ONTARIO – Arbitration – Standard of Review – The standard of review on an appeal from an arbitral award on a question of law or a mixed question of fact and law is reasonableness. The reasonableness standard is highly deferential to the arbitrator, but the arbitrator is required to decide disputes in accordance with binding precedent and it must reveal that the decision was not based on an irrational chain of analysis.
Continue readingCase #085E – Baffinland Iron Mines LP v. Tower-EBC G.P./S.E.N.C.
ONTARIO – Arbitration – Arbitration Act, 1991, S.O. 1991, c. 17, ss. 45(1) and (2)– Where an arbitration agreement provides that the arbitration “finally settles” all issues, there is no basis for the Court to grant leave to appeal from the arbitral award, even on questions of law.
Continue readingCase #084M – Van Doorn v. Loopstra Nixon, 2023 ONSC 1782
ONTARIO – Arbitration – Court Appointment of Arbitrator – Where the arbitration agreement provides no procedure for appointing the arbitral tribunal, the court has the jurisdiction under section 10(1)(a) of the Arbitrations Act, 1991 to make the appointment. Where there are several qualified candidates, the court’s task is to select the arbitrator that is best qualified by profession or occupation to decide the issues given the issues in dispute and the factual matrix in which they arose. Relative adjudicative experience is often a decisive factor.
Continue readingCase #083M – Orion Travel Insurance Co. v. CMN Global Inc. 2023 ONSC 1527
ONTARIO – Arbitration – Right to Be Heard – Where the parties were afforded equal opportunities to present their cases, and data relied on by an expert was relied on by both parties in their submissions despite not being marked as an exhibit, the right to be heard was satisfied.
Continue readingCase #082D – Greta Energy Inc. v. Pembina Pipeline Corporation
ONTARIO – Corporations – Right of first refusal in an asset sale and the duty of good faith and honest performance. Allocating price in a manner to discourage the exercise of a right of first refusal in an asset sale is not a breach of the duty of good faith and honest performance. The relationship between the holder of the right of first refusal and a third party is competitive, and parties are entitled to act in their self-interest.
Continue readingCase #081D – Husky Food Importers & Distributors v. JH Whittaker & Sons Limited
ONTARIO – Arbitration – Application for Stay – The analytical framework and standard of proof for a stay application has changed. Once the party seeking the stay has shown that the technical requirements establish that there is an arguable case that an arbitration agreement exists, the party seeking to avoid the stay must establish on a balance of probabilities that one of the statutory exceptions to a mandatory stay of proceedings exists.
Continue readingCase #080E – Bad Gremlin LLC v. Grusd
ONTARIO – Mareva Injunction–Anton Piller Order – Sealing Order – An ex parte order for an interlocutory injunction to restrain the disposition of Canadian assets and the destruction of documents was granted in aid of a pending New York action, claiming damages for fraudulent inducement where the defendant had moved to Canada, had assets in Canada, had admitted to fraud and there was evidence of fabrication and destruction of documents. There was a genuine risk that the assets would be moved out of the reach of the Court and that documents would be destroyed if the orders were not made.
Continue readingCase #079E – Aquanta Group Inc. v. Lightbox Enterprises Ltd.
ONTARIO – Arbitration – Arbitration Act, 1991, s. 46 – Arbitrator’s refusal to allow amendment of pleadings to permit a claim for negligent misrepresentation just days before the pre-emptory hearing of the arbitration was not unfair or unequal treatment and was not a basis to set aside the arbitrator’s award.
Continue readingCase #078D – Costco Wholesale Corporation v. TicketOps Corporation
ONTARIO – Arbitration – Superior Court of Justice (“SCJ”) recognizes and enforces international arbitral awards. The grounds to oppose recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards are set out in the New York Convention and Model Law which have been adopted by the International Commercial Arbitration Act (ICAA). A summary procedure does not deny a party natural justice or the ability to present its case.
Continue readingCase #077D – FNF Enterprises Inc. v. Wag and Train Inc., et al.
ONTARIO – Corporation – Piercing the corporate veil. There must be a clear link between the liability the plaintiff seeks to recover by piercing the corporate veil and the wrongful conduct of the individual in control of the corporation. Even where the test to pierce the corporate veil is not met, the oppression remedy can be asserted against a director of the company if the director made unlawful and internal corporate manoeuvres against which a creditor could not protect itself that constitute oppression.
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