Court Of Appeal Summaries (July 26-30)

Published date02 August 2021
Subject MatterFinance and Banking, Corporate/Commercial Law, Employment and HR, Insurance, Government, Public Sector, Litigation, Mediation & Arbitration, Family and Matrimonial, Charges, Mortgages, Indemnities, Financial Services, Contracts and Commercial Law, Discrimination, Disability & Sexual Harassment, Family Law, Insurance Laws and Products, Arbitration & Dispute Resolution, Court Procedure, Trials & Appeals & Compensation, Professional Negligence, Civil Law, Divorce, Indigenous Peoples
Law FirmBlaney McMurtry LLP
AuthorMr John Polyzogopoulos

Good afternoon.

Following are our summaries of the civil decisions of the Court of Appeal for Ontario for the week of July 26, 2021.

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In the high-profile case of Sakab Saudi Holding Company v. Al Jabri, in which the Saudi government and its Crown prince, MBS, are pursuing a former Saudi cabinet minister now living in Toronto for having allegedly defrauded the Saudi government of billions of dollars, the Court declined to stay a Mareva injunction obtained against the defendant and his son (to whom assets were transferred) pending an appeal on the issue of jurisdiction. The Court made clear that ongoing defence of the Mareva injunction pending the appeal on jurisdiction would not amount to attornment.

In Meekis v. Ontario, the Court of Appeal considered whether the Plaintiff had a cause of action in public misfeasance, negligent supervision, unjustified breach of s.15 of the Charter, and whether the Respondents were servants or agents of the Crown. The claim dealt with an allegation as to the lack of coronial services offered to Indigenous communities. The Court held that the Plaintiff's claim in public misfeasance and Charter breach should be allowed to proceed to trial. The pattern of discrimination and disparity in service between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities alleged left a "narrow window of opportunity" for the claim to succeed.

In Conseil Scolaire Catholique Franco-Nord v. Nipissing Ouest (Municipalité) the Court found that a contract between a school board and municipality as to the provision of snow and garbage removal services without an express provision specifying its term was perpetual in nature and could not be terminated unilaterally by way of reasonable notice.

In Hacopian-Armen Estate v. Mahmoud, a medmal case, the Court dismissed the appellant doctor's appeal that the trial judge erred in her findings of legal and factual causation.

In Ching v. Pier 27 Toronto, the Court found that when a repudiatory breach occurs, the innocent party must clearly and unequivocally disaffirm the contract in order for it to be terminated.

Other topics include mortgage enforcement and family law (support and retroactive support).

Wishing everyone an enjoyable Simcoe Day long weekend.

John Polyzogopoulos
Blaney McMurtry LLP
416.593.2953 Email

Table of Contents

Civil Decisions

Meekis v. Ontario , 2021 ONCA 534

Keywords: Torts, Crown Liability, Coroners, Misfeasance in Public Office, Negligence, Negligent Supervision, Duty of Care, Good Faith Immunity, Breach of Statutory Duties, Breach of Charter Rights, Discrimination, Charter Damages, Coroners Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.37, s.3(1), s. 4(2), s.10(1)(e), s. 15(1), s.18, s. 20, s.26, s. 53, Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, s.15 and s.24, Indian Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. I-5, Rules of Civil Procedure, R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 194, r. 21.01(1)(b) and r. 25.11(c), Proceedings Against the Crown Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.27, s. 7, Fridman's The Law of Torts in Canada (Toronto: Thomson Reuters, 2020), Remedies in Tort (Toronto: Thomson Reuters, 2021), Hunt v. Carey Canada Inc., [1990] 2 S.C.R. 959, Nash v. Ontario (1995),27 O.R. (3d) 1 (C.A.), Darmar Farms Inc. v. Syngenta Canada Inc., 2019 ONCA 789, Auton (Guardian ad litem of) v. British Columbia (Attorney General), 2004 SCC 78, Ernst v. Alberta Energy Regulator, 2017 SCC 1, Grand River Enterprises Six Nations Ltd. v. Attorney General (Canada), 2017 ONCA 526, R. v. Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd., 2011 SCC 42, Odhavji Estate v. Woodhouse, 2003 SCC 69, The Catalyst Capital Group Inc. v. Dundee Kilmer Developments Limited Partnership, 2020 ONCA 272, Ontario (Attorney General) v. Clark, 2021 SCC 18, Freeman-Maloy v. Marsden (2006), 79 O.R. (3d) 401 (C.A.), Foschia v. Conseil des Écoles Catholique de Langue Française du Centre-Est, 2009 ONCA 499, Granite Power Corp. v. Ontario,72 O.R. (3d) 194, Trillium Power Wind Corporation v. Ontario (National Resources), 2013 ONCA 683, Castrillo v. Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, 2017 ONCA 121, Baker v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [1999] 2 S.C.R. 817, Roncarelli v. Duplessis, [1959] S.C.R. 121, Madadi v. Nichols, 2021 BCCA 10, Ojeikere v. Ojeikere, 2018 ONCA 372, Wellington v. Ontario, 2011 ONCA 274, Cooper v. Hobart, 2001 SCC 79, Deloitte & Touche v. Livent Inc. (Receiver of), 2017 SCC 63, Fraser v. Canada (Attorney General), 2020 SCC 28, Eldridge v. British Columbia (Attorney General), [1997] 3 S.C.R. 624, Little Sisters Book and Art Emporium v. Canada (Minister of Justice), 2000 SCC 69, Mathur v. Ontario, 2020 ONSC 6918, Ward v. Vancouver (City), 2010 SCC 27, Henry v. British Columbia (Attorney General), 2015 SCC 24, Brazeau v. Canada (Attorney General), 2020 ONCA 184

