Halifax Ballroom
Session detailsPlenary Address: The Honourable Justice Suzanne Côté, Supreme Court of Canada
The Honourable Justice Suzanne Côté (Supreme Court of Canada)
Canadian Bar Association · Nova Scotia
2026 Annual Conference
Friday, November 20, 2026Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel, Halifax
Streams
8:45 AM
to 8:50 AM
Welcome from Carolyn Landry of Jijiktukwej L'nue'kati (formerly Annapolis Valley First Nation)8:50 AM
to 9:00 AM
Opening Remarks from CBA National President, Loreley Chekay, KC9:00 AM
to 10:00 AM
10:00 AM
to 10:10 AM
Break – Acadia Foyer10:10 AM
to 11:10 AM
Sable ABFAMInterjurisdictional Support Orders & Hague Service Convention in Family Law Matters
Session detailsJustice Stacey O’Neill (Supreme Court (Family Division))
Sable CDWETA Rendezvous With Debt: Probate and Administration of Bankrupt Estates
Session detailsRaffi Balmanoukian (Registrar of Bankruptcy)
Acadia ABLITFreezing Assets & Preservation Orders
Session detailsJustin Adams (Burchell Wickwire Bryson LLP); Jillian Kean (McInnes Cooper)
Acadia CMISCeDiscovery and Generative AI: What’s Real, What’s Possible, and Let’s See it in Action
Session detailsMatt Maslow (Deloitte)
11:10 AM
to 11:20 AM
Health Break – Acadia Foyer11:20 AM
to 12:20 PM
Sable ABFAMEnforcement of Foreign Family Law Orders
Session detailsDr. Ilana Luther (Access to Justice & Law Reform Institute); Cassandra Armsworthy (Patterson Law)
Sable CDWETNon-Resident Issues Affecting Estates
Session detailsRob Miedema (Harbinger Law)
Acadia ABLITChallenging Admissibility of Expert Evidence
Session detailsGlenn Anderson, KC (NS Department of Justice); Justice Scott Norton (Supreme Court of Nova Scotia)
Acadia CMISCCybersecurity - Is it Technology or Psychology?
Session detailsJohn Kamphuis (Maritime Cybersecurity Training)
12:20 PM
to 1:50 PM
Halifax BallroomSession detailsLunch Keynote: Judicial Symposium - A Stronger Judiciary for a Stronger Canada
The Honourable Sean Fraser (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada); Marc Giroux (Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs); Associate Chief Justice Darlene Jamieson (Supreme Court of Nova Scotia); Justice Gail Gatchalian (Supreme Court of Nova Scotia); Jason Cooke, KC (President, CBA Nova Scotia Branch) – Moderator
1:50 PM
to 2:50 PM
Sable ABFAMTorts in Family Law
Session detailsDavid Fraser (McInnes Cooper); Michelle Axworthy (Cox & Palmer); Matt Conrad (Conrad Dillon Robinson Law)
Sable CDWETFrom Will to Wind-Up: Tax Tips and Traps for Estates
Session detailsCody Lohnes (Doane Grant Thornton LLP); Paige McInnes (McInnes Cooper)
Acadia ABLITTrauma-Informed Lawyering: Not Less Than Legal
Session detailsDr. Meg Ternes (Saint Mary’s University); Susan MacKay (NS Public Prosecution Service); Megan Roberts (NS Department of Justice)
Acadia CMISCMaking and Navigating New Law: The Solicitor’s Role and Recent Legislative Developments in 2026
Session detailsRyan Brothers, KC (Nova Scotia Department of Justice); Cydney Kane (Nova Scotia Department of Justice)
2:50 PM
to 3:00 PM
Health Break – Acadia Foyer3:00 PM
to 4:00 PM
Sable ABFAMHot Topics in Family Law 2026
Session detailsRollie Thompson, KC (Dalhousie University)
Sable CDWETPersonal Directives Act: Bridging the Divide Between Capacity and Incapacity
Session detailsJeanne Desveaux, KC; Andrew Nichol (Office of the Public Trustee)
Acadia ABLITOverview of Charter Litigation
Session detailsSean Foreman, KC (NS Department of Justice); Jeremy Smith (NS Department of Justice)
Acadia CMISCPsychological Safety and the Duty to Investigate Workplace Harassment in NS
Session detailsDiana Younes (Mount Saint Vincent University)
2026 Sponsors
Thank you to the sponsors who make this conference possible.
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- Gold
- Silver
- Bronze
