BCSC upholds decision of the information and privacy commissioner denying assertions of privileges over certain documents

21. December 2021 0
Administrative law – Decisions reviewed – Information and Privacy Commissioner – Disclosure of records – Freedom of information and protection of privacy – Judicial review – Standard of review – Correctness – Solicitor-client privilege – Litigation privilege – definition Sechelt (District) v. British Columbia (Information and Privacy Commissioner), [2021] B.C.J. No. 2363, 2021 BCSC 2143, ...

Ministry of Attorney General’s legal costs defending Cambie Surgeries Corporation v. British Columbia (Attorney General) action protected from disclosure by solicitor-client privilege

17. November 2020 0
Administrative law – Decisions reviewed – Privacy Commissioner – Freedom of information and protection of privacy – Production of records – Solicitor-client privilege – Public body – Judicial review – Appeals – Standard of review – Correctness British Columbia (Attorney General) v. Canadian Constitution Foundation, [2020] B.C.J. No. 1316, 2020 BCCA 238, British Columbia Court ...

Exploring the scope of solicitor-client privilege

17. December 2019 0
Administrative law – Decisions reviewed – Information and Privacy Commissioner – Freedom of information and protection of privacy – Disclosure of records – Judicial review – Standard of review – Correctness – Solicitor-client privilege British Columbia (Minister of Justice) v. British Columbia (Information and Privacy Commissioner), [2019] B.C.J. No. 1973, 2019 BCSC 1787, British Columbia Supreme ...

Court determined that email chains that did not include the clients’ lawyers, but wherein the clients discussed the lawyers’ privileged opinions and work products, were protected by solicitor-client privilege

18. June 2019 0
Administrative law – Judicial review – Applications – Freedom of information and protection of privacy – Access to information – Solicitor-client privilege – Government Alberta (Minister of Municipal Affairs) v. Alberta (Information and Privacy Commissioner), [2019] A.J. No. 466, 2019 ABQB 274, Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, April 17, 2019, S.N. Mandziuk J. As part of ...

Whether a child-client’s litigation records with the Children’s Lawyer for Ontario are subject to a parent’s freedom of information request

21. August 2018 0
Administrative law – Decisions reviewed – Privacy Commissioner – Custody and control – Judicial review – Appeals – Standard of review – Reasonableness – Correctness – Freedom of information and protection of privacy – Disclosure of records – Public body – Solicitor-client privilege Children’s Lawyer for Ontario v. Ontario (Information and Privacy Commissioner), [2018] O.J. ...

Privacy Commissioner’s decision to order disclosure was unreasonable as it did not take into account solicitor-client privilege

17. January 2017 0
Freedom of information legislation that required a public body to produce records to the Information and Privacy Commissioner “despite…any privilege of the law of evidence” was not sufficiently clear and precise to set aside or permit an infringement of solicitor-client privilege. Administrative law – Compliance with legislation – Correctness – Decisions of administrative tribunals – ...

The Information and Privacy Commissioner appealed the respondent’s determination that certain documents should not be released pursuant to a request for access to information on the basis the documents were privileged

23. February 2016 0
Administrative law – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Privacy commissioner – Freedom of information and protection of privacy – Disclosure of records – Solicitor-client privilege – Judicial review – Privileged communications Newfoundland and Labrador (Information and Privacy Commissioner) v. Eastern Regional Integrated Health Authority, [2015] N.J. No. 423, 2015 NLTD(G) 183, Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme ...

The plaintiff’s lawyer had previously represented the defendant Credit Union in small collections matters from 1993-2008. The plaintiff was the CEO of another Credit Union and the lawyer advised both the plaintiff and the other Credit Union with respect to the employment agreement. In 2012, after the plaintiff’s Credit Union had been acquired by the defendant, the lawyer represented him in negotiating his new employment agreement with the defendant. The plaintiff was eventually fired after his previous employer exercised its option to amalgamate with the defendant. The defendant brought a motion to have the lawyer removed as solicitor on record for the plaintiff due to a conflict of interest. The court dismissed the motion on the basis that the amalgamation did not cause the lawyer to be in a conflict of interest against the defendant, and there was no evidence that the lawyer’s previous retainers with the defendant were sufficiently related to the retainer in respect of the wrongful termination action so as to disqualify him from acting for the plaintiff.

24. June 2014 0
Administrative law – Barristers, solicitors, notaries and paralegals – Professional governance and discipline – Solicitor-client privilege – Conflict of interest DeRosa v. Pace Savings & Credit Union Ltd., [2014] O.J. No. 1939, 2014 ONSC 935, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, February 21, 2014, C.J. Brown J. The defendant brought a motion for an order removing ...

The Appellant Attorney General unsuccessfully appealed the B.C. Supreme Court’s decision, which dismissed the Appellant’s Petition for judicial review. The Appellant’s Petition sought to quash a Commissioner’s decision that allowed him to inquire into the Appellant’s decision not to lay charges in connection with Mr. Paul Frank’s death. In its Petition, the Appellant also sought a declaration that, in the absence of evidence of bad faith, the principle of Crown immunity prevented a public inquiry into the Crown’s decision not to commence criminal proceedings in the Frank Paul matter.

25. August 2009 0
Administrative law – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Government – Public inquiry – Judicial review – Applications – Crown immunity – Jurisdiction – Barristers and solicitors – Crown counsel – Solicitor-client privilege British Columbia (Ministry of Attorney General, Criminal Justice Branch) v. British Columbia (Commission of Inquiry into the Death of Frank Paul – Davies ...

The Law Society of Saskatchewan’s application for an Order authorizing an Inspector of the Law Society to enter the office of M Law Firm to obtain privileged file materials relating to a client (“MH”) was dismissed where the Court found that the circumstances of the case did not meet the test of “absolute necessity”

28. November 2006 0
Administrative law – Barristers and solicitors – Solicitor-client privilege – Law Societies – Judicial review – Compliance with legislation – Disclosure – Absolute Necessity Law Society of Saskatchewan v. E.M., [2006] S.J. No. 608, Saskatchewan Court of Queen’s Bench, August 10, 2006, Hunter J. The Law Society received a complaint from a person who was adverse ...