This week's special bulletin provides an overview of the significant changes in Canadian immigration, with a focus on mobility to Quebec for temporary foreign workers. Occupational Wages by Interval for Quebec LMIA Applications - Effective January 1, 2022 The Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration du Québec has updated its Guide des " Salaires par professions présentés par intervalles selon les quartiles au Québec " (édition 2021). This guide will be the reference tool as of January 1,...

The United Kingdom's National Security and Investment Act (the NSI Act) is now fully in force. First proposed in 2016, the NSI Act creates a stand-alone regime that authorizes the UK government to consider and address the national security implications of a wide variety of acquisitions, investments, and other transactions. The commencement of the NSI Act marks a new era for the UK government's approach to scrutinizing corporate transactions on national security grounds. NSI Act Framework Under the NSI Act, trigger...

The start of a new year is a great time to take stock of what’s happened over the past 12 months and look forward to the future. This reflection needs to include the positive and negative… so in this week’s Roar, we’re covering the best and worst of everything from the media’s surprising fascination with port congestion, the most notable supply chain management trends, businesses’ stop-gap measures to ease freight pain, predictions for further supply chain disruptions in 2022,...

The introduction of the UK National Security and Investment Act 2021 (the “Act”) on 4 January 2022 has brought major changes to the UK's investment screening regime. The Act introduces a mandatory notification regime for transactions in 17 “high risk” areas of the economy, which include advanced robotics, artificial intelligence, data infrastructure, energy, synthetic biology, and quantum technologies. The Act, which is far-reaching, covers non-UK targets with activities in the UK. Failure to notify and achieve clearance prior to...

The global business and financial climate continue to be shaped by four forces as the New Year begins: Covid, elevated price pressures, the divergence of monetary policy,  and the general reduction of fiscal stimulus.   A year ago, the hope was that the vaccine would help us overcome the coronavirus, whose origin remains as mysterious as the deadly influenza a century ago. The hope now is that the Omicron mutations and T-cells in the body, rather than the vaccine per se,...

In Part 1 of this series, we examined the effect of sustainable strategies upon rents and leasing of U.S. office assets. Utilizing LEED-certification as an indicator, we determined that there was a noticeable premium for rents and revenue, controlling for quality, age and class of buildings. In Part 2 of this series, we examine how LEED certification impacts sale pricing. Over the past 10 years, LEED-certified office buildings made up 29.7% of total office investment sales in the U.S., comprising $357.4B...

Are you confident that you and your organization are heading towards lasting and positive change? The COVID-19 pandemic has rattled many organizations, but with the right approach, challenges can be turned into opportunities. A fresh look at strategic plans, people needs, and technology infrastructure can help ensure short- and long-term financial success. Prioritize planning to drive success After nearly 24 months of upheaval, it is understandable that many organizations haven’t had time to update their strategic plans.  Others might not have...

This article is part of Portolano Cavallo’s “INFORM@Digital & IP” Newsletter. Click here to subscribe Italy has published Legislative Decrees No. 173/2021 and No. 170/2021 in the Official Journal (Gazzetta Ufficiale), which marks completion of the transposition of Directive (EU) 2019/770 on certain aspects concerning contracts for the supply of digital content and digital services and Directive (EU) 2019/771 on certain aspects concerning contracts for the sale of goods. These decrees amend the Consumer Code (Italian Legislative Decree No. 206/2005) by introducing new...