Business Law in Dufferin Seminar

Commercial real estate transactions in Ontario involve complex legal, financial, and regulatory considerations that can expose parties to significant risk if not properly managed. This seminar provides a practical overview of the most common legal pitfalls encountered in commercial property deals, from initial negotiations through to closing and post-closing obligations. Participants will gain insight into critical issues such as due diligence failures, title and zoning complications, environmental liabilities, financing and security concerns, and the allocation of risk in agreements of purchase and sale.

This presentation will provide a practical guide to commercial leasing, covering topics including leases vs. licenses, as well as key clauses to negotiate, such as renewals, assignments, and permitted uses. It will also touch on zoning, planning rules, rent structures, and other hidden traps that can turn a ‘standard lease’ into a costly surprise for tenants and landlords wanting a greater understanding of what they are signing, before they learn the hard way what they have actually agreed to.

Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming part of everyday business operations – from marketing and content creation to customer service and internal workflows.  But using AI raises important legal questions that many businesses are not yet considering.  This session will provide a practical overview of how intellectual property law applies to AI, including who owns AI-generated content, the risk of copyright infringement, the use of business data in AI tools, and emerging brand and reputational risks.  Attendees will leave with clear, actionable guidance on how to use AI in their business while managing legal risk.

Running a small business in Ontario means dealing with a range of legal issues, especially in the workplace. This session will focus mainly on common employment matters, including the difference between employees and contractors, employment agreements, and basic termination and severance issues. It will also cover key topics in privacy law that often affect small businesses, including what counts as personal information and why privacy policies and website terms and conditions matter. The session is meant to give local business owners and managers a practical overview of these issues and a better sense of where legal risk can arise.