Commercial Litigation and Dispute Resolution Blog

On June 22, 2017, the Supreme Court of Canada (the "SCC") delivered its decision in Teal Cedar Products Ltd. v. British Columbia, 2017 SCC 32 [“Teal Cedar”]. The decision affirms the SCC's prior ruling that narrowly construes the types of issues which are questions of law for the purpose of an appeal to a court from an arbitration ruling in British Columbia, and mandates a ...

The Government of Canada has suspended the implementation of the private right of action in Canada’s anti-spam legislation (CASL).

The provisions in connection with CASL’s private right of action were scheduled to come into force on July 1, 2017.  They would have given people the ability to seek damages against those who contravene certain sections of CASL, including ...

On May 18, 2017, the Supreme Court of Canada agreed to hear an appeal in an important case that could further define the nature and extent of the Crown’s duty to consult Aboriginal people, including the previously unresolved question as to whether the Crown’s duty to consult Aboriginal people can be triggered by legislative action.

Background – When Does the Crown Duty ...

On April 19, 2017, in Humphreys v Trebilcock, 2017 ABCA 116 ("Humphreys"),  the Alberta Court of Appeal set out six "essential" questions that an adjudicator must ask in order to apply Rule 4.31, the "chronic delay" rule. Under the Alberta Rules of Court (the "Rules"), a party may apply to dismiss an action for undue delay pursuant to Rule 4.31 at any time in an action or Rule 4.33 ...

Canada already has one of the world’s strictest regimes regulating commercial electronic messages, and, just in time for the country’s 150^th birthday, the consequences for breach are about to get much more severe. On July 1, 2017, this regime will add additional teeth in the form of a private right of action, which could drastically increase the threat of legal ...

Section 8 of the Interest Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. I-15, prohibits any "fine, penalty or rate of interest . . . that has the effect of increasing the charge on the arrears beyond the rate of interest payable on principal money not in arrears." Relying on this provision, borrowers often challenge fees and charges that borrowers levy when seeking to enforce a secured debt that has gone ...

Fraudsters are very clever. Many set up elaborate commercial transactions for the purpose of absconding with someone else's money.  By the time the scheme is discovered, an innocent victim is usually out of pocket, often for large sums of money. In an effort to recover that loss, the victim often turns to other innocent parties who were unknowingly involved in the deal and ...

Introduction

In Vancouver Community College v Vancouver Career College (Burnaby) 2017 BCCA 41, the British Columbia Court of Appeal found that Vancouver Community College (“VCC”) had established the tort of passing off against Vancouver Career College (“Career College”) for using “VCC” and “VCCollege” as part of Career College’s internet ...

The recent decision of the British Columbia Court of Appeal in Chriscan Enterprises Ltd. v. St. Pierre, 2016 BCCA 442, reminds those who elect to resolve their business disputes through arbitration that decisions of the arbitrator, even those touching on the fairness of procedures, will generally be final and not subject to review by the courts. As the Court noted, the ...

In its first decision of 2017, the Supreme Court of Canada addressed the likelihood of successful damages claims against quasi-judicial boards pursuant to s. 24 of the Charter. In a 4-4-1 split decision, the Court ultimately dismissed the appeal and struck the appellant’s claim for damages. Given the nature of the split decision, and the fact-specific basis for the ...