Higgins failed in her application to overturn the decision of the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles upholding a notice of driving prohibition. The court held that the notice of driving prohibition was not a nullity merely because the issuing police officer had checked both the box with respect to the offence of having a blood alcohol concentration over the limit and the box for the offence of failing to provide a breath sample. The court referred the matter back to the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles with a direction that both offences could be considered.

23. April 2002 0
Administrative law – Motor vehicles – Suspension of driver’s licence – Judicial review application – Procedural requirements Higgins v. British Columbia (Attorney General), [2002] B.C.J. No. 545, British Columbia Supreme Court, March 14, 2002, E.R.A. Edwards J. Higgins was served with a Notice of Driving Prohibition by a police officer on April 7, 2001 and completed ...

Duck Lake Feed Processors Ltd. (“DLFP”) succeeded in obtaining an order setting aside an order issued by the council of Duck Lake directing DLFP to remedy perceived inadequacies in the structure of DLFP’s feed processing facility. The court held that the council did not have sufficient evidence with respect to the actual condition of the building to support the order made.

23. April 2002 0
Administrative law – Municipal boards – Orders – Validity Duck Lake Feed Processors Ltd. v. Duck Lake (Town), [2002] S.J. No. 139, Saskatchewan Court of Queen’s Bench, March 13, 2002, Maher J. DLFP applied pursuant to s. 134(4) of The Urban Municipality Act, 1984 S.S. 1983-1984, c. U-11, for review of an order made by ...

Nexen Inc. (“Nexen”) sought judicial review of the decision of the chief electrical inspector who had refused to issue a permit to Nexen for an extension to its distribution system on the basis that the government utility, SaskPower, had the exclusive right to “supply, transport, distribute and sell” electricity. The court allowed Nexen’s appeal and set aside the decision of the chief inspector holding that the chief inspector had considered circumstances not relevant to the overall purpose of the Act under which he derived his powers, which was related to technical and safety standards, in refusing the permit.

23. April 2002 0
Administrative law – Permits and licences – Compliance with legislation – Inspections – Powers under legislation Nexen Inc. v. Saskatchewan (Chief Electrical Inspector), [2002] S.J. No. 128, Saskatchewan Court of Queen’s Bench, March 6, 2002, Pritchard J. On August 13, 2001, the chief inspector, appointed by SaskPower pursuant to s. 6 of The Electrical Inspection ...

This is an Application for a Judicial Review of a Direction issued by Ontario Civilian Commission on Police Services (the “Commission”) directing the Ottawa-Carleton Regional Police Services Board (the “Board”) to require Sheila Dunlop to complete the basic recruit training program at the Ontario Police College. On review, the court quashed the direction of the Commission on the basis that the Commission erred in law in finding that the “initial period of training” in the governing legislation mandated completion of the basic recruit training program.

23. April 2002 0
Administrative law – Judicial review application – Compliance with legislation – Standard of review – Correctness test – Police – Training requirements Ottawa-Carleton (Region) Police Services Board v. Ontario (Civilian Commission on Police Services), [2001] O.J. No. 5498, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, December 14, 2001, Zuber, Matlow and Cusinato JJ. Sheila Dunlop was a member ...

The Appellant’s, a retired teacher, allegations of defamation, negligence, malice and arbitrary treatment against other employees of the school district were dismissed on the grounds that the Court did not have jurisdiction to deal with them. The Court does not have jurisdiction to hear disputes whose “essential character” arises from the interpretation, application, administration, or violation of a collective agreement”. In such cases, the dispute must be dealt with by the dispute resolution process provided in the collective agreement and labour relations statutes and not by litigation in the Courts.

26. March 2002 0
Administrative law – Labour law – Collective agreements – Jurisdiction of court – Defamation – Qualified privilege Haight-Smith v. Neden, [2002] B.C.J. No. 375, British Columbia Court of Appeal, February 27, 2002, Esson, Ryan and Levine JJ.A. If the “essential character” of the dispute arises from the interpretation, application, administration or violation of the collective ...

An employer’s application for stay of proceedings of a human rights complaint was dismissed. Delay of 83 months since the first allegation and 56 months since the complaint was made was not sufficiently egregious to meet the high threshold necessary to support a remedy of a stay of proceedings

26. March 2002 0
Administrative law – Human rights complaints – Judicial review – Boards and tribunals – Bias – Breach of procedural fairness – Delay Crown Packaging Ltd. v. Ghinis, [2002] B.C.J. No. 489, British Columbia Court of Appeal, March 7, 2002, Prowse, Hall and Mackenzie JJ.A. The events alleged as the grounds of the complaint arose in November ...

An Order-in-Council ordering striking teachers back to work was held to be ultra vires and of no force or effect due to a failure by the Lieutenant Governor in Council to consider each dispute separately and to meet a condition precedent to issuing the back to work order; namely finding that there was an emergency which was causing or may cause unreasonable hardship

26. March 2002 0
Administrative law – Legislation – Back to work orders – Questions of jurisdiction – Ultra vires – Judicial review – Standard of review Alberta Teachers’ Assn. v. Alberta, [2002] A.J. No. 268, Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, March 1, 2002, Wachowich C.J.Q.B. The Alberta government ordered striking teachers back to work pursuant to a provision in ...

The fact that the Executive Director dealt with previous complaints to the Commission from the appellant does not give rise to a reasonable apprehension of bias. To do so would hold the Executive Director to too high a standard given the function he is to perform at the investigative stage of a complaint.

26. March 2002 0
Administrative law – Judicial review – Boards and tribunals – Questions of jurisdiction – Reasonable apprehension of bias – Previous complaints – Investigative bodies – Fairness – Human rights complaints Ayangma v. Prince Edward Island (Human Rights Commission), [2002] P.E.I.J. No. 20, Prince Edward Island Supreme Court – Appeal Division, March 4, 2002, Mitchell C.J.P.E.I., McQuaid and ...

The applicant objected to appearing at a hearing to determine whether his name should be entered on the Child Abuse Register, arguing he was not a compellable witness and the Ministry had not met its disclosure obligations. His application was dismissed, as section 11 of the Charter did not apply to a witness in civil proceeding. Section 7 applied but was not infringed because it was done in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice. Stinchcombe disclosure obligations do not apply to the Crown in such proceedings.

26. March 2002 0
Administrative law – Charter of Rights – Hearings – Compellability of witness – Disclosure – Child abuse registers Nova Scotia (Minister of Community Services) v. D.J.M., [2002] N.S.J. No. 119, Nova Scotia Supreme Court (Family Division), March 4, 2002, Hood J. The Ministry of Community Services sought to have the name of D.J.M. placed on ...

A police constable’s application for certiorari of Chair of the Scotia Police Review Board to extend time to complete an investigation was dismissed. Correctness is the standard of review for interpreting the regulation as permitting an extension after the investigation was complete. Patent unreasonableness is the standard respecting his findings and exercise of discretion in granting the extension.

26. March 2002 0
Administrative law – Judicial review – Standard of review – Correctness test – Patent unreasonableness – Questions of jurisdiction – Extension of time – Police – Disciplinary proceedings – Privative clauses Symington v. Halifax (Regional Municipality) Police Service, [2002] N.S.J. No. 112, Nova Scotia Supreme Court, February 8, 2002, Moir J. Constable Symington was the subject ...