News & Publications

Case Summary Air Passenger Rights v. Attorney General of Canada, 2026 ONSC 3983 On July 9, 2026, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled that a provision of the Canada Transportation Act that imposes blanket confidentiality over virtually all documents and communications relating to air passenger compensation claims (including all adjudicative records and decisions) unconstitutionally limits the right to freedom of expression. In Air Passenger Rights v. Attorney General o

Case Summary Jolicouer et al v. Scheibler, Court File No. SC-24-00000030-0000 (Fort Frances) Ontario's Small Claims Court is a branch of the Superior Court of Justice that has jurisdiction to hear civil disputes for the payment of money or the recovery of property of up to $50,000. The Small Claims Court is mandated to "determine in a summary way all questions of law and fact and may make such order as is considered just and agreeable to good conscience". In keeping with this

Case Summary CATIE et al v. Blackwell, Endorsement of MacLeod RSJ (June 26, 2026) On June 26, 2026, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice dismissed a motion to set aside a $1.75 million default judgment ordered against an online publisher who engaged in a torrent of libels falsely smearing the staff and volunteer directors of a sexual health non-profit organization as “groomers”, pedophiles, and criminals. Background The default judgment, rendered by McVey J in August 202

Open Letter May 25, 2026 A PDF copy of this letter is available here. Further information is available here. May 25, 2026 The Honourable Doug Downey Attorney General of Ontario McMurtry-Scott Building 720 Bay Street, 11th Floor Toronto, ON M7A 2S9 Via Email (attorneygeneral@ontario.ca) Dear Attorney General Downey: Re: State Interference with Criminal Defence Counsel We are a litigation firm based in the Rainy River District in Northwestern Ontario. We are in

Join us in celebrating Douglas W. Judson for his recognition as a 2026 Benchmark Canada Litigation Star. A Benchmark Litigation Star is a top-tier lawyer recognized by Benchmark Litigation for having an exceptional reputation, strong case record, and positive client feedback in litigation and dispute resolution. This distinction is based on peer reviews and in-depth analysis of high-stakes, impactful cases. Benchmark Litigation is the only legal accreditation publication on t

Case Summary Jolicouer et al v. Scheibler, Court File No. SC-24-00000030-0000 (Fort Frances) On April 6, 2026, the Ontario Small Claims Court awarded nearly $30,000 in occupation rent to the two-thirds owners of a rural home that had been occupied by the trustee of the estate that owned the remaining one-third. The trustee had unlawfully occupied the home for nearly five years before being evicted by court order in June 2023. The decision is a useful—and at times striking—i

Case Summary Air Passenger Rights v. Attorney General of Canada, Court File No. CV-25-00100065-0000 (Ottawa) The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has dismissed a motion by four of Canada's major airlines for leave to intervene in a Charter application commenced by Air Passenger Rights (APR). APR is small, volunteer-driven not-for-profit advocate for Canadian air travellers. The motion, brought by Air Canada, WestJet, Jazz Aviation LP, Air Transat, and the National Airlines C

Announcement For immediate release: January 8, 2026 Judson Howie LLP is pleased to announce that Silas Young has joined the firm to complete his law school integrated practice placement. Silas Young (he/him) is completing his legal studies with us, as a part of the curriculum at the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law. Silas has gained a wealth of legal experience by working as a caseworker for the criminal and provincial offences division of Lakehead University Community Legal

Media Release For immediate release: December 1, 2025 A small Pride organization in Northwestern Ontario and one of its corporate directors have launched multiple legal proceedings in response to a wave of harassment, death threats, and other reprisals that followed their landmark human rights victory against a local municipality last year. Background On November 20, 2024, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario released Borderland Pride v. The Corporation of the Township o

Case Summary Judson Howie LLP et al v. Blackwell, 2025 ONSC 6689 In Judson Howie LLP et al v. Blackwell , 2025 ONSC 6689 , Newton RSJ granted our firm’s application for a permanent injunction requiring the respondent—a self-represented litigant—to remove from publication more than one hundred defamatory online publications about our firm and its named partners. The respondent's publications appeared after the court had ordered a substantial defamation judgment against him, in

Statement For immediate release: November 25, 2025 Peter A. Howie, a partner with Judson Howie LLP, made the following statement in response to the Government of Ontario's proposed bail reform (which were announced on November 24, 2025): "Fort Frances and the Rainy River District are reeling from the impact of the opioid crisis, which disproportionately affects the First Nations people in the region. Generally, people feel less safe than they did before the pandemic. It is u

Case Summary Cunningham v. Gibson, 2025 ONSC 5504 The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has dismissed a libel action brought by a Thunder...

Announcement For immediate release: September 11, 2025 Judson Howie LLP is pleased to announce that Katelynn Rookes has joined the firm...

Announcement For immediate release: September 9, 2025 Judson Howie LLP is proud to announce that incoming associate lawyer Cassandra Spade...

Statement on Behalf of a Client For immediate release: August 21, 2025 The following statement is issued on behalf of Melvin Fletcher...

Media Release For immediate release: August 19, 2025 This week Judson Howie LLP marked its fifth consecutive court victory since December...

Case Summary CATIE et al v. Blackwell, 2025 ONSC 4678 The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has awarded $1.75 million in damages, plus...

Announcement For immediate release: July 27, 2025 On July 17, 2025, the Canadian Association of LGBTQ2S+ Lawyers (CALL) recognized...

Statement from Judson Howie LLP For immediate release: May 14, 2025 Judson Howie LLP says police 'investigation' of defence counsel for...