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Vol: XVI – Issue: V – May 2017 | |
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QUICKSCRIBE NEWS: Quickscribe Welcomes Two New Contributors Melanie Harmer, a partner at McMillan LLP, will contribute annotations in the area of administrative law. Melanie practices in the areas of administrative law, civil litigation, and employment law. Melanie frequently appears before administrative tribunals and before courts on judicial review of administrative decisions. She is also regularly called upon to research and prepare complex legal opinions and draft submissions to the court in all areas of law. Prior to joining McMillan LLP, Melanie clerked for the Supreme Court of British Columbia. Jeff Young, associate counsel at Altman & Company, will act as Quickscribe's expert annotator in the area of new media/entertainment law. Jeff's primary focus over his legal career has been in the area of intellectual property, new media, sports and entertainment, particularly in film/TV and music. Jeff has also negotiated with major entertainment and media corporations. He currently acts for a number of Vancouver music publishers, film companies, sports franchises and live entertainment venues in negotiating business deals involving media, film, music, sports and entertainment. Latest Annotations
Watch this 20-minute YouTube video to learn more about annotations and how to receive alerts when new annotations are published to the laws that matter most to you. |
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View PDF of this Reporter. |
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FEDERAL LEGISLATION – For notification of federal amendments, we recommend you use our Section Tracking ![]() |
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[ Previous Reporters ] |
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CATEGORIES |
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COMPANY & FINANCE ENERGY & MINES FAMILY & CHILDREN FOREST & ENVIRONMENT HEALTH LABOUR & EMPLOYMENT |
LOCAL GOVERNMENT MISCELLANEOUS MOTOR VEHICLE & TRAFFIC PROPERTY & REAL ESTATE WILLS & ESTATES |
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COMPANY & FINANCE | ||
Company and Finance News: Dealing with Conflicts of Interest for Registrants – These concerns may be equally applicable to non-IIROC registered Dealers and portfolio managers. IIROC is working with the CSA to formulate new conflicts rules and guidelines as a part of the initiative referred to in "Canadian Securities Administrators Consultation Paper 33-404 - Proposals to Enhance the Obligations of Advisers, Dealers, and Representatives Toward Their Clients". IIROC and the CSA are of the view that further regulatory action is required to better align the interests of registrants to the interests of their clients. In connection with this initiative IIROC has recently sent a request for information to Dealers in an effort to gain a clearer understanding of how Dealers are administering their fee-based accounts. Read the full article by Jarrod Isfeld, Michael Der, Russel Drew and Mitchell Smith of DLA Piper LLP. If It Looks like a Duck: British Columbia The Organization of Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia ("CPABC") is the regulatory body responsible for governing professional accountants in British Columbia. Its governing statute, the Chartered Professional Accountants Act (the "Act"), provides that only CPABC members may use particular designations and non-CPABC members cannot imply, suggest, or hold themselves out as a professional accountant. Read the full article by Jason Kully and Gregory Sim of Field Law LLP. BC Securities – Policies & Instruments
For more information visit the BC Securities website. |
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Act or Regulation Affected | Effective Date | Amendment Information |
Designated Accommodation Area Tax Regulation (93/2013) | June 1/17 | by Regs 275/2016 and 41/2017 |
ENERGY & MINES | ||
