Court Of Appeal Summaries (December 23 ' January 3, 2025)

• Published date: 09 January 2025
• Law Firm: Blaney McMurtry LLP
• Author: Mr John Polyzogopoulos

Good afternoon.

Please find our summaries of the civil decisions of the Court of Appeal for Ontario for the weeks of December 23 to 27 and December 30, 2024, to January 3, 2025.

In BH Frontier Solutions Inc. v. 11054660 Canada Inc., the Court upheld a summary trial decision finding the appellants liable for fraudulent misrepresentation in respect of the breach of a contract for the supply and delivery of medical gloves. The Court found no error in the trial judge piercing the corporate veil to impose personal liability.

In Animal Justice v Ontario (AG), the Court repeated the test for obtaining intervenor status in public interest/constitutional litigation, and granted leave to intervene to some, but not all of the applicants.

In Davis v. Aviva General Insurance Company, the Court denied leave to appeal from a decision of the Divisional Court that held that a driver slipping and falling on ice as they were about to enter their car was an "accident" within the meaning of her automobile policy and the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule. In doing so, the Court applied the old 1973 test for leave to appeal set out in Sault Dock and explained that the Court's recent comments on this decision made in West Whitby Landowners Group Inc. v. Elexicon Energy Inc. a few weeks ago did not change the Sault Dock framework for granting leave. The West Whitby decision merely emphasized the importance of the factor of the potential impact of a decision on Ontario jurisprudence. Whether the Sault Dock framework ought to be revisited by a five-judge panel of the Court was left for another day.

The appeal in Kramer v. Ballantyne-Gaska arose from a commercial real estate dispute over a gas station's tank system. The appellants sought a new trial, arguing the trial judge erred by not granting an adjournment after a Pierringer agreement between the plaintiff and their former lawyer who handled the transaction was disclosed two weeks before trial. The Court found no error of fact or law and dismissed the appeal, noting that no adjournment was requested.

The central issue in Tataryn v Diamond & Diamond was the interpretation of s. 29.1(1)(c) of the Class Proceedings Act, 1992, which requires a class action plaintiff to complete certain steps within one year from the day the proceeding is commenced or face dismissal for delay. In an instructive decision, the Court dismissed the appeal from the dismissal for delay of this class proceeding against a personal injury law firm.

In SIF Solar Energy v Aird & Berlis, the Court allowed the appeal in part to provide that the action only be temporarily, not permanently stayed, pending the appellants' motion to add the law firm respondent as a defendant to the main action.

ID Inc. v. Toronto Wholesale Produce Association was a breach of contract case. The appeal was dismissed.

Wishing everyone all the best for 2025!

John Polyzogopoulos
Blaney McMurtry LLP
416.593.2953 Email

Table of Contents

Civil Decisions

BH Frontier Solutions Inc. v. 11054660 Canada Inc. (Canadian Choice Supply), 2024 ONCA 932

Keywords: Breach of Contract, Torts, Fraudulent Misrepresentation, Fraud, Corporations, Remedies, Piercing the Corporate Veil, Civil Procedure, Costs, Courts of Justice Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.43, s. 131(1), 642947 Ontario Ltd. v. Fleischer at al. (2001), 56 O.R. (3d) 417 (C.A.), Housen v. Nikolaisen, 2002 SCC 33, Transamerica Life Insurance Co. of Canada v. Canada Life Assurance Co. (1996), 1996 CanLII 7979 (ON SC), Mitchell v. Lewis, 2016 ONCA 903, Asco Construction Ltd. v. Epoxy Solutions Inc., 2014 ONCA 535, BH Frontier Solutions v. 11054660 Canada Inc., 2021 ONSC 8224, Pennyfeather v. Timminco Limited, 2017 ONCA 369, Walker v. Ritchie, 2006 SCC 45, British Columbia (Minister of Forests) v. Okanagan Indian Band, 2003 SCC 71, Colistro v. Tbaytel, 2019 ONCA 197, McNaughton Automotive Ltd. v. Co-operators General Insurance Co., 2008 ONCA 597

