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Vesting Off Interests in Land – The Latest Dianor Decision

By: Ashley Weldon & Tasha Wood

PDF Version: Vesting Off Interests in Land – The Latest Dianor Decision

Decision Commented On: Third Eye Capital Corporation v Ressources Dianor Inc./Dianor Resources Inc., 2019 ONCA 508 (CanLII)

The Ontario Court of Appeal has released its much anticipated second decision in Third Eye Capital Corporation v Ressources Dianor Inc./Dianor Resources Inc.(Dianor2019). The issue squarely before the Court in this case was whether a vesting order granted in a receivership proceeding could extinguish a third party’s interest in land in the nature of a gross overriding royalty (GOR).  The Court concluded that it had the jurisdiction to do so. This appears to be the first case in Canada to reach this conclusion in the context of a GOR.

Constable Convicted of Aggravated Assault in Police Brutality Case

By: Serena Eshaghurshan

PDF Version: Constable Convicted of Aggravated Assault in Police Brutality Case

Case Commented On: R v Lindsay, 2019 ABQB 462 (CanLII)

In May 2019, the Honourable Mr. Justice Michael J. Lema of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta (ABQB) heard a trial regarding an aggravated assault case. Despite attempting to rely on s 25 (Protection of Persons Administering and Enforcing the Law) and s 34 (Defence of Person) of the Criminal Code, RSC 1985 c C-46, Calgary Police Service (CPS) Constable Trevor Lindsay was convicted of aggravated assault in relation to Daniel Haworth, a man who was under his arrest.

The Elephant in the Courtroom Redux

By: Shaun Fluker

PDF Version: The Elephant in the Courtroom Redux

Case Commented On: Zoocheck Canada Inc v Alberta (Minister of Agriculture and Forestry), 2019 ABCA 208 (CanLII)

Lucy the Elephant lives at the Edmonton Valley Zoo and, for more than a decade, her advocates have been calling on government officials to facilitate her transfer to a warmer climate. She is a long-time resident at the Edmonton Zoo (since 1977), and zoo officials responsible for her well-being assert that Lucy is well-cared for at the zoo and that it is not in her best interest to be moved. Her advocates dispute this position, and there is a dedicated campaign for an independent scientific assessment of Lucy that would produce an expert veterinarian opinion on whether she can and/or should be moved. In addition to this battle of medical experts, Lucy’s advocates have appeared before Alberta courts seeking to use the force of law to get the Edmonton Zoo to acquiesce on the move of Lucy. They have been unsuccessful at each turn. The first set of proceedings was almost 10 years ago, and I commented on them in Lucy the Elephant v. Edmonton (City) and in The Elephant in the Courtroom. The focus of this comment is the more recent proceedings and, in particular, the Court of Appeal’s ruling that Lucy’s advocates do not have standing to engage in legal proceedings to challenge the renewal of a permit for the Edmonton Zoo.

Another Interconnection Application Crashes Out

By: Nigel Bankes

PDF Version: Another Interconnection Application Crashes Out

Decision Commented On: AUC Decision 24126-D01-2019, Keyera Energy Ltd, Cynthia Gas Plant Power Plant Application, June 25, 2019

In its Smith decision earlier this year, the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) concluded that a self-generator could only avoid the general “must offer, must exchange” obligations imposed by the Electric Utilities Act, SA 2003, c E-5.1, (EUA; and regulations) and the Hydro and Electric Energy Act, RSA 2000, c H-16, (HEEA) if it fell within one of the prescribed exceptions in the legislative scheme. ABlawg commented on the Smith decision here: Opening a Can of Worms. The AUC followed its Smith decision with two further interconnection applications in April and early June: AUC Decision 23756-DOI-2019, Advantage Oil and Gas Ltd. Glacier Power Plant Alteration, April 26, 2019; and AUC Decision 24393-D01-2019, International Paper Canada Pulp Holdings ULC Request for Permanent Connection for 48-Megawatt Power Plant, June 6, 2019. I commented on these latter two decisions here.

At What Stage does the Duty of Self-Accommodation Arise in a Discrimination Analysis?

By: Sahani Samarappuli

PDF Version: At What Stage does the Duty of Self-Accommodation Arise in a Discrimination Analysis?

Case Commented On: United Nurses of Alberta v Alberta Health Services, 2019 ABQB 255 (CanLII)

As noted in previous posts (see here), the definition of discrimination on the basis of family status has been extended recently to include recognition of childcare responsibilities (see e.g. Canada (Attorney General) v Johnstone, 2014 FCA 110 (CanLII), SMS Equipment v Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union, 2015 ABQB 162 (CanLII), both cases discussed below). However, the point at which employers’ duty to accommodate is triggered remains controversial. In particular, the question remains as to how a complainant’s duty of self-accommodation should be dealt with in the discrimination analysis.

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