The B.C. Court of Appeal upheld the Law Society of B.C.’s finding that the lawyer had committed professional misconduct by failing to disclose a conflict of interest to a client, and held it was within the review panel’s discretion to impose a five month suspension on the lawyer.

19. February 2019 0
Administrative law – Decisions reviewed – Law Societies – Permits and licences – Judicial review – Appeals – Standard of review – Reasonableness – Barristers and solicitors – Conflict of interest – Professional misconduct – Suspension Strother v. Law Society of British Columbia, [2018] BCJ No 6982, 2018 BCCA 481, British Columbia Court of Appeal, ...

The applicant made a request for personal information from the Communications Security Establishment. He claimed the response was unsatisfactory. He filed a formal complaint with the Officer of Privacy Commissioner of Canada, claiming that he had been improperly denied access to his personal information. The complaint was rejected by the Privacy Commissioner. The applicant was unsuccessful before the court on judicial review. The court recognized the sensitivity of the information being requested and concluded that, in respect of some of that information, the decision of the CSE to neither deny nor confirm its existence was reasonable.

19. February 2019 0
Administrative law – Decisions reviewed – Privacy Commissioner – National defence – Disclosure of records – Judicial review – Evidence – Standard of review – Reasonableness Martinez v. Communications Security Establishment, [2018] F.C.J. No. 1190, 2018 FC 1179, Ontario Federal Court, November 23, 2018, S.E. Roussel J. The Communications Security Establishment (the “CSE”) is administered ...

The petitioner hospital was unsuccessful on judicial review in setting aside the decision of the Human Rights Tribunal to not summarily dismiss a human rights complaint as having no reasonable prospect of success under section 27(1) of the Human Rights Code. The complaint was for alleged discrimination by the hospital on the grounds of mental and physical disability in relation to the provision of services. The court found that the complaint had some prospect of success and that the Tribunal’s decision was not patently unreasonable. The court rejected the argument that the Tribunal was not in a position to second-guess the exercise of professional medical judgment by the hospital staff in the provision of services, absent discrimination.

19. February 2019 0
Administrative law – Decisions reviewed – Human Rights Tribunal – Discrimination – Disability – Judicial review – Jurisdiction – Standard of review – Patent unreasonableness – Practice and procedure – Summary proceedings Hospital v. J.R. (Litigation guardian of), [2018] B.C.J. No. 3731, 2018 BCSC 2079, British Columbia Supreme Court, November 26, 2018, L.W. Bernard J. ...

The applicant, a prospective RCMP candidate, was successful on judicial review in setting aside a Human Rights Commission’s decision dismissing his complaint that the RCMP discriminated against him based on his medical condition. The court found the Commission failed to conduct a neutral investigation and breached its duty of fairness, and also failed to apply the correct legal test when assessing the complaint.

19. February 2019 0
Administrative law – Decisions reviewed – Human Rights Commission – Discrimination – Disability – Judicial review – Procedural requirements and fairness – Test – Standard of review – Correctness – Professions – Police Boychyn v. Canada (Royal Canadian Mounted Police), [2018] F.C.J. No. 1203, 2018 FC 1185, Ontario Federal Court, November 27, 2018, S.S. Ahmed ...

Agricultural Land Commission’s interpretation of legislation was unreasonable

15. January 2019 0
Administrative law – Decisions reviewed – Agricultural Land Commission – Municipalities – Planning and zoning – Judicial review – Compliance with legislation – Standard of review – Reasonableness Guse v. Provincial Agricultural Land Commission, [2018] B.C.J. No. 3624, 2018 BCSC 1983, British Columbia Supreme Court, November 9, 2018, R.J. Sewell J. The Agricultural Land Commission ...

No formal complaint made pursuant to the Police Act. The Court of Appeal allowed the appeals of the three constables.

18. December 2018 0
Administrative law – Decisions reviewed – Law Enforcement Review Board – Jurisdiction – Compliance with legislation – Judicial review – Appeals – Standard of review – Correctness – Patent unreasonableness – Professions – Police – Disciplinary proceedings Deluca v. Alberta (Law Enforcement Review Board), [2018] A.J. No. 1220, 2018 ABCA 340, Alberta Court of Appeal, ...

Ontario Court quashes City of Hamilton’s decision to remove political party’s discriminatory, anti-transgender bus-stop ads due to failure to consider the party’s Charter right to free speech

18. December 2018 0
Administrative law – Decisions reviewed – Municipal councils – Judicial review – Natural justice – Procedural requirements and fairness – Standard of review – Reasonableness – Human rights complaints – Discrimination – Gender Christian Heritage Party of Canada v. Hamilton (City), [2018] O.J. No. 5105, 2018 ONSC 3690, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, October 4, ...

Applicant did not realize she was “catastrophically impaired” and thus entitled to continuing housekeeping and attendant care benefits under the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule until after the applicable limitation period had expired. On review, doctrine of discoverability deemed not applicable to the “hard” limitation period.

18. December 2018 0
Administrative law – Decisions reviewed – License Appeal Tribunal – Judicial review – Limitations – Discoverability rule – Standard of review – Reasonableness Tomec v. Economical Mutual Insurance Co., [2018] O.J. No. 5076, 2018 ONSC 5664, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, October 2, 2018, G.B. Morawetz R.S.J., A.C.R. Whitten and D.K. Gray JJ. The applicant ...

Regulatory body can modify legal rights when doing so is in the public interest

16. November 2018 0
Administrative law – Decisions reviewed – Racing Commission – Jurisdiction – Judicial review – Standard of review – Reasonableness – Government – Gaming and betting Ontario Harness Horse Assn. v. Ontario (Alcohol and Gaming Commission), [2018] O.J. No. 4862, 2018 ONSC 5160, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, September 24, 2018, K.E. Swinton, A.C.R. Whitten and ...

This case involves a detailed consideration of section 7(2) of the Worker’s Compensation Act, which creates a rebuttable presumption whereby an accident occurring in the course of employment is deemed to also “arise out of that same employment” in the absence of evidence to the contrary. The purpose of the section is to attenuate the difficulty in proving that an injury in fact arises out of and in the course of one’s employment. The Commission argued the Tribunal erred in its interpretation and application of this provision. The court ultimately disagreed and engaged in a fairly detailed consideration of the provision.

16. November 2018 0
Administrative law – Decisions reviewed – Workers Compensation Board – Judicial review – Legislative compliance – Appeals – Standard of review – Correctness – Reasonableness – Worker’s compensation – Statutory provisions – In and out of the course of employment New Brunswick (Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission) v. St-Onge, [2018] N.B.J. No. 198, 2018 ...