On July 17, 2006, the Court of Appeal rendered a judgement concerning the duty of financial institutions making loans to inform and advise their clients.(1) This decision, written by Judge Jacques Chamberland, sheds further light on the obligations of group loan insurance policyholders. The facts In early June 1994, the Respondent, 9000-7048 Québec inc ...
• Directors of NPOs are subject to substantially the same duties and liabilities as directors of for-rofit companies • Being a director of an NPO is not merely an honorary role • The corporate governance rules recommended for or imposed on reporting issuers are examples of best practices for NPOs; however, like for small businesses, they should be adapted, depending on the situation, to avoid unduly complicating the NPO’s processes • Special attention should be paid to certain differenc
As the poultry farming crisis looms and countries are on the lookout for outbreaks of infection, scientists are closely following the evolution of the virus, which is moving to new sources of infection.Before a crisis is on our doorstep, businesses should prepare themselves for the consequences of a high rate of absenteeism. Without exaggerating the risks, they should adopt preventive strategies and become aware of the legal ins and outs of their actions ...
The federal Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) has proposed new regulations for rural onshore low stress pipelines and rural onshore gathering lines. Although PHMSA has been anticipating further regulation of these types of lines for the past few years, the Agency acknowledges that the proposed rule is a direct response to legislative and media scrutiny of recent incidents that occurred in the Alaska Prudhoe Bay field ...
For many years, parties have created various legal tools to grant others the right to use a portion of their lands. Prior to the imposition of statutory controls on the subdivision and leasing of land, this could simply be accomplished by the property owner granting exclusive possession over a portion of their land to a tenant by way of a lease and everyone was happy. Everyone that is but the local and provincial governments ...
The issue of coalbed methane (CBM) ownership, frequently disputed between coal rights holders and holders of mines and minerals rights other than coal, has been the subject of numerous recent applications to the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (AEUB). The AEUB recently announced that it will hold a hearing relating to legal entitlement of CBM on split-title freehold mineral lands in Alberta ...
Respondents to Dykema's 2006 M&A survey generally maintain a positive outlook on the future of the U.S. mergers and acquisitions market. Responses were received from both company executives and their outside advisors. Survey respondents are looking toward strategic buyers as an increased presence in the coming year, but also forecast significant involvement by financial and foreign buyers ...
The cause of an action in defamation exists to provide some recourse and remedy to victims of falsehoods which can and do cause injury to reputation. In a classic formulation, recently adopted and approved by Geopel J ...
A spectacular smash-up always draws a crowd. In the outsourcing world, where the wreckage is nearly always kept under wraps, that’s even more true. When a problem deal does break into view, it’s always worth watching for lessons in how to manage – or how not to manage – these complex transactions ...
Canada’s Clean Air ActWhat it is notThe new federal strategy respecting greenhouse gas reduction was finally unveiled on October 19, 2006 with the presentation of Bill C-30 on air quality(1) and the release of the brochure entitled Canada’s Clean Air Act(2). A few days later, on October 21st, the Government published its Notice of Intent which outlines the measures that it intends to develop and implement to reduce air emissions 3) ...
Long before the creation of limited liability companies, the best practice for companies or individuals that operated multiple distinct businesses or held multiple significant assets, such as real estate, was to segregate each distinct business or asset into a separate entity so that the liabilities of one of the businesses or assets would not affect the other businesses or assets ...
Section 15(a)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) provides that “it shall be unlawful for any broker or dealer which is . . . a person other than a natural person . . . to make use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce to effect any transactions in, or to induce or attempt to induce the purchase or sale of, any security… unless such broker or dealer is registered [with the SEC] ...
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (“TCEQ”) is accepting comments on a draft guidance document that addresses air quality emissions and regulatory compliance for storage tanks using floating roofs ...
Assuming that a foreign court exercises the power to issue letters rogatory or to appoint a commission to examine a witness in Quebec and to ask him to produce some documents, how can that be carried out in Quebec and is there a «blocking statute» protecting some of the documents?The Special Procedure Act (R.S.Q. c. P-27)The Special Procedure Act, Division VI (the «S.P.A.») governs rogatory commissions within Quebec for the purposes of a foreign lawsuit ...
If you are a business owner-leader whose years of hard labour earned him substantial wealth, you certainly wish to maximize the value of the assets that will be transferred to your heirs. You also want such transfer to proceed harmoniously and at the lowest tax cost possible. To achieve these goals, you must start to plan now ...
The new provisions pertaining to psychological harassment that were added to the Act respecting labour standards(1) (hereinafter referred to as the “ARLS”) on June 1, 2004, have given rise to many arbitration awards and interpretations over the last two years that have expounded on the concept of psychological harassment ...
On October 18th, 2006, the Quebec Court of Appeal rendered a much-awaited decision regarding class actions. In Bouchard v. Agropur Coopérative et al,(1) the province’s highest court was called upon to rule on the issue of whether, when there is a multiplicity of defendants, it is necessary that a legal relationship exist between the petitioner applying for authorization to bring a class action and each defendant ...
In our Spring 2005 newsletter we reported on the Keays v. Honda Canada Inc.(1) decision in which the Ontario Superior Court of Justice awarded a dismissed employee $500,000 in punitive damages in addition to 24 months salary in lieu of notice (15 months’ reasonable notice plus nine months’ additional “Wallace” damages for “bad faith” dismissal) ...
The Sappier Decision: Supreme Court of Canada Recognizes Aboriginal Right to Timber for Domestic Purposes and Clarifies Requirements for Establishing an Aboriginal RightOn December 7, 2006, the Supreme Court of Canada handed down its decision in the cases of Gray v. R and R. v. Sappier and Polchies ...
The right to privacy occupies a prominent place in Quebec law. Both the Charter of human rights and freedoms(1) and the Civil Code of Québec(2) recognize this right. Moreover, it is acknowledged that deliberate interception of a private communication may infringe this right. Does this mean that any form of electronic recording in a work environment is prohibited? Absolutely not ...
The “Chiasson”(4) appeal is making headlines as it has the potential to force corporations to review and perhaps re-write their drug-testing policies and procedures.Chiasson dealt with pre-employment drug testing. The Complainant had applied for and was offered a job as a receiving inspector at an oil sands project in Fort McMurray, Alberta. The offer of employment was subject to the results of a pre-employment medical and drug screening test ...
Human Resources and Skills Development/Service Canada (“HRSDC”) recently implemented Regional Occupations Lists (the “Lists”). The Lists are meant to “assist employers who are experiencing difficulty filling job vacancies due to labour market shortages ...
Cory Grams died while at work at a Maple Leaf Metal Industries Ltd. (“Maple Leaf”) plant in Edmonton, Alberta. His parents, as beneficiaries and administrators of his estate, claimed damages against Maple Leaf for $92,000 for negligence in failing to provide insurance coverage under an employment contract. A claim against the insurer, Zurich, was settled prior to trial. Mr ...
Effective December 12, 2006, mandatory retirement will no longer be generally permissible in Ontario, (as a result of amendments to the Ontario Human Rights Code). Employers will, however, still be allowed to enforce mandatory retirement polices if they can show that being younger than 65 (or another designated age) is a bona fide occupational requirement ...
Section 316 of the Act respecting industrial accidents and occupational diseases(1) (the “AIAOD”) makes an employer responsible to the CSST for a contractor’s (or subcontractor’s) unpaid assessments in respect of such contractor’s (or subcontractor’s) employees:“316. The Commission may demand payment of the assessment due by a contractor from the employer who retains his services ...
