An employer (“Simms”) was unsuccessful in appealing the determination of the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission Appeals Tribunal (the “Appeals Tribunal”) that the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission (the “Commission”) had not set its rates higher than the rate authorized by the Commission’s own policy at the time

22. February 2005 0
Administrative law – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Workers Compensation Boards – Assessment rates to employers – Policies – Judicial review – Standard of review – Correctness T. S. Simms & Co. v. New Brunswick (Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission), [2004] N.B.J. No. 469, New Brunswick Court of Appeal, December 9, 2004, Drapeau C.J.N.B., Ryan ...

The decision of a delegate of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia which ordered the British Columbia Archives to process a request made pursuant to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for production of the incomplete draft report of the Smith Commission of Inquiry into the affairs of the Nanaimo Commonwealth Holding Society was quashed by the Court as the Court held that the report was a draft decision of a person acting in a judicial or quasi-judicial capacity and was therefore immune from production by virtue of section 3(1)(b) of the Act

25. January 2005 0
Administrative law – Freedom of information and protection of privacy – Disclosure of draft report – Immunity of person acting in quasi-judicial capacity – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Privacy commissioner – Judicial review – Standard of review – Correctness – Compliance with legislation British Columbia (Attorney General) v. British Columbia (Information and Privacy Commissioner), [2004] B.C.J. ...

The Court held that the Workers’ Compensation Board (“WCB”) was not entitled to withhold payment of a 1989 continuing award because of the worker’s 1991 receipt of settlement funds from his employer

25. January 2005 0
Administrative law – Workers compensation – Benefits – Statutory provisions – Statutory interpretation – Damages – Settlement monies from other jurisdictions – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Workers Compensation Boards – Judicial review – Jurisdiction – Compliance with legislation – Standard of review – Correctness Dipersio v. Nova Scotia (Workers’ Compensation Appeals Tribunal), [2004] N.S.J. No. 442, Nova ...

The court found that the higher standard of proof applied by the Human Rights Tribunal Panel was wrong and contrary to the very essence of human rights legislation. However, in reviewing all of the evidence, the court held that the conclusion of the Panel was correct. The facts established by the Applicant did not amount to discrimination against the Applicant by the employer on the basis of race, colour, ancestry or place of origin with regard to employment or any term or condition of employment.

28. December 2004 0
Administrative law – Human rights complaints – Discrimination – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Human Rights Commission – Judicial review – Standard of review – Correctness Bobb v. Alberta (Human Rights and Citizenship Commission), [2004] A.J. No. 1117, Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, October 12, 2004, Verville J. The Applicant filed a complaint with the Human Rights ...

On an appeal from a dismissal of an application for judicial review of a series of decisions made by the City of Winnipeg in relation to the rezoning and development of a property, the Court of Appeal held that the application judge did not misapprehend either the law or the facts and exercised his discretion correctly in dismissing the application. The City had the jurisdiction to make the decisions in question and did not lose jurisdiction by the manner in which it made them.

28. December 2004 0
Administrative law – Municipalities – Jurisdiction – Planning and zoning – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Municipal councils – Rules and by-laws – Judicial review – Procedural requirements and fairness – Statutory powers – Standard of review – Correctness Hechter v. Winnipeg (City), [2004] M.J. No. 357, Manitoba Court of Appeal, June 28, 2004, Scott C.J.M., Monnin ...

A teacher (“Fox”) appealed from the decision of the BC College of Teachers (the “College”) to proceed with a formal inquiry where the complaint by the school board which instigated the report to the College was rescinded after a grievance. The court dismissed the appeal, holding that the provisions of the Teaching Professions Act, R.S.B.C. 1986, c. 449 (the “Act”) indicated that the legislature did not intend that the jurisdiction of the College would be ousted if a grievance procedure was successful.

28. December 2004 0
Administrative law – Teachers – Disciplinary proceedings – Decisions of administrative tribunals – College of Teachers – Judicial review – Jurisdiction of tribunal – Compliance with legislation – Statutory interpretation – Standard of review – Correctness Fox v. British Columbia College of Teachers, [2004] B.C.J. No. 2322, British Columbia Supreme Court, November 8, 2004, Ehrcke J. ...

The court set aside a decision of the Respondent to cancel a “final” certificate of inspection on the Applicant’s shipment of wheat after it had been shipped and sold on the basis of the inspection certificate. The Respondent had the regulatory power, which it had not exercised, to do what it had done, but the court could not give administrative practice the force of law by implying a power which the Respondent had failed to exercise by regulation.

23. November 2004 0
Administrative law – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Canadian Grain Commission – Certificate of inspection – Powers to cancel – Regulatory powers of tribunals – Functus officio – Limitations – Judicial review – Compliance with legislation – Jurisdiction – Standard of review – Correctness Saskatchewan Wheat Pool v. Canada (Canadian Grain Commission), [2004] F.C.J. No. 1568, Federal ...

The court dismissed an appeal overturning a decision of the Financial Services Tribunal which had held that section 70(6) of the Ontario Pension Benefits Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.8, does not require a distribution of the actuarial surplus when there is a partial wind-up of an Ontario defined benefit pension plan

28. September 2004 0
Administrative law – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Financial Services Commission – Pension plans – winding-up – surplus – Judicial review – Compliance with legislation – Standard of review – Correctness – Statutory interpretation – Legislation Monsanto Canada Inc. v. Ontario (Superintendent of Financial Services), [2004] S.C.J. No. 51, Supreme Court of Canada, July 29, 2004, McLachlin ...

The court overturned the decision of the Assistant Information and Privacy Commissioner (the “Commissioner”) who ordered a government agency, the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (the “MPAC”), to provide a collection agency with an electronic record containing personal information of Ontario residents as the Commissioner erred in finding that there was legislation that expressly authorized the MPAC to disclose information for the purposes of section 14(1) of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.56 (the “MFIPPA”)

27. July 2004 0
Administrative law – Freedom of information and protection of privacy – Disclosure – Electronic records – Municipalities – Property assessment – Statutory interpretation – Judicial review – Standard of review – Correctness Municipal Property Assessment Corp. v. Ontario (Assistant Information and Privacy Commissioner), [2004] O.J. No. 2118, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, May 21, 2004, Benotto, Dunn and ...

On an application for judicial review of a decision of a Human Rights Commissioner (the “Commissioner”), the court found that the Commissioner erred in law in finding gender discrimination against the complainant with respect to her rate of pay as a summer police constable. However, the court found that the Commissioner’s decision that the complainant was discriminated against in employment on the basis of gender was supported by the evidence and there was therefore no reviewable error with respect to that issue.

27. July 2004 0
Administrative law – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Human Rights Commission – Human rights complaints – Discrimination – Gender – Burden of proof – Judicial review – Standard of review – Correctness – Reasonableness simpliciter DeWare v. Kensington (Town), [2004] P.E.I.J. No. 40, Prince Edward Island Supreme Court – Trial Division, May 28, 2004, Matheson J. The ...