I have written previously about the open court principle and tribunals. The principle is a presumption in favour of public access to judicial and quasi-judicial proceedings, either through direct access or via media reporting.

The application of the principle is where the challenges arise. What exactly is a “quasi-judicial” tribunal or process? The Federal Court of Appeal addressed this in 2023 (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation v. Canada (Parole Board), 2023 FCA 166) and, more recently, in a decision involving the complaints process for air travel (Air Passenger Rights v. The Attorney General of Canada, 2026 ONSC . . . [more]

Each month, we tell you which five English-language cases and French-language cases have been the most viewed* on CanLII in the previous month and we give you a small sense of what the cases are about using CanLII-published AI-generated summaries of the case or case excerpts.

For this past month, the five most-consulted English-language decisions were:

1. R. v. Cope, 2026 SCC 32

AI-generated summary:

Facts: An Indigenous man stops taking prescribed medication and resumes illicit drug use. He violently assaults his Indigenous intimate partner in public, causing serious facial and torso injuries. He pleads guilty to aggravated assault . . . [more]

The first of my series of Slaw contributions was entitled “Legal and Professional Publishing – It’s the Money, Stupid” and, it being from an era long-since forgotten, focused on the madness of small, low or negligible-profit law publishers trying to compete with the market giants. Of course, everything has changed since then, with all the focus being on new start-ups being massively funded and quickly acquiring outrageous market values. Yet, making actual profits from trading is something else. Extant owners and shareholders, if they are lucky, are able to profit hugely, as the startups in question are . . . [more]

More and more people are seeking that access to justice efforts be people-centred: They should be designed around people’s needs, culturally aware and responsive. This can mean legal and other services being co-designed with those who will use them. It can also mean organizations collaborating across sectors, rather than expecting individuals to navigate disconnected systems.

Such ambitions are also reflected in international frameworks. In Making Justice Systems More Effective and People Centred, a 2025 report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), they call for justice pathways that respond to people’s circumstances, including through cross-boundary and multidisciplinary . . . [more]

Each Monday we present brief excerpts of recent posts from five of Canada’s award­-winning legal blogs chosen at random* from more than 80 recent Clawbie winners. In this way we hope to promote their work, with their permission, to as wide an audience as possible.

This week the randomly selected blogs are 1. Environmental Law and Litigation 2. Canadian Combat Sports Law Blog 3. Eloise Gratton 4. Michael Geist 5. Family Health Law Blog

Environmental Law and Litigation
The Canadian consumer: Regional differences and buying behaviour

A franchise system opens its first Canadian location in the Greater Toronto Area and . . . [more]

The purpose of this piece is to introduce a new national paper from the Action Committee on Access to Justice, Towards Justice as a Common Good.[1]

For transparency, I am a co-author of this paper, together with the Chair of the Action Committee, the Honourable Andromache Karakatsanis, Supreme Court of Canada, Véronique Morissette, Executive Director of the Action Committee, and Brea Lowenberger, Strategic Advisor of the Action Committee.

This Towards Justice as a Common Good paper is designed to provide new energy and a renewed vision for access to justice in Canada.[2]

People-Centred Justice

Significant strides . . . [more]

Every week we present the summary of a decision handed down by a Québec court provided to us by SOQUIJ and considered to be of interest to our readers throughout Canada. SOQUIJ is attached to the Québec Department of Justice and collects, analyzes, enriches, and disseminates legal information in Québec.

PÉNAL (DROIT) : Lorsqu’on applique en l’espèce la définition usuelle du mot «importer» et que l’on retient que la cocaïne a été importée au Canada au moment où elle a franchi la frontière, la déclaration de culpabilité de l’appelant doit être confirmée.

Intitulé : Donciu c. R., 2026 QCCA 1289 . . . [more]

As a supplement to our Sunday Summary each month, Supreme Advocacy LLP in Ottawa presents Supreme One-Liners, a super-short descriptive guide to the most recent decisions at the Supreme Court of Canada. Supreme Advocacy LLP offers its more comprehensive weekly electronic newsletter, Supreme Advocacy Letter, summarizing all Appeals, Oral Judgments and Leaves to Appeal granted.

Appeals

Criminal Law: MV Offences

R. v. Moshfeghi Zadeh, 2026 SCC 35 (41996)
Clarifications re serious driving offences. . . . [more]

The globe-trotting Law via the Internet Conference returned to Canada on October 13 and 14 in Montreal. It was just in time for CanLII’s 25^th anniversary, convened under the theme of Trusted Past, Open Future to share developments and trends in the delivery of legal information across the world.

On day one, University of Ottawa law professor Amy Salyzyn updated us on her research inventorying direct-to-public digital legal tools in Canada.

The inventory is not new (it started in 2016, with updates in 2019, 2021, and 2023)—but it has certainly grown. In 2023, 118 tools were cataloged (you . . . [more]

I recently read about an interesting concept about reframing one’s point of view.

It stated that if you wake up with the sun, you are still asleep. However if you awaken the sun, then you are truly awake.

I had to read it a few times to actually understand its meaning. Finally, I realized that what this means, is that the way our day develops is completely up to us.

For example, if we set an intention for the day to unfold in a calm and peaceful manner, knowing that we are fully capable of dealing with whatever challenges may . . . [more]

In almost every context, first impressions are key. I would argue that, for lawyers, communicating clear expectations during that first meeting is an essential skill. It is not a skill that comes easily. I have spoken about this topic with many lawyers over the years. There seems to be a clear divide between newly-called lawyers who have a tendency to make grand promises and seasoned lawyers who temper expectations. There is no “right” or “wrong” approach here. Everyone has to figure out their own style.

My own style has been to keep expectations low…. very low. I conduct on average . . . [more]

This submission is part of a column swap with the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) bimonthly member magazine, AALL Spectrum. Published six times a year, AALL Spectrum is designed to further professional development and education within the legal information industry. Slaw and the AALL Spectrum board have agreed to hand-select several columns each year as part of this exchange. 

Maria spent three weeks searching Google for divorce forms. She reworked an old petition a relative had filed 15 years ago and later paid for updated forms online that were actually available for free elsewhere. By the time she . . . [more]