Canada: Land Law & Agriculture

Transmission line projects across Ontario increasingly cross active farmland, requiring expropriation of easements that can significantly impact farming operations.

The British Columbia Supreme Court's decision in Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs v. British Columbia examines when licence transfers trigger deep consultation obligations with Indigenous Nations, and how consultation commitments made by the Crown can establish binding legal standards. The ruling explores the commercial risks that fall on resource proponents when Crown-led consultation proves inadequate, even though the constitutional duty rests with government.

La Cour suprême du Canada a rejeté la demande d'autorisation d'appel dans l'affaire Nation Wolastoqey, laissant subsister une divergence juridique entre provinces...

British Columbia's proposed K'ómoks, Kitselas, and Kitsumkalum treaties introduce unprecedented co-management provisions that could grant First Nations joint decision-making authority over Crown lands and resources. These provisions, which bear striking similarities to the controversial 2024 Land Act amendments, include binding arbitration mechanisms and UNDRIP interpretation requirements that create significant uncertainty for businesses and landowners operating within traditional territories.

Since its adoption on March 20, 2025, Bill 86 has introduced several amendments concerning agricultural land in Québec. Among the most significant changes, municipalities have been granted new taxation powers, allowing them to impose a surtax on land designated for agricultural use and classified “suitable for cultivation but not farmed”—criteria that may give rise to numerous legal debates.

Globally, women represent nearly half of the agricultural workforce, yet they still face systemic barriers that prevent them from accessing, using and contributing to innovations in agricultural technology (Agritech)...

In recent years, research and development in Alberta's agricultural sector has led to the generation of new plant and seed varieties with improved agronomic traits that make these varieties...

Foreign investment in Canada has become a topic of many conversations since the federal government announced its two-year extension banning foreign nationals and commercial enterprises...

On Feb. 28, 2024, the Alberta Government lifted its pause on renewable generation project approvals, and concurrently announced policy guidance (the Policy Guidance)...