Energy and Mines News: Legislation Introduces Ban on Oil-tankers on The Act applies to oil tankers that are capable of carrying more than 12,500 metric tons of crude or persistent oil. Crude oil is defined within the Act as any liquid hydrocarbon mixture that occurs naturally in the Earth. Other oil products, such as lubricating oils, partially upgraded bitumen, synthetic crude oil, pitch, slack wax, and bunker C fuel oil, are included within the Act's definition of persistent oil. Certain oil products are not included within the definitions of crude or persistent oil, including liquefied natural gas, gasoline, naphtha, jet fuel, and propane. Accordingly, oil tankers carrying these products as cargo are not subject to the Act's prohibitions. It is important to note that liquefied natural gas is not included within the definition of crude or persistent oil and as such British Columbia's liquefied natural gas industry would not be affected by the Act's prohibitions. Currently, the British Columbia government has proposals for 19 liquefied natural gas ports along the coast, many located in the moratorium area. The Act will also not have any effect on crude or persistent oil not being transported by oil tanker. Accordingly, this Act will have no impact on the KM Trans Mountain expansion project, the terminus for which is in Vancouver. Read the full article by Nils Goeteyn, Sarah Sweet and Dionysios Rossi of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP. Ian Mulgrew: Mining Firm's SLAPP at Environmental Taseko Mines Ltd. is appealing a B.C. Supreme Court decision that tossed its libel action against the Western Canada Wilderness Committee over harsh criticism of the plan for storing toxic tailings at the proposed New Prosperity gold-copper mine near Williams Lake. The company launched the litigation to douse a public campaign by the environmental group against the $1.5-billion mine (approved by BC but twice rejected by Ottawa) while denying it was a so-called "Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation." The case and another – later abandoned by Trans Mountain Pipeline against five individuals linked to Burnaby Mountain protests – set off a debate over whether BC should revisit then-Liberal premier Gordon Campbell's 2001 decision to scrap months-old anti-SLAPP legislation. At the time, the Liberals argued that the Protection of Public Participation Act, the first law of its kind in Canada, was unnecessary and would lead to a provincial "protest culture." Read The Vancouver Sun article. Court Dismisses Injunction Seeking to The application was brought by Blueberry River First Nations (Blueberry River), who are signatories to Treaty 8. Blueberry River brought an action against the Province in 2015, alleging that the cumulative effects of various industrial developments within their claimed territory (particularly forestry and oil and gas activities) have taken away the meaningful ability to exercise their Treaty rights. (BLG represented the Province of British Columbia). This is the first action in British Columbia to allege a breach of Treaty rights on the basis of cumulative effects.
Read the full article published on The Resource, BLG Energy Blog – Borden Ladner Gervais LLP. |
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Act or Regulation Affected | Effective Date | Amendment Information |
Drilling and Production Regulation (282/2010) |
June 1/17 |
by Reg 146/2017 |
Fee, Levy and Security Regulation (8/2014) | June 1/17 | by Reg 147/2017 |
FAMILY & CHILDREN | ||
Family and Children News: Canadian Bar Association Releases
Read the full article by Valerie Le Blanc and published on the BCLI website. Is Income from a New Spouse Relevant in an Application to The answer to the question of whether a new spouse's income is relevant, in short, is yes, for both the recipient and the payor, in different ways, and of course it depends on the particular facts of the case and whether the application is for a change in child or spousal support. It is fair to say, however, that income from a payor's new spouse is relevant to a determination of support owing to a former spouse. Read the full article by Karen F. Redmond and published on JP Boyd on Family Law: the Blog, by Collaborative Divorce Vancouver. BC Court Drops "Unfettered" as Appropriate |
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Act or Regulation Affected | Effective Date | Amendment Information |
Small Claims Rules (261/93) | June 1/17 | by Reg 120/2017 |
FOREST & ENVIRONMENT | ||
