Bill 29: Court Jurisdiction and Proceedings Transfer Act

This bill primarily affects businesses and individuals in New Brunswick who are involved in cross-border legal disputes — for example, a contractor or supplier doing business in multiple provinces, a company facing a lawsuit from an out-of-province customer, or an e-commerce seller whose consumer contracts span jurisdictions. It sets out clear criteria for when a New Brunswick court can hear a case involving parties or transactions connected to other places, such as where a contract was performed, where a tort occurred, or where a business operates. Businesses that enter contracts with customers or partners in other provinces — especially consumer-facing businesses that solicit customers across provincial lines — need to understand that jurisdiction clauses in their contracts may or may not be enforceable, and that consumers and employees have special protections allowing them to bring claims locally. Size matters less than geography here: even a solo operator or small team doing business outside New Brunswick could find themselves subject to (or protected by) these jurisdictional rules.