Rashid Ali Can you back out of buying a house after signing an Agreement of Purchase and Sale, commonly called an APS? Usually, not without serious consequences. Once the conditions in the APS have been satisfied or waived, the agreement is generally binding on both the buyer and the seller. Can a buyer back out of buying … Read more
This is what a library run looks like at our house. Most of that stack isn’t mine — Dog Man, Captain Underpants, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, a couple of Kid Spy books. Buried in the middle are the few that are: Ryan Holiday’s Right Thing, Right Now, a short introduction to Confucianism, and Austin … Read more
Can you remove a tree that sits directly on your and your neighbour’s property line without asking them? Dr. Mart Gross, a university biology professor in Toronto, thought the answer was yes—provided the tree was a safety hazard. For years, Dr. Gross had eyed the mature Norway maple straddling his property line with his neighbor, … Read more
Let’s say someone wronged you in Ontario. Maybe someone borrowed money from you and is refusing to pay it back. Maybe you were wrongfully terminated from your job. Maybe you experienced harassment or discrimination. Or maybe you underwent a medical procedure and later discovered that something may have been done negligently. A common question is: … Read more
There are two major parts of the justice system in Canada that people often hear about: criminal justice and civil justice. The criminal justice system deals with offences against the public or society. For example, assault, theft, fraud, or impaired driving. In these cases, the government, through the Crown prosecutor, brings the case against the … Read more
Have you ever heard of the term “rule of law”? Some countries have a rule of law, and there are others where there is injustice. Rule of law means that law governs the society. It means no one is above the law, including the government, the judges, the lawyers. Everyone is subject to the law. … Read more
Sometimes, the information you need for a lawsuit is not in your hands. It may not even be in the hands of the person you want to sue. For example, the information may be with the police, a bank, an internet company, an employer, a hospital, an insurance company, or another third party. In Ontario … Read more
The famous case of Donoghue v Stevenson was the basis of modern negligence law. In 1928, Mrs. Donoghue and her friend were having a bottle of ginger beer, which her friend bought. The bottle was not transparent, so Mrs. Donoghue couldn’t see inside. After taking a sip, she noticed a very odd taste. Upon looking, … Read more