Forest and Environment News: BC Market Pricing System (Abridged Version) Generally, in the United States, sawmills purchase timber at the gate or on the stump in exchange for cash. In BC, when sawmills with tenure purchase timber from the Crown, they provide cash and services. The cash portion of these transactions is stumpage, and the services provided are items like road development and reforestation. At the risk of a gross oversimplification, this difference in how timber is sold, along with who owns the majority of the land, lies at the heart of the current softwood trade dispute with the US. Read the full article by Allan Bennett, RPF published in the May-June Edition of BC Forest Professional Magazine. BC Timber Sales Undergoes Audit Auditors will examine harvesting, road and bridge construction and maintenance, silviculture, fire protection, and associated planning for compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildlife Act. The audit includes all forestry activity from June 2015 to June 2017. The audit area is located within the Bulkley Timber Supply Area, which is located in northwestern BC and covers about 760 000 hectares. The area includes the communities of Smithers, Telkwa, Moricetown and Fort Babine. This BCTS business area was chosen randomly for audit from among all the BCTS business areas in the province. The board audits two BCTS business areas each year. Read the full Forest Practices Board news release. Canada, U.S. Unlikely to Get Lumber U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said earlier in the day he hoped the issue would be solved before the formal start of negotiations on the trilateral North American Free Trade Agreement. "It's hard to imagine a deal being done that soon," said the source, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter. Washington last month imposed tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber exports, triggering the fifth formal bilateral dispute over timber in less than 40 years. The legal battles can take years to resolve. Read the full article reported by Reuters. Occupational Health and Safety Regulation Amended Environmental Appeal Board Decisions
Visit the Environmental Appeal Board website for more information. |
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Act or Regulation Affected | Effective Date | Amendment Information |
There were no amendments this month. | ||
HEALTH | ||
Health News: New Law Aims to Reduce Drug Deaths by The Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act was introduced as a private member's bill last year by BC Liberal backbencher Ron McKinnon and received royal assent on [May 4th]. The law provides immunity from simple possession charges for anyone calling 911 to report an overdose. McKinnon said he was spurred to action by an epidemic of opioid overdoses in his home province of British Columbia and the rising number of deaths in Alberta and other provinces. Read the CBC article. Sinus Surgery Wait Times: A Tale of Two Patients Trial plaintiffs, led by Dr. Brian Day of the Cambie Surgery Centre, are arguing in court that BC laws prohibiting doctors from charging patients for expedited services in private clinics violate individuals' constitutional rights. B.C. Supreme Court Justice John Steeves had surgery at the False Creek private clinic about three years before the trial began. In a pre-trial conference, he disclosed this to lawyers for both sides – the B.C. Government and the plaintiffs – to avoid any perception of bias or conflict. Then, during the trial, Steeves declared that Dr. Amin Javer, who is on the plaintiffs' witness list, had been his surgeon when he had his operation at False Creek Surgical Centre. Javer, head of the St. Paul's Hospital Sinus Centre, is due to appear in court, as a witness for the plaintiffs, when the trial resumes in the fall. So is Dr. Mark Godley, the medical director of the False Creek private clinic. Read the full Vancouver Sun article. Canada's House of Commons Rejects Mandatory
Read the full article by Rebecca Rock of McMillan LLP. |
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Act or Regulation Affected | Effective Date | Amendment Information |
There were no amendments this month. |
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LABOUR & EMPLOYMENT | ||
Labour and Employment News: Probationary Clauses: the Devil is in the Detail
Read the full article by J Alexandra MacCarthy of Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP. The Canadian Human Rights Commission Publishes Impaired at Work: The definition of disability under the Canadian Human Rights Act includes "previous or existing dependence on alcohol or drugs." It follows that federally-regulated employers have a duty to accommodate an employee with substance dependence. The Impaired at Work guide sets out a five step process to fulfilling this duty:
