Court of Appeal overturned the decision of a chambers judge and upheld a decision of the BC Human Rights Tribunal awarding a mentally disabled appellant damages for discrimination in tenancy. The appellant had purchased a motor home and the respondent had refused to rent the pad on which the home was located and refused to consent to the vendors’ lease to the appellant.

27. August 2013 0
Administrative law – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Human Rights Tribunal – Landlord and tenant – Leases – Human rights complaints – Disability – Discrimination – Judicial review – Privileged communications – Disclosure – Evidence – admissibility – Judicial notice Silver Campsites Ltd. v. James, [2013] B.C.J. No. 1302, 2013 BCCA 292, British Columbia Court ...

The Saskatechewan Court of Queen’s Bench dismissed an application for judicial review by an applicant seeking to quash the Law Society’s decision refusing him admission to membership. The court held that as gatekeeper of admissions, the Law Society’s participatory role in judicial review was appropriate and necessary. The Admissions and Education Committee of the Law Society (the “Committee”) and Benchers’ decisions were reviewable on a reasonableness standard on questions of fact and credibility. The standard of correctness applied to questions of law and mixed fact and law. The Committee’s decision, affirmed by the Benchers, denying the applicant’s application for membership on the basis he had not satisfied the Committee of good character, fell within the range of reasonable outcomes having regard to evidence and credibility of witnesses. The Committee did not err in concluding the applicant had not met the onus of proving good character.

25. June 2013 0
Administrative law – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Law Societies – Standing – Barristers and solicitors – Admission to profession – Judicial review – Disclosure – Jurisdiction – Natural justice – Bias – Standard of review – Reasonableness simpliciter – Correctness DeMaria v. Law Society of Saskatchewan, [2013] S.J. No. 292, 2013 SKQB 178, Saskatchewan ...

The appellant unsuccessfully appealed a decision of the respondent Ontario Securities Commission, dismissing his application to set aside an order of the Commission approving a settlement he made with the Commission’s staff. The appellant argued before the Commission and on appeal that the order approving settlement should have been set aside because of non-disclosure of material information by the Commission staff prior to the settlement and that a member of the Commission was biased.

26. February 2013 0
Administrative law – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Securities Commission – Stock brokers – Disciplinary proceedings – Settlements – Judicial review – Bias – Procedural requirements and fairness – Disclosure Rankin v. Ontario (Securities Commission), [2013] O.J. No. 259, 2013 ONSC 112, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, January 11, 2013, M. Brown R.S.J., P.T. Matlow ...

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice struck out the plaintiff’s Statement of Claim against the defendant College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario on the grounds that it was plain and obvious that the Statement of Claim disclosed no reasonable cause of action against the defendant. The plaintiff had claimed damages against the College for damages caused by the alleged malpractice of a physician who was a member of the College. The plaintiff’s Statement of Claim alleged that the College did not properly investigate the plaintiff’s complaint regarding the physician and that its investigation process was not transparent.

27. November 2012 0
Administrative law – Decisions of administrative tribunals – College of Physicians and Surgeons – Privilege and immunity – Physicians and surgeons – Governance – Investigations – Judicial review – Disclosure – Evidence – No reasonable cause of action – Abuse of process Kwabanza v. College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, [2012] O.J. No. 4966, ...

The staff of the Securities Commission appealed an order directing them to answer a discovery question. The appeal was allowed and the matter was remitted to the Commission. The dispute was a matter falling squarely within the regulatory mandate and expertise of the Commission.

22. May 2012 0
Administrative law – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Securities Commission – Stock brokers – Disciplinary proceedings – Practice and procedure – Examination for discovery – Judicial review – Legislative compliance – Jurisdiction of court – Privilege and immunity – Evidence  – Disclosure – Relevance of information disclosed Nova Scotia (Securities Commission) v. Potter, [2012] N.S.J. ...

The Appellant company successfully appealed the Respondent Panel’s decision to uphold an administrative penalty relating to trenching safety requirements. The Court of Appeal held the Panel breached its duty of procedural fairness in considering documents not in the possession of the Appellant.

22. May 2012 0
Administrative law – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Occupational Health and Safety Officer – Safety requirements – Penalties – Judicial review – Appeals – Procedural requirements and fairness – Natural justice – Evidence – Disclosure Sackville Trenching Ltd. v. Nova Scotia (Occupational Health and Safety Appeal Panel), [2012] N.S.J. No. 196, 2012 NSCA 39, Nova Scotia Court ...

The Appellant (“Merck”) unsuccessfully appealed from a Federal Court of Appeal decision relating to an Access to Information Act request. The request related to certain documents submitted by Merck to the Respondent, Health Canada, when it sought approval to market the drugs.

27. March 2012 0
Administrative Law – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Government institution – Freedom of information and protection of privacy – Public bodies – Disclosure – Third parties – Notice – Judicial review – Compliance with legislation – Evidence – Standard of proof Merck Frosst Canada Ltd. v Canada (Health), [2012] S.C.J. No. 3, 2012 SCC 3, ...

Although the Inquiries Complaints and Reports Committee of the College of Nurses of Ontario (the “ICRC”) is a screening committee and not a quasi-judicial one, it still owed a disclosure obligation to the applicant member of the College, a registered nurse, which required it to provide the applicant with notice of the Registrar’s report of its investigation, notice of the substance of the allegations against her and an opportunity to make submissions in respect of the allegations. In this case, the College agreed that the decision of the ICRC should be quashed and the matter remitted to a differently constituted panel of the ICRC for fresh determination, with directions that the applicant be allowed to make submissions in respect of seven witness statements.

25. January 2012 0
Administrative law – Decisions of administrative tribunals – College of Nurses – Investigations – Nurses – Disciplinary proceedings – Professional misconduct or conduct unbecoming – Judicial review – Quasi-judicial tribunals – Disclosure – Evidence – Witnesses – Procedural requirements and fairness – Jurisdiction Ajao v. College of Nurses of Ontario, [2011] O.J. No. 5280, 2011 ...

The appeal by the Alberta (Information and Privacy Commissioner) of the decision to quash an adjudicator’s ruling that the Commissioner had lost jurisdiction due to the failure to extend the period for the completion of an inquiry was allowed where the Court found that the implied decision of the Commissioner to extend time, which was adopted by the delegated adjudicator, was reasonable

25. January 2012 0
Administrative law – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Privacy commissioner – Adjudications – Freedom of information and protection of privacy – Disclosure – Completion of inquiry – Limitations – Extension of time – Judicial review – Compliance with legislation – Jurisdiction – Standard of review – Reasonableness simpliciter Alberta (Information and Privacy Commissioner) v. Alberta ...

The appellant warden of Mission Institution was unsuccessful in her appeal of a chambers decision which ordered that the respondent inmate be returned from Kent Institution to Mission Institution

27. December 2011 0
Administrative law – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Prison warden – Prisons – Transfer of inmates – Judicial review –  Investigations – Disclosure – Test – Procedural requirements and fairness – Remedies – Habeas corpus – Certiorari Khela v. Mission Institution, [2011] B.C.J. No. 2111, 2011 BCCA 450, British Columbia Court of Appeal, November 9, 2011, ...