Blog | Davidson Cahill Morrison LLP

Navy Davidson Cahill Morrison LLP title card reading "Ottawa Floods and Construction Defects," with a photo of partner Peter Reinitzer.

After the Deluge: When Ottawa Basement Flooding Points to Construction Deficiencies

Peter Reinitzer July 14, 2026

The historic Canada Day 2026 storm left thousands of Ottawa homeowners tearing out drywall and replacing ruined furnaces. But an extraordinary weather event does not absolve builders and engineers of liability: where one home floods while its neighbours stay dry, the real cause may be a hidden construction defect, and that opens a very different path to recovery, if you act before the limitation clock runs out.

The Davidson Cahill Morrison LLP team in matching blue jerseys on the sand at Woodbine Beach, holding a volleyball in front of the Heatwave for SickKids banner.

Playing for SickKids at the 2026 Heatwave Beach Volleyball Tournament

Davidson Cahill Morrison LLP July 13, 2026

On July 11, 2026, our team traded the office for the sand at Woodbine Beach to play in the 32nd annual Heatwave for SickKids beach volleyball tournament. The event, which holds a Guinness World Record as the largest of its kind, has raised roughly $5 million for SickKids Foundation, and we were glad to lend a hand.

Navy title card reading "Major Changes to Ontario Accident Benefits, What the July 1, 2026 reforms mean for you," from Davidson Cahill Morrison LLP (dcmlaw.ca).

Ontario’s Auto Accident Benefits Change Today: What the July 1, 2026 Reforms Mean for You

Davidson Cahill Morrison LLP July 1, 2026

As of July 1, 2026, most of Ontario’s auto accident benefits are no longer automatic. Only medical, rehabilitation, and attendant care remain mandatory, while income replacement and most other benefits become optional coverage you have to buy. Here is what changed under Ontario Regulation 383/24, who may lose access, and what every driver should do at renewal.

Navy Davidson Cahill Morrison LLP case comment card reading "Kamlu Engineering v 2502301 Ontario Inc" with the subtitle "A board-less corporation lacks the capacity to sue", from dcmlaw.ca.

Kamlu v 2502301 Ontario Inc: Why a Board-Less Corporation Cannot Litigate

Peter Reinitzer June 23, 2026

In Kamlu v 2502301 Ontario Inc, the Ontario Superior Court dismissed an action as a nullity after the defence discovered the plaintiff corporation had operated for years with no valid board of directors, its sole directing mind an undischarged bankrupt. Justice Chiappetta held that an officer’s authority cannot outlive the board, and that a trustee’s silence is not ratification. A cautionary tale on corporate governance and the capacity to litigate.

Navy Davidson Cahill Morrison LLP title card reading "Slatkovsky v Machado", with the line "A non-delegable permit duty and a dual agent's duty to disclose". Case comment, civil litigation, from dcmlaw.ca.

Unpermitted Renovations and Dual Agency: Key Takeaways from Slatkovsky v Machado

Peter Reinitzer June 19, 2026

A Puslinch century farmhouse looked beautifully renovated. The structural work had no building permit, and no one disclosed it. In Slatkovsky v Machado, the Ontario Superior Court held both the vendors and their double-ending agent liable, awarding the buyers $150,318 and confirming that the owner’s permit duty cannot be passed off to a contractor.

Hero banner for a law firm presenting 'Abiusi v Lawyers' Professional Indemnity Company' with subtitle 'A title insurer must pay repair costs, not diminution in value' on a navy background.

LawPRO Ordered to pay $1.1M to Buyers of a Winnipeg home with Unpermitted Construction

David Morin June 15, 2026

Does a title insurer have to pay to repair a home, or can it demolish the offending work and pay the lost value instead? In a $1.1M TitlePLUS dispute over unpermitted construction on a Winnipeg home, the Court of King’s Bench of Manitoba answered (2025 MBKB 131). The decision is persuasive only in Ontario and is now under appeal.

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