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. ...

A complainant to the Canadian Human Rights Commission (“Baltruweit”) was successful in his application to have the court overturn the decision of the Commission to dismiss his complaint at the investigative stage. The court held that the failure of the Commission to provide Baltruweit with the substance of the evidence of a legal opinion relating to the complaint was a breach of its duty of procedural fairness and the matter was referred back to the Commission for a re-determination.

28. January 2003 0
Administrative law – Human rights complaints – Discrimination – Disability – Evidence – Judicial review application – Breach of procedural fairness – Hearings – Disclosure – Solicitor-client privilege Baltruweit v. Canada (Attorney General), [2002] F.C.J. No. 1615, Federal Court of Canada – Trial Division, November 19, 2002, Gibson J. Baltruweit was employed by the Canadian Security Intelligence ...

Idowu was successful in his application to set aside an arbitrator’s award on the basis of reasonable apprehension of bias where the court found that the law firm for the opposing party had proposed the arbitrator but had failed to notify Idowu that two of their lawyers were directors of the company which employed the arbitrator and that one of their partners had a financial interest in that company.

28. January 2003 0
Administrative law – Arbitration and award – Arbitrators – Judicial review – Bias Idowu v. York Condominium Corp. No. 128, [2002] O.J. No. 2102, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, May 21, 2002m Nordheimer J. Idowu owned three units in York Condominium. An issue arose as to whether Idowu was using these units as “rooming houses” contrary ...

Manitoba was unsuccessful in its appeal of a decision allowing a Statement of Claim filed by one of its employees (“Desrivieres”) to stand. The action commenced by Desrivieres sought entitlement to disability benefits under the government employee plan. The court held that the dispute resolution mechanism in this Plan did not oust the jurisdiction of the court.

28. January 2003 0
Administrative law – Government – Employees – Benefit plans – Dispute resolution schemes – Jurisdiction – Final and binding – Definition – Adjudication – Jurisdiction of court – Labour law – Collective agreements Desrivieres v. Manitoba, [2002] M.J. No. 449, Manitoba Court of Appeal, November 15, 2002, Scott C.J.M., Monnin and Hamilton JJ.A. This case involved the issue of whether ...