusses the employment law issues that are impacting nearly all Canadians and Canadian employers during this unprecedented time.

In this episode of the Blaneys Podcast, David Ma, our IT and technology law expert, discusses the function and purpose of cryptocurrencies. David tackles recent challenges such as the collapse of crypto exchange Quadriga CX, and the ongoing debate of whether governments should regulate the exchange of cryptocurrencies.

This Blaneys’ Podcast features an exciting and insightful discussion of Canada’s brand new legalized recreational cannabis arena. The topics discussed will be of interest to any existing industry members, or to those thinking about becoming involved in the industry, whether from a production, processing, retail, or support services perspective. The panel members include:

Lou Brzezinski - Blaneys Partner and Podcast host, Co-Chair of the Blaney Cannabis Law Group

Nicholas Wong - Blaneys Partner and member of the Cannabis Law Group and Intellectual Property Law Group

Angela Smith - Founder and CEO of Catalyst Life Science Consulting, a consultancy firm offering regulatory expertise to the cannabis industry

Daryl Hodges - Founder, Chairman and CEO of Ancient Strains, a cannabis investment company and producer among world cannabis markets

The Podcast was produced by Lou Brzezinski and Varoujan Arman, Blaneys’ in-house Podcast producer and sound editor, also a partner in the Commercial Litigation Group and member of the Cannabis Law Group.

In this special episode of the Blaneys Podcast, we sit down with Maria Scarfo, the firm’s managing partner. Maria discusses the challenges faced by the legal industry with the retention of female lawyers, client expectations, her management style, and some of the unique qualities of Blaney McMurtry LLP.

In this episode of the Blaneys Podcast, Lea Nebel, co-chair of the firm’s Construction Law Group, discusses the large-scale revamping of Ontario’s Construction Lien Act, now known as the Construction Act, as of July 1, 2018.

Business law is developing in a new direction in Canada. That direction is firmly based on profitability and material prosperity. However, that prosperity is increasingly being linked to a more sustainable, environmentally responsible, and widely shared model of carrying on business.

In this episode of the Blaneys Podcast, commercial litigator Varoujan Arman describes the steps involved in the civil litigation process, along with outside the box strategies to obtain favourable settlements. 

In this second of a two part Blaneys Podcast on commercial leasing in Canada, Dennis Tobin discusses key issues for negotiating an offer to lease in the Canadian real estate market. In an easy to listen to discussion format, this podcast addresses the following topics: remedies for breach of a commercial lease, subleasing and assignment and the differences between the two; how franchisees and franchisors might structure their lease arrangement; the significance of the “Use” clause; how your lease may impact proposed renovations; and a discussion of what “co-tenancy” clauses are and why you may use one in your offer to lease.

In this first of a two part Blaneys Podcast on commercial leasing in Canada, Dennis Tobin discusses key issues for negotiating an offer to lease in the Canadian real estate market. He highlights some of the priority issues from the perspectives of the landlord, purchaser, mortgagee and the tenant. He also discusses how the offer to lease relates to the lease. Co-tenancy, options to extend, percentage rent, termination rights and additional rent issues are discussed. Dennis reveals some “red flags” to watch out for and offers tips for negotiating an enforceable retail lease. 

In this episode of the Blaneys Podcast, Roger Horst, a pioneer of the class action regime in Ontario, discusses the ins and outs of this unique area of civil litigation. He provides an overview of all stages in a class action claim including certification, settlement and trial. Having acted for both the defendant and the plaintiff class, Roger has a well-rounded view on all sides and uncovers common issues with class actions including financing and risk.