Sakab Saudi Holding Company v. Al Jabri, 2021 ONCA 548

Keywords: Torts, Fraud, Civil Procedure, Jurisdiction, Attornment, Mareva Injunctions, Appeals, Stay Pending Appeal, M.J. Jones Inc. v. Kingsway General Insurance Co. (2004), 242 D.L.R. (4th) 139 (Ont. C.A.), BTR Global Opportunity Trading Limited v. RBC Dexia Investor Services Trust, 2011 ONCA 620, Van Damme v. Gelber, 2013 ONCA 388, Wolfe v. Pickar, 2011 ONCA 347, Gourmet Resources International Inc. (Trustee of) v. Paramount Capital Corp. (1991), 5 C.P.C. (3d) 140 (Ont. C.A.); M.J. Jones Inc. v. Kingsway General Insurance Co. (2004), 72 O.R. (3d) 68 (C.A.), Yaiguaje v. Chevron Corporation, 2014 ONCA 40, Van Damme v. Gelber, 2013 ONCA 388, Stuart Budd & Sons Ltd. v. IFS Vehicle Distributors ULC, 2014 ONCA 546, Essar Steel Algoma (Re), 2016 ONCA 138, Wolfe v. Wyeth, 2011 ONCA 347, Schwarzinger v. Bramwell, 2011 BCSC 283

Hume v. 11534599 Canada Corp. , 2021 ONCA 549

Keywords: Contracts, Real Property, Mortgages, Redemption, Assignment, Possession, Civil Procedure, Appeals, Stay Pending Appeal, Mortgages Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.40, s. 2, Zafar v. Saiyid, 2018 ONCA 919, Dhatt v. Beer, 2020 ONCA 545, Royal Trust Corp. of Canada v. Gupta, 1997 CarswellOnt 571, 24 O.T.C. 27 (Gen. Div.), Royal Trust Corp. of Canada v. 880185 Ontario Ltd. (2005), 198 O.A.C. 235 (C.A.)., Lusk v. Perrin, [1920] O.J. No. 201 (Ont. H.C.)

Politis v. Pilotis , 2021 ONCA 541

Keywords: Family Law, Spousal Support, Costs, Courts of Justice Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.43, s. 133(b), Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 61.03.1(18), Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines: The Revised User's Guide (Ottawa: Department of Justice, 2016), Hickey v. Hickey, [1999] 2 S.C.R. 518, McKinnon v. McKinnon, 2018 ONCA 596, Slongo v. Slongo, 2017 ONCA 272, Gray v. Gray, 2014 ONCA 659, Climans v. Latner, 2020 ONCA 554, Nolan v. Kerry (Canada) Inc., 2009 SCC 39, Hamilton v. Open Window Bakery Ltd., 2004 SCC 9

Conseil Scolaire Catholique Franco-Nord v. Nipissing Ouest (Municipalité) , 2021 ONCA 548

