March 7, 2022

Flurries with a Chance of Slip and Falls: Best Practices...

The presence of ice during the winter in New Brunswick is not unusual. Neither are slip and falls. Every year, business owners run the risk that an individual might slip and fall on their property, suffer an injury, and bring a legal action against them, as the owner of the property, for damages. These damages […]

Employment & Labour – Top Ten Cases of 2021

It is no secret that over the past year the COVID-19 pandemic has been the subject of much discussion in the realm of employment and labour law. In 2021, we saw courts and administrative tribunals alike grapple with the question of how the pandemic has impacted, or not impacted, our established employment and labour standards. […]

April 9, 2019

New Brunswick Court of Appeal Rejects Loss of Inheritance Claim...

Written by David G. O’Brien, KC. The recent decision of the New Brunswick Court of Appeal in Higgins v. Arseneau, 2019 NBCA 21, will be of interest for anyone involved with fatality claims in New Brunswick. The Court upheld the trial decision dismissing a claim brought on behalf of siblings for loss of inheritance arising […]

April 2, 2019

Court Denies Plaintiff’s Application for an Advance or Periodic Payment

In White v. Meiting,1 the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador denied a plaintiff’s application for an advance or periodic payment. In doing so, the court clarified the criteria which must be satisfied by a plaintiff who seeks an advance payment of special damages pursuant to Rule 44A of the Rules of the Supreme Court, […]

March 15, 2019

To Order an Advance Payment to a PEI Motor Vehicle...

In Fraser v. Runighan 2018 PESC 261, Chief Justice T. L. Clements of the Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island considered, for the first time on PEI, a motor vehicle accident plaintiff’s motion2 for an advance payment under Rules 20.10 – 20.12 (now Rule 22.1) of PEI’s Rules of Civil Procedure. Background Pursuant to Rule […]

The Importance of Plaintiff Credibility in Determining Causation

A recent Nova Scotia Supreme Court case, Gale v Purcell, 2018 NSSC 319, demonstrates how the credibility of a plaintiff can play a central role in assessing causation in a motor vehicle accident. Background On September 19, 2006, the Plaintiff, Angela Marie Gale (“Gale”) sustained injuries in a motor vehicle accident (“2006 MVA”). On March […]

August 2, 2018

Revisiting Pound v. iWave: Lessons for Employers

Pound v. iWave, 2017 PECA 17, a recent decision by the Prince Edward Island Court of Appeal, is a cautionary tale for employers about the legal issues that may arise when standard form employment policies are adopted without management fully understanding their obligations to employees in practice.

Mitigation, Credibility and Deductions: A Case Comment on Ryan v....

In Ryan v. Curlew, 2018 NLSC 72, the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador assessed damages in the context of a personal injury claim.

May 25, 2018

“Irreconcilable incongruity” in Plaintiff’s reporting disallows claim for loss of...

In Bent v. MacFarlane, contradictions in Bent’s self-reporting and her lack of attempt to seek a medical resolution to an alleged chronic pain syndrome proved extremely limiting to her claim for damages.

Employee Bonuses After Dismissal: When Are They Owed?

The Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Matthews v. Ocean Nutrition Canada Ltd., 2017 NSSC 16 (with supplemental reasons at 2017 NSSC 123) recently set out the test in Nova Scotia for determining whether an employee dismissed without cause is entitled to damages for lost future bonuses.