The Nova Scotia Construction Safety Association (the “Association”) appealed from the decision of the Human Rights Commission awarding damages to an employee, Karen Davison (“Davison”), who successfully obtained an award for damages for incidents of sexual harassment during the course of her employment. The appeal was dismissed except that the Order of the Human Rights Board of Inquiry that exemplary damages should be awarded against the Association was overturned.

25. July 2006 0
Administrative law – Human rights complaints – Sexual harassment – Gender – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Human Rights Commission – Damages – Judicial review – Delay – Evidence – Procedural requirements and fairness – Abuse of process – test – Standard of review – Reasonableness simpliciter Nova Scotia Construction Safety Assn. v. Nova Scotia (Human Rights ...

The application of the Respondent City of Toronto (the “City”) that a member of the panel of the Divisional Court recuse himself on the basis of a reasonable apprehension of bias was dismissed. The moving parties, by their own conduct, had waived their right to raise the issue of reasonable apprehension of bias and, in addition, the moving parties failed to establish that there was in fact a reasonable apprehension of bias on behalf of the subject judge.

27. December 2005 0
Administrative law – Bias – Judiciary – Judicial review – Reasonable apprehension of bias – test SOS-Save Our St. Clair Inc. v. Toronto (City), [2005] O.J. No. 4729, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, November 3, 2005, P.T. Matlow, S.E. Greer and E.M. Macdonald JJ. On October 11, 2005, a panel of the Divisional Court released a ...

A Hearing Officer stayed a disciplinary hearing under the Ontario Police Services Act on the basis that the hearing would constitute an abuse of process after the accused police officer had been acquitted on criminal charges arising from the same conduct that triggered the hearing. This decision was quashed on judicial review as the court found that proceeding with the disciplinary hearing would not constitute an abuse of process.

22. November 2005 0
Administrative law – Police – Disciplinary proceedings – Criminal charges – Evidence – Hearings – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Police Commission – Abuse of process – Test – Judicial review – Stay of proceedings – Standard of review – Correctness Peel (Regional Municipality) Police Service v. Watson, [2005] O.J. No. 3525, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, August 18, ...

A family physician (“Dr. Anstead”) appealed an order of the Joint Medical Professional Review Committee (the “Committee”) requiring him to repay $15,746.72 in professional fees. The Court held that the reasons provided by the Committee were insufficient and referred the matter back to the Committee with a direction to provide supporting reasons for its decision.

23. August 2005 0
Administrative law – Physicians and surgeons – Disciplinary proceedings – Billing matters – Decisions of administrative tribunals – College of Physicians and Surgeons – Failure to provide reasons – Test – Judicial review – Natural justice – Procedural requirements and fairness Anstead v. Joint Medical Professional Review Committee, [2005] S.J. No. 373, Saskatchewan Court of Queen’s Bench, ...

A sergeant of the Regina Police Force (“Watson”) was successful in obtaining an order quashing a disciplinary decision on the basis that there was inordinate delay by the Saskatchewan Police Commission (the “Commission”) in responding to Watson’s request for permission to appeal the decision

23. August 2005 0
Administrative law – Police – Disciplinary proceedings – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Police Commission – Hearings – Appeals – Unreasonable delay – Test – Judicial review – Natural justice – Delay – Privative clauses Watson v. Saskatchewan (Police Commission), [2005] S.J. No. 407, Saskatchewan Court of Queen’s Bench, June 16, 2005, Hunter J. On December 18, 1999, ...

The Court allowed the Plaintiffs’ motion for an injunction that prevented the Defendant School Board from tabling or debating a motion for closure of three particular schools without further leave of the Court. The Court dismissed the Defendant’s application to strike the pleadings.

28. June 2005 0
Administrative law – Schools – Closures – Parental rights – Remedies – Injunctions – Interlocutory injunctions – Availability – Test – Judicial review – Compliance with legislation Bellamy v. Edmonton Public School Board No. 7, [2005] A.J. No. 526, Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, May 10, 2005, Hillier J. The Plaintiffs were parents of students currently attending ...

An individual (“Conway”) held in mental health facilities after being found not guilty of a criminal offence by reason of insanity was successful in his appeal from the decision of the Consent and Capacity Board (the “Board”) that he was not capable of contenting to treatment with psychotropic medications

26. April 2005 0
Administrative law – Mental health – Consent to treatment – Substitute decision maker – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Consent and Capacity Board – Capacity – Test – Judicial review – Standard of review – Correctness – Reasonableness simpliciter Conway v. Jacques, [2005] O.J. No. 400, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, February 4, 2005, M.K. Fuerst J. ...

The Court dismissed the Province’s application for an order to stay part of the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal’s order requiring payment to the Respondents, pending a decision of the Court on judicial review

25. January 2005 0
Administrative law – Human rights complaints – Discrimination – Disability – Family members as care givers – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Human Rights Tribunal – Judicial review application – Stay of proceedings – Test British Columbia v. Hutchinson, [2004] B.C.J. No. 2434, British Columbia Supreme Court, November 24, 2004, Ralph J. The British Columbia Human Rights ...

The holder of expropriated placer mining interests (“Eckervogt”) appealed the decision of the Expropriation Compensation Board (the “Board”) on the grounds of lack of independence or a reasonable apprehension of bias where one of the Board members (“Greenwood”) accepted a position as prosecutor with the Ministry of the Attorney General while the expropriation decision was under consideration. The court dismissed the appeal holding that the suggestion that Greenwood’s duties of confidentiality and fidelity to the Crown as prosecutor would place him in conflict with his duties as adjudicator was remote and speculative and should not lead to disqualification.

28. September 2004 0
Administrative law – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Expropriation Compensation Board – Conflict of interest – Independence vs. impartiality – Judicial review – Reasonable apprehension of bias – test Eckervogt v. British Columbia (Minister of Employment and Investment), [2004] B.C.J. No. 1492, British Columbia Court of Appeal, July 20, 2004, Finch C.J.B.C., Ryan, Donald, Saunders and ...

In January 1999, Staff Sergeant Marvin Taylor tendered his resignation to the Regina Police Service. He left the service due to the stress in his relationship with his superior. Over three years later, Mr. Taylor submitted a claim to the Workers’ Compensation Board (“WCB”) for compensation on the grounds that he left his employment due to stress. The stress claim was rejected at all levels of the WCB. After exhausting his internal appeals, Mr. Taylor applied to the Saskatchewan Court of Queen’s Bench. The court held that the standard of review was patent unreasonableness and that the court’s task was to address the question of whether the WCB’s decision lacked reason and/or rationality. The Court held that Mr. Taylor had not demonstrated that the decision was patently unreasonable and the application was dismissed.

22. June 2004 0
Administrative law – Workers compensation – Benefits – Stress claims – Test – Privative clauses – Decisions of administrative tribunals – Workers Compensation Boards – Judicial review application – Quasi-judicial tribunals – Appeal process – Judicial review – Standard of review – Patent unreasonableness Taylor v. Workers’ Compensation Board, [2004] S.J. No. 224, Saskatchewan Court of Queen’s Bench, ...