Read the full article by Christopher McHardy of McCarthy Tétrault LLP. Here's a Bonus: You're Fired! Occupational Health and Safety Regulation Amended |
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Act or Regulation Affected | Effective Date | Amendment Information |
Occupational Health and Safety Regulation | May 1/17 | by Reg 9/2017 |
LOCAL GOVERNMENT | ||
Local Government News: To Regulate or Not to Regulate: BC Environmental Appeal Board The appeal by Harvest stemmed from the District Director's decision to renew the air emissions permit for the Facility (the New Permit), which contained more onerous conditions compared to Harvest's previous permit that had expired in June 2015 (the Previous Permit). Six months after the issuance of the New Permit, the District Director ordered Harvest to immediately cease part of its operations due to the violation of certain conditions under the New Permit. Harvest served notice of a constitutional question pursuant to section 8(2) of the Constitutional Question Act, arguing that the authority under which the New Permit was issued, namely the British Columbia Environmental Management Act (the Act) and the Greater Vancouver Regional District Air Quality Management Bylaw No 1082, 2008 (the Bylaw) cannot apply to the Facility because it is located on federal lands. Read the full article by Paul R. Cassidy and Selina Lee-Andersen of McCarthy Tétrault LLP. BC Court of Appeal Discusses the Unique Limitation In this case (Anonson v. North Vancouver) the Plaintiff was injured when her bicycle was struck by a truck. After starting a lawsuit she obtained an order allowing her to add the City of North Vancouver as a Defendant. The City was never given notice under the 2 month provisions required by the Local Government Act. The question was whether the City could rely on this defense after being added to the lawsuit because "It is settled law that the addition of a party to an action pursuant to R. 6-2(7) of the SCCR on the basis that it is "just and convenient" to do so generally will engage s. 4(1) of the Limitation Act and eliminate a party's accrued limitation defence" The Court of Appeal held that the notice limitation period is unique from the Limitation Act and a local government can indeed still take advantage of this defense even after being added as a party to an existing lawsuit. Read the full article by Erik Magraken published on his blog BC Injury Law. A Hazy Road Ahead: The Proposed Cannabis Act and
Read the full article by Stefanie Ratjen of Young Anderson Barristers & Solicitors. |
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Act or Regulation Affected | Effective Date | Amendment Information |
Electrical Safety Regulation (100/2004) | May 29/17 | by Reg 50/2017 |
MISCELLANEOUS | ||
Miscellaneous News: Important Changes to Small Claims Court
However, the CRT may not resolve issues relating to:
BC Provincial Court Finds Member of U.S. Tribe The defendant, Richard DeSautel, was charged with hunting without a license and hunting big game while not being a resident, contrary to ss. 11(1) and 47(a), respectively, of the B.C. Wildlife Act. These charges came after Mr. DeSautel shot an elk for ceremonial purposes near Castlegar, B.C. Mr. DeSautel argued that he was exercising an Aboriginal right to hunt in the traditional territory of his Sinixt ancestors. Mr. DeSautel described the traditional territory of the Sinixt as spanning the U.S. – Canada border, extending from Revelstoke, BC in the north, to Kettle Falls, Washington State in the south. Mr. DeSautel is a member of a modern Sinixt group called the Lakes Tribe of the Colville Confederated Tribes ("Lakes Tribe"), and lives on the Colville Indian Reserve in Washington State. No evidence was provided relating to the existence of a modern Sinixt community on the Canadian side of the border. Read the full article by Paul Seaman and Jeremy Sapers of Gowling WLG. Plaintiffs Lack Standing to Bring Representative As we previously noted in the Canadian Class Actions Monitor's commentary on Araya v Nevsun Resources Ltd, 2016 BCSC 1856, British Columbia does not have a common law class action. Rather, the Class Proceedings Act, RSBC 1996, c 50 ("CPA"), sets up a comprehensive code for class actions in British Columbia. Representative proceedings under Rule 20-3 of the British Columbia Supreme Court Civil Rules are limited to actions in which the plaintiffs allege a common right or seek a common remedy. One example, noted in Nevsun, is where plaintiffs allege collective rights, such as Aboriginal rights or title.