Animal Justice v Ontario (Attorney General), 2024 ONCA 941

Keywords: Food Safety Regulation, Animal Rights, Torts, Trespass, Constitutional Law, Charter Rights, Freedom of Expression, Civil Procedure, Intervenors, Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act, 2020, S.O. 2020, c. 9, s. 5(6), O. Reg. 701/20, ss. 9, 10, 11, 12, Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, ss. 1, 2(a), 2(b), Environmental Bill of Rights, 1993, S.O. 1993, c. 28, Rules of Civil Procedure, r. 13.02, Peel (Regional Municipality) v. Great Atlantic & Pacific Co. of Canada Ltd. (1990), 74 O.R. (2d) 164 (C.A.), Bedford v. Canada (Attorney General), 2009 ONCA 669, Authorson (Litigation Guardian of) v. Canada (Attorney General) (2001), 147 O.A.C. 355 (C.A.), Bhajan v. Ontario (Children's Lawyer), 2010 ONCA 560, Fair Voting BC v. Canada (Attorney General), 2024 ONCA 619, Canada (Attorney General) v. Canadian Doctors for Refugee Care, 2015 FCA 34, Animal Justice et al v. Attorney General of Ontario, 2023 ONSC 3147, Canadian Federation of Students v. Ontario (Colleges and Universities), 2020 ONCA 842, Tadros v. Peel Regional Police Service, 2008 ONCA 775

Davis v. Aviva General Insurance Company, 2024 ONCA 944

Keywords: Contracts, Insurance, Automobile, Interpretatin, Definition of "Accident", Statutory Accident Benefits, Civil Procedure, Leave to Appeal, Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule - effective September 1, 2010, O. Reg. 34/10, s. 3(1), Practice Direction Concerning Civil Appeals at the Court of Appeal for Ontario, s. 13, West Whitby Landowners Group Inc. v. Elexicon Energy Inc., 2024 ONCA 910, Re Sault Dock Co. Ltd. and City of Sault Ste. Marie, [1973] 2 O.R. 479 (C.A.)

SIF Solar Energy Income & Growth v Aird & Berlis LLP, 2024 ONCA 946

Keywords: Civil Procedure, Stay of Proceedings, Abuse of Process, Joinder, Rules of Civil Procedure, rr. 5.02, 5.03, 5.04, 5.05, 6.01, 21.01, 26.02, Courts of Justice Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.43, s. 138, Rules of Professional Conduct, Maynes v. Allen-Vanguard Technologies Inc. (Med-Eng Systems Inc.), 2011 ONCA 125, Abarca v. Vargas, 2015 ONCA 4, Davies v. Clarington (Municipality), 2023 ONCA 376, The Catalyst Capital Group Inc. v. VimpelCom Ltd., 2019 ONCA 354, Toronto (City) v. C.U.P.E., Local 79, 2003 SCC 63, Canam Enterprises Inc. v. Coles (2000), 51 O.R. (3d) 481 (C.A.), Niagara North Condominium Corp. No. 125 v. Waddington, 2007 ONCA 184, Birdseye Security Inc. v. Milosevic, 2020 ONCA 355, Living Water (Pressure Wash Services) Ltd. v. Dyballa, 2011 ONSC 5695, Zhu v. Siew, 2020 ONSC 7045, Dimakos v. Dimakos, 2021 ONSC 3248, Howlett v. Northern Trust Company, 2023 ONSC 4531, Gale v. Rothbart Centre for Pain Care, 2021 ONSC 4535, 1014864 Ontario Ltd. v. 1721789 Ontario Inc., 2010 ONSC 3306, Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP v. Meredith, 2011 ONSC 2686, Hurst v. Hancock, 2020 ONSC 1216, Kelkas v. Kilicaslan et al., 2020 ONSC 3596

