The Health Professions Appeal Board (the “Board”) conceded it had exceeded its jurisdiction by making findings of gross criminal misconduct against a physician and relying on materials which were never disclosed to the physician or his counsel. The Board agreed that its decision should be quashed but submitted that the matter should be remitted back for a new review before a differently constituted panel of the Board. The Court of Appeal refused to remit the matter back to the Board, and found that there were exceptional circumstances (the interest of the public in the matter was remote and the delay was serious) which warranted the exercise of its discretion to refuse to remit.

25. February 2003 0
Administrative law – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Discretion of court – Judicial review – Jurisdiction of court – Tribunal decisions – Physicians and surgeons – Disciplinary proceedings – Evidence – Delay – Public interest Rathé v. Ontario (Health Professions Appeal and Review Board), [2002] O.J. No. 4787, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, December 6, 2002, Blair, ...

A tribunal with a statutory right of appearance in a review of its own decision is limited in its participation to explaining the record before it and making representations relating to jurisdiction. “Jurisdiction” in this context does not include the transgression of the authority of a tribunal by its failure to adhere to the rules of natural justice.

25. February 2003 0
Administrative law – Boards and tribunals – Jurisdiction – Right to appear in a review of its own decision – Judicial review – Application for intervenor status – Bias Eckervogt v. British Columbia (Minister of Employment and Investment), [2002] B.C.J. No.2755, British Columbia Court of Appeal, December 10, 2002, Smith J.A. The Appellant applied for compensation ...

Regulations made by an agricultural commodity board were not sufficiently framed to empower it to charge a fee for quotas for the marketing or production of chicken. The power to impose a fee, levy, or anything in the nature of a tax in the regulation of an industry must be explicitly conferred by the enabling legislation.

25. February 2003 0
Administrative law – Boards and tribunals – Jurisdiction – Legislation – Ultra vires Oulton v. Chicken Farmers of Nova Scotia, [2002] N.S.J. No. 513, Nova Scotia Court of Appeal, December 5, 2002, Saunders, Chipman and Hamilton JJ.A. The Respondent chicken producers had been, for 20 years, on a waiting list maintained by the Chicken Farmers of ...

The Commercial Appeals Commission, upholding a decision of the Real Estate Council of British Columbia, has a duty to give independent consideration to an appropriate penalty and reasons for imposing that penalty on a hearing de novo, even in the absence of a submission on penalty

25. February 2003 0
Administrative law – Real estate agents – Disciplinary proceedings – Penalties – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Commercial Appeals Commission – Hearing de novo – Duty to consider penalties Wong v. Real Estate Council of British Columbia, [2002] B.C.J. No. 2786, British Columbia Court of Appeal, December 13, 2002, Ryan, Mackenzie and Thackray JJ.A. The Real ...

On appeal from a decision of the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (the “CRTC”) involving s. 43(4) of the Telecommunications Act, S.C. 1993, c. 38, it was held that the CRTC did not err in law, exceed its jurisdiction or improperly exercise its discretion in rendering its decision with respect to the terms and conditions sought to be imposed by the city of Vancouver on the Respondent, Ledcor Industries Ltd., which was seeking access to the municipality’s roadways to install fibre optic lines

25. February 2003 0
Administrative law – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission – Jurisdiction – Municipalities – Power to enact by-laws Federation of Canadian Municipalities v. AT & T Canada Corp., [2002] F.C.J. No. 1777, Federal Court of Appeal, December 17, 2002, Létourneau, Nadon and Pelletier, JJ.A. This was an appeal from a decision of ...

A political party contesting the civic election and an elected member of the Vancouver City Council applied for judicial review of a decision of the Deputy Chief Electoral Officer for the City of Vancouver, involving what is required for a person to be able to vote in the Vancouver civic election if they are not pre-registered or on the voters list on Election Day. The court held that a liberal interpretation ought to be given to statutes that deal with exercising the right to vote. The decision of the Deputy Chief Electoral Officer was held to be wrong.

25. February 2003 0
Administrative law – Elections – Right to vote – Documentation – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Judicial review application – Standard of review – Correctness Coalition of Progressive Electors v. Vancouver (Deputy Chief Electoral Officer), [2002] B.C.J. No. 2939, British Columbia Supreme Court, November 13, 2002, Powers, J. This was an application for judicial review of a ...

Mr. Frederickson was issued a 24-hour roadside suspension for failure to provide a breath sample to an RCMP officer. He was subsequently charged with impaired driving and refusal to comply with a breath demand. On an application for review of the driving prohibition, an adjudicator confirmed the 90-day prohibition and Mr. Frederickson did not seek judicial review of the adjudicator’s decision. Mr. Frederickson sought a stay of proceedings on the refusal to provide a breath sample, based on the defence of res judicata. A Provincial Court judge granted a stay of proceedings. On appeal of that decision, it was held that the rule in Kienapple does not apply to the circumstances of this case. Accordingly, the stay of proceedings was set aside and the matter was remitted for trial.

25. February 2003 0
Administrative law – Motor vehicles – Refusal of breathalyser test – Suspension of driver’s licence – Stay of proceedings – Res judicata – Kienapple rule R. v. Frederickson, [2002] B.C.J. No. 2895, British Columbia Supreme Court, December 23, 2002, Ross J. This was an appeal from a decision of a Provincial Court judge to enter ...

The Petitioner, a School Board, succeeded in its application to quash a decision of a BC Human Rights Tribunal, allowing a student’s complaint of discrimination against it

25. February 2003 0
Administrative law – Schools – Human rights complaints – Discrimination – Sexual orientation – Judicial review – Standard of review – Correctness North Vancouver School District No. 44 v. Jubran, [2003] B.C.J. No. 10, British Columbia Supreme Court, January 2, 2003, Stewart, J. Jubran, a high school student, filed a complaint of discrimination against School District No. ...

Actions taken by the Legislative Assembly relating to the tenure of an official appointed to carry out statutory duties attracted a duty of fairness. The Conflict of Interest Commissioner (the “Conflict Commissioner”), whose appointment was revoked by Commissioner of the Northwest Territories on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly, was owed a duty of procedural fairness which included, at a minimum, the obligation to put her on notice that her position was at risk and to give her the right to be heard. The removal from office of the Conflict Commissioner was not an aspect of the Legislative Assembly’s privilege.

26. November 2002 0
Administrative law – Legislative assembly – Executive officers – Duty of fairness – Official appointments – Judicial review – Procedural requirements Roberts v. Northwest Territories (Commissioner), [2002] N.W.T.J. No. 81, Northwest Territories Supreme Court, October 23, 2002, Vertes J. The appointment of the Conflict Commissioner was for a four-year term. Fifteen months into her tenure, the Legislative ...