Contrats municipaux – Manuel sur les meilleures stratégies

Can the corporate veil be pierced simply because a corporation is the alter ego of its shareholder? The Quebec Court of Appeal says no, reaffirming that this exceptional remedy requires clear evidence of fraud, abuse of rights or violation of a rule of public order.

The Québec Court of Appeal handed down its decision in Metellus, in which it considered whether the abolition of the taxi-owner permit regime constituted disguised expropriation giving rise to a right to compensation. In doing so, the Court addressed the implications of the 2022 Supreme Court of Canada decision in Annapolis for Québec expropriation law.

Québec’s Ministry of Immigration, Francization and Integration has announced the temporary reopening of the Québec Experience Program (PEQ). Who is eligible to apply? What does this mean for employers of eligible temporary foreign workers?

The Superior Court rendered a decision addressing the confidentiality of disciplinary investigations conducted by the syndic of the Organisme d’autoréglementation du courtage immobilier du Québec in Inspro c. Desjardins et al. This decision unequivocally reaffirms the principle that, in the absence of a disciplinary complaint, a syndic’s file retains its confidential character.

Québec’s legal warranty regime imposes strict obligations on professional sellers, largely owing to the presumptions set out in article 1729 of the Civil Code of Québec. However, these presumptions can be rebutted in certain circumstances. The Superior Court of Québec’s decision in 164019 Canada Inc. c. Porta-Max Système Inc. illustrates this well.

In one of the first substantive decisions under the Act respecting expropriation, the Administrative Tribunal of Québec clarified how compensation for expropriation is determined when a land parcel has distinct development potential and a developer has already spent years preparing it for development.

Private developers have been awaiting the first calls for tenders following the adoption of the Act to ensure the responsible governance of energy resources and to amend various legislative provisions. Hydro-Québec’s recently issued call for tenders A/O 2026-01, and it has provided some insight into Québec’s wind power development landscape over the coming years.

The purpose of disciplinary law is to protect the public rather than to compensate victims. In certain circumstances, a breach of professional ethics may also constitute a civil fault. This raises the following question: can a disciplinary decision influence the outcome of a civil proceeding?

The Arbitration Tribunal recently dismissed an application for a safeguard order filed by the Association des avocats et notaires de l’État du Québec. The decision reiterates that a safeguard order is, by nature, temporary and exceptional. It also underscores the need to demonstrate a clearly established right at the interim stage before such relief can be granted.