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PPSA Disputes in Ontario and How They Put Business Assets at Risk
PPSA disputes arise when lenders, business owners, and other creditors disagree over who has a legal claim to business assets under Ontario's Personal Property Security Act. These disagreements often surface when a company defaults on a loan, runs into financial difficulty, or tries to secure new financing. A registration error, competing security interests, or a disagreement over loan terms can put equipment, inventory, and other valuable assets at risk.
What Business Owners Should Know Before They Sign a Personal Guarantee
Personal guarantees are common in commercial transactions. A lender may require one before approving financing, or a landlord may ask a business owner to guarantee a commercial lease. Suppliers and equipment financing companies may also require a guarantee before extending credit.
A Guide to Employers: Avoiding Employment Lawsuits
Employers frequently seek advice from employment lawyers on issues concerning their employees’ rights and entitlements. Employers who understand and respect those rights are better positioned to prevent disputes before they escalate into costly and protracted lawsuits.
Missing Construction Lien Deadlines Can Cost You Your Claim
Construction lien deadlines are some of the most unforgiving timelines in Ontario construction law, and for contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers, missing them can seriously hinder your ability to be paid.
When Does Workplace Mistreatment Become a Legal Claim?
Workplace mistreatment can take many forms, from harassment and bullying to significant changes in an employee’s role, compensation or working conditions. But not every unfair workplace decision is legally considered harassment, and not every difficult workplace constitutes grounds for a claim.
Removing a Business Partner When More Than Two People Are Involved
Removing a business partner in Ontario gets far more complicated once a business has three or more owners instead of two. A disagreement between two partners often ends with one partner buying out the other, but a dispute involving three, four, or more partners raises different questions, such as who actually has the authority to remove someone, how a decision among the remaining partners gets made, and what the departing partner is owed.
Unique Lien and Contract Risks That Cause Construction Disputes in Muskoka
Construction disputes can involve unpaid invoices, construction liens, unexpected site conditions, change orders, delays, defective work and disagreements over who is responsible for additional costs. Muskoka projects in particular can also present additional risks because of remote access, waterfront regulations, difficult terrain and seasonal construction schedules.
Power of Attorney Abuse in Ontario and When to Take Legal Action
A power of attorney gives someone the legal authority to make decisions for another person, but that authority comes with important legal responsibilities. When a power of attorney misuses that authority, ignores the grantor’s wishes or puts their own interests ahead of the grantor’s, the result can be a serious legal dispute.
What Causes a Commercial Lease Dispute and What To Do If You Are Facing One
A commercial lease dispute can arise when a landlord and tenant disagree about rent, repairs, operating costs, renewal rights, or how the leased premises can be used. In Ontario, reviewing the lease itself is usually the starting point for understanding the parties’ rights and obligations, alongside the Commercial Tenancies Act and applicable common law.
Purchase and Sale Disputes – What Happens When a Home Sale Falls Apart
Purchase and sale disputes arise when a buyer or seller cannot, or will not, complete an Agreement of Purchase and Sale as agreed. The dispute may involve a failed condition, undisclosed property defect, title problem, deposit, missed closing date, or a party simply refusing to close. The legal consequences depend on the terms of the agreement and the circumstances surrounding the breakdown.
Facing a Construction Delay Dispute? Learn What Is Covered By Ontario Law
A common occurrence in construction disputes is when the project deals with delays and falls behind schedule. The parties often disagree about what caused the delay, who is responsible, or who should bear the resulting costs. These disputes can involve contractors, subcontractors, owners, developers and other project participants. A delayed project can mean lost revenue, strained subcontractor relationships, and mounting legal exposure.
Owed Money? Your Legal Options for Unpaid Commercial Invoices
Unpaid commercial invoices begin with a client who is slow to pay but can quickly become a cash flow concern, particularly for a business that has already delivered the goods or completed the work in good faith. The temptation is to keep sending reminders and hope the account resolves itself, but Ontario law gives businesses a defined path forward and understanding that path early makes it far easier to recover what is owed.
Termination With Cause in Ontario, What Business Owners Should Know
Termination with cause allows an employer to dismiss an employee immediately, without notice or severance in many circumstances, but Ontario law sets a high threshold before that can happen. Dismissal with cause is one of the hardest decisions a business owner must face. Ending someone's employment immediately carries a personal weight that no amount of legal preparation fully removes, even when the underlying conduct is serious and the decision is clearly justified.
Breach of Contract Warning Signs Every Ontario Business Should Know
A breach of contract rarely announces itself with a single dramatic event. More often it builds slowly, through missed deadlines, partial deliveries, or vague excuses, until a business relationship that once worked no longer does.
Left Out of the Will? A Guide to Common Law Estate Claims in Ontario
In Ontario, a common law partner does not automatically inherit from an estate the way a married spouse does. However, depending on the circumstances, they may have legal rights to make a common law estate claim through dependant support claims, unjust enrichment claims, or by challenging the validity of a will.
How Commercial Arbitration Helps Ontario Businesses Settle Property Disputes
Commercial arbitration often becomes the deciding factor when a property dispute threatens to derail a business. Maybe a tenant has stopped paying rent over a repair disagreement, or a co-owner will not agree on next steps for a stalled development, or a contractor walked off a renovation halfway through the job. These situations pull attention away from daily operations, strain business relationships, and put real money on the line, all while the business tries to keep functioning as though nothing is wrong.
What Happens When a Corporate Deadlock Stalls an Equally Owned Business
A corporate deadlock can take hold of a business in a way that feels sudden, even though it has usually been building for some time. Many private companies are structured with equal ownership, where each of the two owners holds a 50% interest, because the two people starting the business trust each other and want to share control evenly.
How Family Business Disputes Unfold When a Founder Can No Longer Run the Company
Family business disputes often arise when a founder dies or loses the capacity to manage the company. They sometimes begin with a medical diagnosis that changes everything, the power of attorney that family members question, or a will that surprises everyone in the room when it is finally read. Whether a founder has passed away or has simply lost the capacity to make decisions, a business left without a clear succession plan can cause disagreements between family members that quickly escalate into legal conflicts involving estates, corporate ownership, and control of the business.
Common Mistakes That Invalidate a Construction Lien in Ontario
Construction lien mistakes in Ontario happen more often than most people expect, and when they do, the right to recover payment can disappear entirely.
Construction Holdback Disputes in Ontario: When Owners Refuse to Release Funds
Construction holdback disputes can quickly turn a successful project into a legal dispute. Under Ontario's Construction Act, holdbacks serve an important purpose. They help protect parties further down the construction chain by ensuring funds remain available to satisfy valid lien claims. However, once lien rights have expired or applicable statutory requirements have been met, those funds are not meant to remain frozen indefinitely.