Newsletters

A Snapshot of our Recent Activity — Business Law

It is my pleasure to write this introduction to our summer 2021 newsletter. The timing is pretty optimal since the firm, including our Commercial Litigation group, was on a roll for the first six months of the year. Our team has grown, with three new lawyers to respond to clients’ needs: Médgine Gourdet, who has […]

Quebec Court of Appeal Decision: Security Obligation of a Mountain Resort

The Quebec Court of Appeal recently upheld a decision of the Superior Court in Ski Bromont.com c. Jauvin, 2021 QCCA 1070, condemning a mountain resort to pay a guest $152,579 following a fall from a chairlift after resort employees left a customer stranded. A fun day of mountain biking at one of Quebec’s Eastern Townships’ […]

Being Struck by a Bullet During a Police Car Chase: An Automobile Accident?

Since the adoption of the Automobile Insurance Act [Act], a lot has been written about its inherent concept of causation. Cohen c. Ville de Montréal, 2021 QCCS 1874, a recent decision of the Superior Court, provided an overview of the applicable principles. On the night of June 15, 2017, Noam Cohen, a young man under […]

A Snapshot of Our Recent Activity — Insurance Law

When drafting this introduction to our newsletter capping the first six months of 2021, I realized that, while we were adjusting our services to maintain RSS’s standards during the last year and a half, we went significantly beyond what used to be our “business as usual” mode. Actually, our business is growing, and our dedicated Insurance […]

You’re an Ontario Employer with Staff Working Outside Your Province? Severance Pay Could Be Costlier Than You Think

From time to time, judgments are rendered in other provinces in Canada which require our attention here in Quebec. The recent judgment by the Divisional Court of Ontario in Hawkes v. Max Aicher (North America) Limited, 2021 ONSC 4290 (Can LII), is one such case. It is not at all peculiar to find companies operating […]

The Impact of the New Pay Equity Act on Employers Under Federal Jurisdiction

Although the Canadian Human Rights Act recognizes the right to pay equity, wage differences between men and women still exist. Such was the focus of the Pay Equity Act [the Act], adopted by the federal Parliament on December 13, 2018, and the accompanying Pay Equity Regulations, which will implement a proactive pay equity regime applicable […]

Gradual Damages and the Starting Point of Prescription

On May 20, 2021, the Court of Appeal, in the case of Ville de Mascouche c. Architectes Rivest-Jodoin & Associé, 2021 QCCA 859 affirmed the decision of the Superior Court (2019 QCCS 1996) which granted a motion to dismiss on the grounds of prescription. The City of Mascouche [City] hired Anjalec Construction inc. [Anjalec] in […]

Homeowner Insurance Policy: The Importance of Living in the Insured Dwelling

The Superior Court recently rendered an interesting decision in Dang c. Industrielle-Alliance, assurance auto et habitation inc., 2021 QCCS 1408, emphasizing the importance for the insured to give a thorough declaration of the risk to the insurer. In this case, the plaintiff was asking her insurer for an indemnity following a fire that had damaged […]

A Wellington Application First Requires a Covered Loss

In Construction Placo inc. c. Kingspan Insulated Panels Ltd., 2021 QCCS 1230, rendered on March 18, 2021, Construction Placo inc. [Placo], as cross-defendant, sought an order from the Court requesting Société d’assurance générale Northbridge [Northbridge] to assume its defence and to pay all costs associated with its defence within the scope of the cross-claim. In […]

The Wellington Application and the Right to Choose One’s Lawyer

In Pelletier c. Gauthier (Decision issued April 13, 2021 by the Honourable Jocelyn Pilote, j.c.s., C.S. – 150-17-004304-207), defendants Gauthier et Simard filed a Wellington application against Intact Compagnie d’assurance and Desjardins Assurances générales as impleaded parties, requesting only the right to select their lawyer. Defendants were sued on the basis of alleged latent defects […]
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