2018
First Reference annual holiday donation, season’s greetings and holiday break
Our office will be closed for the holidays at noon on December 24 and will reopen January 2, 2019. Also note that we will not be blogging during the holidays.
Top 10 most-read Inside Internal Controls posts for 2018
This year on the Inside Internal Controls blog we’ve been covering some of the hot topics in internal controls, governance, information technology, not-for-profit, and business management.
Internal audit needs to perform in a way that matters to the board and top management
Internal audit can help leaders with assurance that their people, systems, and processes are able to deliver the desired results – and advice and insight on how to improve them further.
Influencer marketing: Understanding disclosure best practices
From the Instagram model advertising gifted products to the geek blogger paid to review video games, influencer advertising is now everywhere. Digital marketing is rapidly evolving (the world even saw its first CGI influencer earlier this year), and regulators are adapting accordingly.
Stricter impaired driving laws are in force next week
Stricter impaired driving laws are set to come into force next week.
Bill introducing changes to IP legislation receives swift approval from parliament
Bill C-86, the Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 2, (the “Bill”) which makes a number of changes to the Trademarks Act, the Patent Act and the Copyright Act as well as introducing the College of Patent Agents and Trademark Agents Act became law in Canada after receiving Royal Assent on Dec. 13, 2018.
Blowing the whistle is just the beginning of the whistleblower journey
I’ve been studying fraud and white collar-crime for over 20 years. Never would I think that I’d be accused of making a fraudulent claim against a company that had wronged me. And yet, I’ve recently been accused of exactly that.
Delayed: The Pay Transparency Act, 2018, will not come into force on January 1, 2019
Bill 57, proposed to postpone the coming into force of the Pay Transparency Act, 2018. On December 6, 2018, it did just that.
Who takes cyber risk?
Who is taking cyber risk? Is it the board and top management who are deciding how much scarce resource to invest in breach prevention, detection and response? Or is it the business leaders whose initiatives are damaged or worse should there be a security incident?
Five tips for compliance with new privacy consent guidelines
Privacy compliance is top of mind, not the least of all because of GDRP and Canada’s new mandatory breach notification rules. While you are updating your practices and procedures, do not forget that the Guidelines for obtaining meaningful consent (the “Guidelines”) will apply starting on January 1, 2019.
Full steam ahead for official bilingualism: Government of Canada tables overhaul of official languages regulations
On October 25, the Government of Canada tabled significant amendments to the Official Languages (Communications with and Services to the Public) Regulations. As discussed previously, this regulatory overhaul stems from commitments made in the 2018 federal budget plan to improve access to services offered in the language of the official minority by federal institutions from coast to coast.
Bill 66: More changes to employment and labour legislation
On December 6, 2018, the legislature again introduced new changes to the statutory labour and employment regime of the province. While Bill 66, Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act (“Bill 66”), makes changes to a wide swath of laws, the ESA and the LRA are subject to some new tweaks.
The Supreme Court of Canada confirms that the Doctrine of Unforeseeability is not part of the Civil Law of Contracts in Québec
The issues to be determined by the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) in this highly anticipated decision included whether the doctrine of unforeseeability (hardship) was an integral part of Québec law, or the requirements of good faith and equity could provide a legal basis for the claims made by CFLCo.
Costco reports a material weakness in internal control. But is it really?
In an Oct. 4th news release, Costco Wholesale announced its operating results for the 4th quarter and full year expecting to report a material weakness in internal control.
Libel by tweet: Ontario Court of Appeal upholds dismissal of Twitter libel claim under anti-SLAPP legislation
A recent decision from the Ontario Court of Appeal (ONCA) adds to the growing body of Canadian case law confirming that tweets certainly can be libelous, though protections exist for comments on matters the court finds to be of public interest, including through anti-SLAPP legislation.
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