Court of Appeal Summaries (June 5, 2023 – June 9, 2023)

  • June 12, 2023
  • John Polyzogopoulos

In Bhatnagar v. Cresco Labs Inc., the Court interpreted the Supreme Court’s decision in C.M. Callow Inc. v. Zollinger. There is language in the Callow decision that suggests that a breach of the duty of honest performance of a contract leads to a presumption of lost opportunity damages. The Court determined that Callow does not stand for such a proposition, and damages have to be proved by the plaintiff in the normal course.

Other topics covered included a breach of contract case involving physicians and a hospital in respect of the operation of an offsite clinic, the interpretation of an option to purchase land in a lease following the environmental remediation of the property, interveners, setting aside administrative dismissals for delay in an MVA case.

 


Table of Contents

Civil Decisions

Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms v. Costa, 2023 ONCA 405

Keywords: Constitutional Law, Human Rights, Civil Procedure, Appeals, Interveners, Costs, Non-Parties, Public Interest Litigation, Rules of Civil Procedure, rr. 13.02, 57.01(1), Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, ss. 2(a), 7, 8, 15, Jones v. Tsige (2011), 106 O.R. (3d) 721 (C.A.), Peel (Regional Municipality) v. Great Atlantic & Pacific Co. of Canada Ltd. (1990), 74 O.R. (2d) 164 (C.A.), Childs v. Desormeaux (2003), 67 O.R. (3d) 385 (C.A.), Huang v. Fraser Hillary’s Limited, 2018 ONCA 277, 40 Days for Life v. Dietrich, 2023 ONCA 379, British Columbia (Attorney General) v. Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia, 2022 BCCA 354

Physicians’ Dialysis Center Inc. v. Credit Valley Hospital, 2023 ONCA 402

Keywords: Contracts, Enforceability, Illegality, Breach of Contract, Breach of Fiduciary Duty, Unjust Enrichment, Torts, Conversion, Damages, Civil Procedure, Limitation Periods, Canada Health Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-6, Commitment to the Future of Medicare Act, 2004, S.O. 2004, c. 5, Limitations Act, 2002, S.O. 2002, c. 24, Sched. B, ss. 4 and 5, Moore v. Sweet, 2018 SCC 52, Citadel General Assurance Co. v. Lloyds Bank Canada, [1997] 3 S.C.R. 805, Sattva Capital Corp. v. Creston Moly Corp., 2014 SCC 53, Housen v. Nikolaisen, 2002 SCC 3, Crombie Property Holdings Limited v. McColl-Frontenac Inc. (Texaco Canada Limited), 2017 ONCA 16, Longo v. MacLaren Art Centre Inc., 2014 ONCA 526

Piedrahita v. Costin, 2023 ONCA 404

Keywords: Torts, Negligence, MVA, Civil Procedure, Orders, Administrative Dismissal for Delay, Setting Aside, Rules of Civil Procedure, r. 48.15 (repealed), Prescott v. Barbon, 2018 ONCA 504

Bhatnagar v. Cresco Labs Inc., 2023 ONCA 401

Keywords: Breach of Contract, Duty of Good Faith and Honest Performance, Damages, Expectation Damages, Disgorgement, Punitive Damages, Civil Procedure, Fresh Evidence, C.M. Callow Inc. v. Zollinger, 2020 SCC 45, Palmer v. The Queen, [1980] 1 S.C.R. 759., Katokakis v. William R. Waters Ltd. (2005), 194 O.A.C. 353 (C.A.), Barendregt v. Grebliunas, 2022 SCC 22, Atlantic Lottery Corp. Inc. v. Babstock, 2020 SCC 19, Corner Brook (City) v. Bailey, 2021 SCC 29, Housen v. Nikolaisen, 2002 SCC 33

Horn Ventures International Inc. v. Xylem Canada LP, 2023 ONCA 408

Keywords: Contracts, Interpretation, Real Property, Agreements of Purchase and Sale of Land, Leases, Options to Purchase, Environmental Protection Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. E.19, s. 95

Short Civil Decisions

Gefen v. Gefen, 2023 ONCA 406

Keywords: Wills and Estates, Guardianship, Power of Attorneys, Civil Procedure, Litigation Guardians, Appeals, Jurisdiction, Orders, Final or Interlocutory, Rules of Civil Procedure, rr. 1.04 and 77.04, Courts of Justice Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.43, ss. 6(2) and 19, Substitute Decisions Act1992, S.O. 1992, c. 30., ss. 22 and 22(3), Gefen v. Gefen, 2023 ONCA 29, Gefen Estate v. Gefen, 2019 ONSC 6015, Saunders v. Gefen, 2019 ONSC 6017 aff’d, 2022 ONCA 174, Roelandt v. Roelandt, 2016 ONCA 858, Public Guardian and Trustee v. Gaumont, 2018 ONCA 731, Lax v. Lax (2004), 70 O.R. (3d) 520 (C.A.), Berkelhammer v. Berkelhammer Estate, 2012 ONSC 6242

White v. Gauthier, 2023 ONCA 415

Keywords: Contracts, Real Property, Agreements of Purchase and Sale of Land, Sattva Capital Corp. v. Creston Moly Corp., 2014 SCC 53, G. Hall, Canadian Contractual Interpretation Law, 4ed 2020, Ch. 1-2

Upper Canada Land Titles and Patent Research Initiative v. Niagara (Municipality), 2023 ONCA 416

Keywords: Real Property, Crown Patents, Municipal Law, Municipal Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, c. 25, ss. 14(1)(b) and 135