The Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC” or “the Court”) decided a major case on lawyer civility in June 2018 in Groia v Law Society of Upper Canada 2018, SCC 27 [Groia]. The case revolved around a Law Society disciplinary hearing decision from 2013 that would have seen Toronto securities litigator Joseph Groia (Groia) fined and […]
Introduction In December 2018, the Supreme Court of Canada [“SCC” or the “Court”] will hear a trio of appeals that will revisit the current standard of judicial review for administrative tribunal decisions (Bell Canada, et al. v Attorney General of Canada, docket 37896; Minister of Citizenship and Immigration v Alexander Vavilov, docket 37748; and National Football […]
In Association of Justice Counsel v Canada (Attorney General), 2017 SCC 55 [Association of Justice Counsel] the Supreme Court of Canada ("SCC") elaborated on the relationship between the provisions of reasons and the reasonableness standard of review.
Part 1 of TheCourt.ca's coverage of Ktunaxa v BC covered the decision's contribution to freedom of religion jurisprudence. In part 2, I ask: What does an obscure snowy mountain in British Columbia have to do with a much less snowy, much more famed mountain in Jerusalem?
On January 17, 2017, the Divisional Court at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled on College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario v Peirovy, 2017 ONSC 136 [Peirovy], creating questions about the degree of deference courts should afford to disciplinary committees in self-governing professions. Peirovy has since been granted to leave to the Ontario […]
Canadians routinely open bank accounts, take out loans, sign insurance, and wireless agreements. To facilitate these daily processes, companies often use standard form contracts. You do not need legal training to realize that such contracts are “take it or leave it” prepositions. However, for a business such as a construction company signing an insurance policy, […]
The Supreme Court of Canada recently handed down its much-anticipated decision in Wilson v Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd, 2016 SCC 29 [Wilson], confirming that federally regulated employees cannot be terminated without cause under the Canada Labour Code, RSC 1985, c L-2 [Code]. The implications of this decision for administrative and employment law were previously discussed by TheCourt.ca in […]
Much has already been written in regards to the recent decision of the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) in Wilson v Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd, 2016 SCC 29 [Wilson]. It may seem surprising that it took thirty years to settle on Parliament’s intent in introducing the 1978 amendment to the Canada Labour Code, RSC […]
Courts have long grappled with when to give deference to tribunals. In Canada (Attorney General) v Gatien 2016 FCA 3 [Gatien FCA], the courts return to the level of deference owed to decisions made by the Public Service Labour Relation Board (“PSLRB”). Interestingly, in Gatien FCA Ms. Gatien, who won at the PLSRB, sought judicial […]
The separation of church and State has long plagued Canada. The Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) recently revisited the scope of the duty of religious neutrality in Mouvement laïque québécois v Saguenay (City), 2015 SCC 16. The SCC, in allowing the appeal, prevented the Mayor of Saguenay from reciting a prayer in council meetings. While […]