In December 2022, Montreal hosted the 15th Conference of the Parties (“COP15”) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (“CBD”). The global meeting adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (“Kunming-Montreal Framework”), a non-binding agreement that sets historic goals and targets but leaves the means to achieve them in the hands of party states.
Quebec has proven a highly attractive location for data centres, but a recent Quebec Court of Appeal decision adds a caveat: certain equipment and infrastructure can be deemed to increase an immovable property’s value and, consequently, its tax assessment. The Court’s ruling and the reasoning behind it have far-reaching repercussions for other sectors.
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has rendered an eagerly awaited decision on the use of a trademark in the virtual world of non-fungible tokens (“NFTs”). This landmark ruling is likely to be the first of many.
The adoption on June 9, 2022 of the Act to amend various legislative provisions mainly with respect to housing gave the cities and municipalities as well as the public transit corporations and intermunicipal authorities of the province of Québec the power to grant a pre-emptive right in their favour to certain immovable properties within their territory; the Act amends the Charter of Ville de Montréal, metropolis of Québec, the Cities and Towns Act, the Municipal Code of Québec and the Act respecting public transit authorities, among others, accordingly. It should be noted that, until the adoption of this Act, the City of Montréal was the only city in Québec to have such a power.
Chairing the board of directors of a professional body (also known as a “professional order” in Quebec) entails much more than just directing its work. Board chairs exercise legal, strategic and political roles and responsibilities. The board chair’s crucial role in maintaining an effective board makes succession planning an essential part of good governance for any professional body.
On September 1, 2022, the Quebec Court of Appeal handed …