PDF version: The need to explain yourself before imposing discipline under the law

Case considered: Pridgen v University of Calgary, 2012 ABCA 139

The Alberta Court of Appeal recently issued its judgment in the appeal by the University of Calgary from the October 2010 decision of Madam Justice Strekaf quashing a student discipline decision by the University (Pridgen v University of Calgary, 2010 ABQB 644). Madam Justice Strekaf’s judicial review decision was the subject of an ABlawg post by Heather Beyko – one of our JD students – in November 2010 (See “Facebook and Freedom of Expression”). Briefly speaking, the University imposed discipline on two undergraduate students for posting comments on Facebook concerning a course of instruction taken by them in the Faculty of Communication and Culture (as it was at the time) during the Fall 2007 semester. The University decided such comments amounted to non-academic misconduct and imposed discipline on both students including several months of academic probation. The students were successful on judicial review in front of Madam Justice Strekaf, who ruled the University decision was unreasonable in law and also infringed section 2(b) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Court of Appeal has unanimously upheld Madam Justice Strekaf’s finding that the University disciplinary decision was unreasonable under principles of administrative law. The Court of Appeal was more guarded on the Charter issue, with two of the three justices commenting it was unnecessary to consider the Charter to decide this case. My comment here focuses on the administrative law issues raised in this appeal.

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Case considered: Calgary (City) v Alberta (Municipal Government Board), 2012 ABCA 13

On January 16, 2012 the Alberta Court of Appeal issued a judgment that applies the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in Newfoundland and Labrador Nurses’ Union v Newfoundland and Labrador (Treasury Board), 2011 SCC 62 – ruling in Calgary (City) v Alberta (Municipal Government Board), 2012 ABCA 13 that the adequacy of reasons given by a statutory decision-maker are to be reviewed as a matter of substantive review on the reasonableness standard.

The decision in question results by way of appeal by the City of Calgary from Madam Justice Romaine’s decision in Calgary (City) v Alberta (Municipal Government Board), 2010 ABQB 719. I previously discussed that decision in a December 2010 Ablawg post (see here) and I have recently commented on the Supreme Court’s Newfoundland and Labrador Nurses’ Union decision (see here).

The purpose of this short comment is simply to note that the Court of Appeal has now applied the Supreme Court of Canada’s recent change in the law on sufficiency of reasons, and that earlier jurisprudence on reviewing the sufficiency of reasons given by a statutory decision-maker should be read with caution.