Whether a strata corporation has the standing to bring representative Real Estate Development Marketing Act, SBC 2004, c 41 (REDMA) claims on behalf of owners has been a long-standing issue in strata property law. The B.C....more
British Columbia is often referred to as a "no costs" jurisdiction for class proceedings because section 37 of the B.C. Class Proceedings Act creates a presumptive no-costs regime in British Columbia for certification...more
On June 30, 2021, the Village of Lytton in rural British Columbia was devastated by a wildfire that resulted in personal injury, the destruction of homes and livelihoods, and the tragic loss of life. Various court proceedings...more
A recent Canadian decision illustrates how powerful interlocutory injunctions can be for trademark owners involved in trademark infringement litigation in Canada. On January 2, 2024, in Amer Sports Canada Inc v Adidas Canada...more
In Dove v Destiny Media Technologies Inc., 2023 BCSC 1032 , the Supreme Court of British Columbia found that an employer had just cause for the dismissal of a full-time employee who worked on a side business during working...more
In Khangura v Lumberwest Building Supplies Inc., 2023 BCSC 1053, the Supreme Court of British Columbia dismissed an employee’s claim that he was entitled to damages because he had been wrongfully dismissed without cause. The...more
In Forbes v. Glenmore Printing Ltd., 2023 BCSC 25, the Supreme Court of British Columbia (BC) disagreed with the employee’s argument that the termination clause in his employment agreement was invalid because it required the...more
In Salina v. Investors Group Financial Services Inc., 2023 BCS41 C 86 (the “Decision”), the Supreme Court of British Columbia (the “Court”) considered the question of whether an employer owes its employee a duty of care in...more
In its recent decision in Kingsgate Property Ltd. v Vancouver School District No. 39, 2023 BCSC 560, the Supreme Court of British Columbia considered, among other things, whether an arbitral tribunal's interpretation of a...more
"Loot boxes" are mystery boxes in a video game that pay out prizes or other items for in-game use. Players can earn loot boxes, but often purchase them with real-world money. The loot obtained varies in value considerably....more
In its recent decision, Forbes v. Glenmore Printing Ltd., 2023 BCSC 25 (“Glenmore”), the Supreme Court of British Columbia rejected an argument that a contractual termination provision was void due to its potential to breach...more
The British Columbia Supreme Court recently sided with an employer in its first civil case determining whether employees may be placed on unpaid leave for failing to comply with a mandatory vaccination policy. The court’s...more
With the decision of the British Columbia Supreme Court in Parmar v Tribe Management Inc. 2022 BCSC 1675 (“Parmar”), Canada has its first judicial decision considering whether placing a non-union employee on unpaid leave of...more
In Reotech Construction Ltd. v Snider, 2022 BCSC 317 (Reotech), the Supreme Court of British Columbia found that the trial court erred when it did not deduct the employee’s $9,000 Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)...more
On January 7, 2022, more than a decade after the claim was first filed, the B.C. Supreme Court (BCSC) released its decision in Thomas and Saik'uz First Nation v Rio Tinto Alcan Inc. The decision considers the Saik'uz First...more
In August 2018, the Province of British Columbia (Province) commenced a class action on behalf of itself and other provincial and federal governments against approximately 50 pharmaceutical manufacturers, wholesalers, and...more
In McCorquodale v RBC Global Asset Management Inc., 2021 BCSC 144, the British Columbia Supreme Court relied on the principle of consistency in case law in applying a low bar to certification in class proceedings. In doing...more
Background - On October 23, 2020, the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) released its decision in The Owners, Strata Plan LMS 3905 v. Crystal Square Parking Corporation (“Crystal Square”), an appeal about whether a...more
On March 26, 2020, the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General issued Ministerial Order no. M086 titled Limitation Periods (COVID-19) Order (Order). The Order suspends certain limitations periods in the province of...more
On December 31, 2019, the British Columbia Supreme Court confirmed that interlocutory injunctions, which can include police enforcement clauses, are an available remedy to restrain protesters from blockading pipeline projects...more
On October 30, 2019, the British Columbia Court of Appeal upheld the rectification of an erroneously calculated capital dividend account, saving the corporate taxpayer from a punitive 60% tax. ...more
The British Columbia Supreme Court in MRC Total Build Ltd. v F&M Installations Ltd., 2019 BCSC 765 [MRC Total Build] recently considered an application by a general contractor to stay proceedings commenced by a subcontractor...more
On May 2, 2019, the British Columbia Court of Appeal released its decision in R v Desautel, 2019 BCCA 151. The Court of Appeal upheld the lower courts decisions to acquit Richard Desautel of charges under the Wildlife Act and...more
Troublesome employees can disrupt a workplace and subject employers to reputational and economic costs. A panel from Bennett Jones’ Employment Services group recently shared their views on four contemporary issues employers...more
On May 19, 2017, the Iowa Supreme Court handed down decisions in two highly publicized Iowa City cases in which tenants had brought suit against their landlords - Kline v. Southgate Property Management and Walton v. Gaffey....more