Canada: Corporate/Commercial Law

Canada’s tax system is a system of self-reporting. This feature is explicitly stated in subsection 150(1) of the Income Tax Act. This subsection requires taxpayers to file a tax return “without notice or demand for the return, for each taxation year of a taxpayer.”

The Canada Revenue Agency revoked Speed Skating Canada's registration as a qualified donee for missing a tax filing deadline, despite the organization's claim of timely submission. This case raises critical questions about whether revocation is the most proportionate response when the CRA has discretionary authority and alternative compliance tools at its disposal.

Consider three situations familiar to many BC societies. A director requests copies of board minutes. A member asks for the register of members before an upcoming election. A journalist requests the society’s financial statements for the last five years.

Bill C-36 proposes sweeping changes to Canada's privacy landscape through the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act, introducing penalties up to $25 million and private rights of action for non-compliance. How will these unprecedented enforcement mechanisms reshape M&A due diligence, contractual protections, and risk allocation in transactions involving personal data?

Canadian merger review requirements can trigger early in a transaction and may apply even when deals fall below pre-closing notification thresholds. This overview examines critical considerations including financial thresholds, substantive competition concerns, clearance processes, timing requirements, filing fees, and how Competition Act risk is typically addressed in transaction documentation.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Samsung Bioepis have expanded their biosimilar partnership to include up to six new biosimilar candidates. Two confirmed candidates are SB41, referencing AstraZeneca's FASENRA (benralizumab) for eosinophilic asthma, and SB44, referencing Novartis's ILARIS (canakinumab) for systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.

Bill C-36 proposes sweeping changes to Canada's privacy landscape through the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act, introducing penalties up to $25 million and private rights of action for non-compliance. How will these unprecedented enforcement mechanisms reshape M&A due diligence, contractual protections, and risk allocation in transactions involving personal data?

Canadian merger review requirements can trigger early in a transaction and may apply even when deals fall below pre-closing notification thresholds. This overview examines critical considerations including financial thresholds, substantive competition concerns, clearance processes, timing requirements, filing fees, and how Competition Act risk is typically addressed in transaction documentation.

Canadian privacy regulators have completed a joint investigation into OpenAI's ChatGPT, examining whether the company's collection, use, and disclosure of personal information complies with federal and provincial private-sector privacy legislation. The investigation involved the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada alongside regulators from Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta, scrutinizing OpenAI's practices in developing and operating its AI chatbot platform.

As the longest standing practice ranked as Band 1 in Chambers Canada for Startups & Emerging and High Growth Companies, Osler is on the front lines of the trends shaping our innovation economy. For our PE clients and cross-border partners, the story in late 2025 is a tale of two very different markets: a venture capital ecosystem in a period of recalibration and a private equity landscape rebounding and with a positive upward trajectory.

Magic Potion Games, founded by the creators of Club Penguin, has launched Imagine Island, a new online multiplayer game designed for children aged 6-13. With over one million players during beta testing and a successful Series A funding round, the platform prioritizes safety and transparency while preparing for major expansion through entertainment partnerships and paid memberships.

Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP provides legal expertise across multiple practice areas including fund formation, competition law, antitrust, foreign investment, and venture capital. The firm's Toronto-based partners offer specialized counsel to clients navigating complex regulatory and transactional matters. Contact information and professional backgrounds are available for key team members specializing in these areas.