Read the full article by Timothy Froese of McCarthy Tétrault LLP. Sexual Violence and Misconduct Policy Act |
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Act or Regulation Affected | Effective Date | Amendment Information |
Civil Resolution Tribunal Act | June 1/17 | by 2015 Bill 19, c. 16, sections 1 (g) (part), 3 (part), 7 (part), 8 (part), 10 (b) (part) and (c) (part), 12 (part), 30 (part) and 38 (part) only (in force by Reg 111/2017), Civil Resolution Tribunal Amendment Act, 2015 |
Civil Resolution Tribunal Small Claims Regulation (111/2017) | NEW June 1/17 |
see Reg 111/2017 |
College and Institute Act | May 19/17 | by 2016 Bill 23, c. 23, section 9 only, in force one year after Royal Assent, Sexual Violence and Misconduct Act |
Court Rules Act | June 1/17 | by 2015 Bill 19, c. 16, section 43 only (in force by Reg 111/2017), Civil Resolution Tribunal Amendment Act, 2015 |
Private Training Regulation (153/2016) | May 17/17 | by Reg 153/2016 |
Sexual Violence and Misconduct Act | May 19/17 | c. 23 [SBC 2016], Bill 23, whole Act in force one year after Royal Assent |
Small Claims Act | June 1/17 | by 2015 Bill 19, c. 16, section 44 only (in force by Reg 111/2017), Civil Resolution Tribunal Amendment Act, 2015 |
Small Claims Rules (261/93) | June 1/17 | by Reg 120/2017 |
University Act | May 19/17 | by 2016 Bill 23, c. 23, section 10 only, in force one year after Royal Assent, Sexual Violence and Misconduct Act |
MOTOR VEHICLE & TRAFFIC | ||
Motor Vehicle and Traffic News: Driver 25% at Fault for Being Rear In this case (Gibson v. Matthies) the Plaintiff was operating a motorcycle travelling behind the Defendant. The Defendant brought his vehicle to a "sudden stop" prior to attempting a left hand turn. The Plaintiff was unable to react in time and rear-ended the Defendant vehicle. The Court found that the Plaintiff was negligent but also gave the Defendant 25% of the blame for his sudden stop. In reaching this conclusion Mr. Justice Crawford provided the following reasons: Read the full article by Erik Magraken on his BC Injury Law and ICBC Claims Blog. Phone Secured while Driving? It can't be too low or block the driver's view. To avoid a $368 mistake, people buy phone holders but even that can be problematic when trying to follow the letter of BC's tough distracted driving laws that have netted $48-million in fines since their inception – fines that have proven to be hard to beat. Police urge people to forgo using a device while driving, if possible, but if it is near the driver, it must be securely attached to the car or the person – for example in a pocket – and remain in hands-free or voice-activated mode. If mounted to the car, it not only matters where but what is displaying on the screen. Video or television is not allowed to distract the driver's eye, with the exception of GPS and that can only be used secured and hands-free. Read the CBC article. Ride-hailing Still Coming to BC, but Early in the election campaign, NDP Leader John Horgan sharply criticized the Liberals' proposal to allow ride-booking companies like Uber and Lyft into the province by the end of the year, saying he would hold more discussions with the taxi industry. In addition to tabling legislation by December, the Liberals said they would introduce a new tax credit for people who use car-booking services such as Modo, Evo or Car2Go, fund crash-avoidance technology for taxis, remove the requirement for special driver's licences for taxi drivers, provide money for an app to modernize taxi services for customers and continue to consult with the traditional taxi industry. On [May 30th], after releasing the details of a power-sharing agreement between the BC NDP and Green parties that is meant to topple the Liberal minority government, Horgan said ride hailing is coming to BC, but he will make sure there is a level playing field for taxi companies and ride-hailing businesses. He also said he would look at what commitments the Liberals had already made. Ride hailing was not specifically mentioned in the agreement. Read The Vancouver Sun article. |
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Act or Regulation Affected | Effective Date | Amendment Information |
There were no amendments this month. | ||
PROPERTY & REAL ESTATE | ||