Keywords: Contracts, Interpretation, Indefinite Contracts, Termination, 1397868 Ontario Ltd. v. Nordic Gaming Corporation (Fort Erie Race Track), 2010 ONCA 101, Thunder Bay (City) v. Canadian National Railway Co., 2017 ONSC 3560, rev'd 2018 ONCA 517, Sattva Capital Corp. v. Creston Moly Corp., 2014 SCC 53, [2014] 2 S.C.R. 633, M.J.B. Enterprises Ltd. v. Defence Construction (1951) Ltd., [1999] 1 S.C.R. 619, Llanelly Railway & Dock Co. v. London & North Western Railway Co. (1875), L.R. 7 H.L. 550, Gill Brothers v. Mission Saw Mills Limited, [1945] S.C.R. 766, Winter Garden Theatre (London) Ltd. v. Millennium Productions Ltd., [1948] A.C. 173, Rapatax (1987) Inc. v. Cantax Corporation Ltd., 1997 ABCA 86, Robinson v. Galt Chemical Products Ltd., [1933] O.J. No. 114 (C.A.), Shaw Cablesystems (Manitoba) Ltd. v. Canadian Legion Memorial Housing Foundation (Manitoba) (1997), 143 D.L.R. (4th) 193, Brown v. Belleville (City), 2013 ONCA 148, Credit Security Insurance Agency Inc. v. CIBC Mortgages Inc. (2006), 268 D.L.R. (4th) 725, aff'd 2007 ONCA 287, Northrock Resources v. ExxonMobil Canada Energy, 2017 SKCA 60, Churchill Falls (Labrador) Corp. v. HydroQuébec, 2018 SCC 46

McMaster-Pereira v. Pereira , 2021 ONCA 547

Keywords: Family Law, Retroactive Spousal Support, Security, Charging Orders, Civil Procedure, Costs, Divorce Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. 3 (2nd Supp.), ss. 15.1(4) and 17(4), Federal Child Support Guidelines, S.O.R./97-175, ss. 2(3), 12, and 14, R. v. Morrissey (1995), 97 C.C.C. (3d) 193 (Ont. C.A.), Waxman v. Waxman, 2004 CanLII 39040 (Ont. C.A.), Carmichael v. GlaxoSmithKline Inc., 2020 ONCA 447, Colucci v. Colucci, 2021 SCC 24, D.B.S. v S.R.G., 2006 SCC 37, Reid v. Catalano, 2008 CanLII 9379 (Ont. S.C.), Katz v. Katz, 2014 ONCA 606, Hobbs v. Hobbs, 2008 ONCA 598, Hamilton v. Open Window Bakery Ltd., 2004 SCC 9

Hacopian-Armen Estate v. Mahmoud , 2021 ONCA 545

Keywords: Torts, Negligence, Medmal, Causation, Civil Procedure, Expert Evidence, Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 53.03, Mustapha v. Culligan of Canada Ltd., 2008 SCC 27, Tilley v. Man Roland Canada, 1999 ABQB 364, aff'd 2002 ABCA 309, R. v. Coté et al., [1976] 1 S.C.R. 595, Frazer v. Haukioja, 2010 ONCA 249, Ter Neuzen v. Korn, [1995] 3 S.C.R. 674, Clements v. Clements, 2012 SCC 32, Housen v. Nikolaison, 2002 SCC 33, Lapointe v. H'pital Le Gardeur, [1992] 1 S.C.R. 351, Waxman v. Waxman, 2004 CanLII 39040 (Ont. C.A.), at paras. 300-1, leave to appeal refused, [2004] S.C.C.A. No. 291, Carmichael v. GlaxoSmithKline Inc., 2020 ONCA 447, leave to appeal refused, [2020] S.C.C.A. No. 409, Benhaim v. St. Germain, 2016 SCC 48, Marchand (Litigation guardian of) v. Public General Hospital Society of Chatham, 2000 CanLII 16946, leave to appeal refused [2001] S.C.C.A. No. 66; Hoang v. Vicentini, 2012 ONSC 1358, aff'd 2016 ONCA 723, Goodwin v. Olupona, 2013 ONCA 259, Ghiassi v. Sing, 2018 ONCA 764

Ching v. Pier 27 Toronto Inc. , 2021 ONCA 551

Keywords: Contracts, Real Property, Agreements of Purchase and Sale of Land, Repudiation, Disaffirmation, Good Faith, Deposits, Forfeiture, Remedies, Relief from Forfeiture, Civil Procedure, Costs, Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. O.31, Courts of Justice Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.43, Ali v. O-Two...

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