B.A. (Alta.), LL.B. (Dal.), LL.M. (Col.).
Professor Emerita.
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Cases Considered: Andriet v. County of Strathcona No. 20, 2008 ABCA 27
PDF Version: Andriet v. County of Strathcona No. 20: Court of Appeal Conjures a Creative Accretion Approach
In this important reserved judgment, the Alberta Court of Appeal applied a creative approach to attempt to reconcile uncertainties relating to common law accretion with a Torrens Land Titles system, and in doing so once again found for private ownership of accreted lands over Crown ownership of exposed beds and shores.
Cases Considered: Weir v. Canada (Registrar of Firearms), 2008 ABPC 18, Woodcock v. Canada (Registrar of Firearms), 2008 ABPC 19
PDF Version: The Shotgun Approach to Judicial Review
These two almost identical judgments of Provincial Court Judge Bruce R. Fraser confirmed refusals by the Registrar to issue registration certificates for prohibited weapons. They were both references made pursuant to section 74 of the Firearms Act, S.C. 1995, c. 39. The standard of the review to be conducted by a provincial court judge in such a reference has been a controversial matter. Various methods for selecting the appropriate standard of review in a section 74 reference have been proposed and implemented by Alberta courts. The jurisprudence thus far suggests this shotgun approach is missing the mark when it comes to standard of review.
Cases Considered: Varma v. Donaldson, 2008 ABQB 106
PDF Version: The Doctrine of Part Performance: Still Strict After All These Years
This was an application under section 141 of the Land Titles Act, R.S.A. 2000, c. L-4 for the discharge of a caveat registered against a rental property in Calgary. The owners of the property in this case were Mr. and Mrs. Varma. The caveator was their daughter, Ms. Donaldson. She claimed she had an interest in the rental property under an agreement for its purchase and sale made between herself and her parents. Master K.R. Laycock disagreed and ordered that her caveat be discharged.
Cases Considered: Leoppky v. Meston, 2008 ABQB 45, Wasylyshyn v. Wasylyshyn, 2008 ABQB 39
PDF Version: Two cases concerning the Statute of Frauds (1677, U.K.)
A statute enacted over 350 years ago by a Parliament sitting in London, England was the basis of two decisions of the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench handed down the week of January 21, 2008. The decision of Madam Justice D.C. Read in Leoppky v. Meston, 2008 ABQB 45, was released January 17. The decision of Mr. Justice E.A. Marshall in Wasylyshyn v. Wasylyshyn, 2008 ABQB 39, was released January 18.
Cases Considered: Canada (Attorney General) v. Chak, 2008 ABQB 103
PDF Version: The Standard of Review on Appeals of Masters’ Decisions to the Court of Queen’s Bench
Canada (Attorney General) v. Chak appears to be the first written decision by our former colleague, Keith Yamauchi, who was appointed to the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta on December 14, 2007. That fact alone might make it worthy of a comment here. However, within his decision concerning a rather mundane student loan collection matter, the Honourable Mr. Justice K.D. Yamauchi also raises one interesting point.
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