ID Inc. v. Toronto Wholesale Produce Association, 2024 ONCA 948

Keywords: Contracts, Duty of Good Faith, Repudiation, Torts, Intentional Interference with Economic Relations, Alleslev-Krofchak v. Valcom Limited, 2010 ONCA 557, leave to appeal refused, [2010] S.C.C.A. No. 403. Sattva Capital Corp. v. Creston Moly Corp., 2014 SCC 53, McClelland & Stewart Ltd. v. Mutual Life, [1981] 2 S.C.R. 6, Toronto (City) v. W.H. Hotel Ltd., [1966] S.C.R. 434, Ventas Inc. v. Sunrise Senior Living Real Estate Investment Trust, 2007 ONCA 205, Bhasin v. Hrynew, 2014 SCC 71, Brown v. Belleville (City), 2013 ONCA 148

Tataryn v. Diamond & Diamond Lawyers LLP, 2025 ONCA 5

Keywords: Contracts, Solicitor and Client, Contingency Fee Agreements, Breach of Fiduciary Duty, Civil Procedure, Class Proceedings, Dismissal for Delay, Class Proceedings Act, 1992, S.O. 1992, c. 6, ss. 2, 4.1, 29.1(1), 35, Solicitors Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. S.15, Consumer Protection Act, 2002, S.O. 2002, c. 30, Sched. A., Smarter and Stronger Justice Act, 2020, S.O. 2020, c. 11, Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act, R.S.C., 1985, c. C-36, Rules of Civil Procedure, rr. 1.03, 5, Alberta Rules of Court, Alta Reg 124/2010, r. 4.33, Lubus v. Wayland Group Corp., 2022 ONSC 4999, Bourque v. Insight Productions, 2022 ONSC 174, St. Louis v. Canadian National Railway Company, 2022 ONSC 2556, LeBlanc et al v. Attorney General of Canada, 2022 ONSC 3257, D'Haene v. BMW Canada Inc., 2022 ONSC 5973, Rizzo & Rizzo Shoes Ltd. (Re), [1998] 1 S.C.R. 27, Heritage Capital Corp. v. Equitable Trust Co., 2016 SCC 19, Point-Claire (City) v. Quebec (Labour Court), [1997] 1 S.C.R. 1015, Notaries Public of British Columbia v. Law Society of British Columbia, 2017 BCCA 448, Freedom of Information and Privacy Association v. British Columbia (Attorney General), 2017 SCC 6, Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd. v. Canada, 2010 SCC 21, Medovarski v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), 2005 SCC 51, Martin v. Wright Medical Technology Canada Ltd., 2024 ONCA 1, Lamarche v. Pacific Telescope Corp., 2022 ONSC 2553, McRae-Yu v. Profitly Incorporated et. al., 2024 ONSC 5615, Rahmani v. 959630, 2021 ABCA 110, Dufault v. Toronto Dominion Bank, 2021 ONSC 6223, Think Research Corporation v. N & M. Medical Enterprises, 2023 ONSC 6910, R. v. Turpin, [1989] 1 S.C.R. 1296, Saskatchewan River Bungalows Ltd. v. Maritime Life Insurance Co, [1994] 2 S.C.R, Marchischuk v. Dominion Industrial Supplies Ltd., [1991] 2 S.C.R. 61, Kaiman v. Graham, 2009 ONCA 77, 7550111 Canada Inc. v. Charles, 2020 ONCA 386, Ruth Sullivan, The Construction of Statutes, 7th ed (Toronto: LexisNexis, 2022), A. Eizenga et al., Class Actions Law and Practice, 2nd. Ed. (Toronto, Canada: LexisNexis, 2024)

Kramer v. Ballantyne-Gaska, 2025 ONCA 1

Keywords: Contracts, Solicitor and Client, Real Property, Agreements of Purchase and Sale of Land, Torts, Solicitor's Negligence, Fraudulent Misrepresentation, Negligent Misrepresentation, Damages, Civil Procedure, Settlements, Pierringer Agreements, Technical Standards and Safety Act, 2000, S.O. 2000, c.16, CHU de Québec-Université Laval v. Tree of Knowledge International Corp, 2022 ONCA 467, Aecon Buildings v. Brampton...