Property and Real Estate News: Recent Civil Resolution Tribunal's The owner didn't dispute "the nature and scope of the vandalism the strata alleges occurred in either April 2015 or May 2016." "The only issue," before the tribunal, "is that in its June 19, 2016 council minutes and June 21, 2016 letter, the strata stated that it had imposed fines while at the same time inviting the owner to respond." This issue raised whether the strata corporation had complied with the procedure for enforcing a bylaw or a rule set out in section 135 of the Strata Property Act. The tribunal found that, similar to a strata corporation in an earlier court case, the tribunal had initially fallen afoul of section 135 but had ultimately managed to correct its error. Read the BCLI article by Kevin Zakreski. Notary Liable for Failing to Advise on the In this case, the plaintiffs Jing Li and Jun Mao hired a notary, Tony Liu, to assist them with the purchase of a Vancouver home for $5.56 million. Liu was contractually required to ascertain whether the sellers were Canadian residents as defined by the Income Tax Act. In brief, section 116 of the Income Tax Act requires a seller who is not a Canadian resident to pay capital gains tax on the sale of Canadian property. If the seller does not pay the capital gains tax, Canada Revenue Agency ("CRA") can recover it from the buyer. The buyer can escape this liability if he or she obtains a declaration from the seller or if the buyer can show that, after making a reasonable inquiry, he or she had no reason to believe that the seller was a non-resident. Read the full article by Anna Sekunova and Catherine Repel of Clark Wilson LLP. NDP/Green Platform Relating to Real Estate
Read the full article by Darren Donnelly of Clark Wilson LLP. Negotiating a Tenant's Restoration Obligations: A Reminder on This language is regularly agreed to by the parties based on a mutual understanding that the tenant should not be required to deliver the premises in perfect condition at the end of the term or to eliminate all signs of aging to the premises. But this begs the question: how broadly will a court interpret a reasonable wear and tear exception in the event of a dispute? The decision of the British Columbia Supreme Court (BCSC) in Griffin Holding Corporation v. Raydon Rentals Ltd., 2016 BCSC 2013 serves as a reminder of the legal interpretation given to the words "reasonable wear and tear" when considering a tenant's restoration obligations in a commercial lease. Read the full article by Chad Travis and Jada Tellier of Lawson Lundell LLP. BC Court of Appeal: Classification of Strata Lots as Residential Must Mortgage Lending: Update and Practice Points |
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Act or Regulation Affected | Effective Date | Amendment Information |
There were no amendments this month. |
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WILLS & ESTATES | ||
Wills and Estates News: Bach Estate Fortunately, the Wills, Estates and Succession Act contains a new provision allowing the court to declare that a gift to a witness, or to the spousal witness, is valid and may take effect, if the court is satisfied that the will maker intended to make the gift. The relevant provision is section 43 of the Wills, Estates and Succession Act. Read the full article by Stan Rule of Sabey Rule LLP and published on his blog Rule of Law. Drafting a Will In Light of the Rule in A distribution scheme like this can charge a trustee with balancing different interests in administering the estate, depending on the assets held by the estate. Since trustees have a duty to maximize the value of the estate for all beneficiaries (both those receiving the income, and those eventually receiving the assets themselves), a trustee's decision to retain, acquire or dispose of certain assets may disproportionately favour one of these groups of beneficiaries over the other, and result in a breach of the trustee's duty. Read the full article by Gordon Behan and Michael Larsen of Clark Wilson LLP. Wills Variation – 84 Year Old Second Spouse With Dementia The plaintiff was severely demented and was living in a care facility at a cost of $7000 per month. His wife had left him a life estate in her hobby farm that she had been given after her divorce from her first husband. The court held that the wife had satisfied her legal obligation to her husband as per the leading case of Tataryn v Tataryn 1994 SCR 807, but she had failed to satisfy her moral obligation to provide for his maintenance and awarded him $300,000. Read the full article by Trevor Todd with Disinherited – Estate Disputes and Contested Wills. |
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Act or Regulation Affected | Effective Date | Amendment Information |
There were no amendments this month. |
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