In the recent Ontario Superior Court of Justice decision Burwell et al v Wozniak, 2024 ONSC 5851, the Court examined complex trust and proprietary estoppel issues between former partners. The decision in Burwell clarifies the boundaries of proprietary estoppel within Ontario law and emphasizes the importance of consistency between preliminary promises and formal agreements in trust disputes. The applicant and respondent were involved in a former relationship, during which time the applicant and their business partner launched a subscriber-based billing management software company (the “Company”). The applicant sought to establish a family trust; however, the pair separated. Wishing to reconcile the relationship, the applicant sent the respondent an email purporting to bequeath her fifty (50) percent of the shares of the Company (the “Email”). Later the pair finalized a trust agreement appointing the applicant and respondent as beneficiaries. However, the trust agreement did not clearly define the ownership of the … Read More
United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration (1985) – More States adopt Model Law Legislation
In 1981, an international working group was formed with the objective of creating a model law for commercial arbitration. The goal was to develop a framework for utilization as a reference for domestic legislation by nations aiming to establish a contemporary legal structure promoting commercial arbitration. The Model Law was formally adopted by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), on June 21, 1985. The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, sometimes known as the Model Law, provides the basis of Ontario’s statute for the International Commercial Arbitration Act, 2017, S.O. 2017, c. 2, Sched. 5. In 1986, Canada was the first country to adopt the Model Law with the federal Commercial Arbitration Act, and British Columbia was the first jurisdiction in the world to adopt the Model Law with the enactment of the International Arbitration Act. Today, legislation based on the Model law has been adopted … Read More
No Adjournment Granted, International Arbitration Award Upheld: Court of Appeal for Ontario
In Xiamen International Trade Group Co., Ltd. v. LinkGlobal Food Inc., 2024 ONCA 605, the respondent brought an application in Ontario to enforce an international arbitration award from China. During the hearing of this request, the appellant sought an adjournment of the hearing to initiate legal proceedings in China. The goal of these proceedings was aimed at compelling the appellant’s former legal counsel to provide testimony regarding alleged breaches of natural justice in the international arbitration process. Such breaches, if substantiated, may have resulted in the refusal to enforce the arbitration award. The Court of Appeal for Ontario denied the appellant’s argument, noting that the scope of denial for an international arbitration award is “narrow” and without evidence or substantive submissions with an air of reality, judgment should be granted to enforce the order. The Court of Appeal remarked that the appellant had a complete year from the date of … Read More
Jurisdiction of Arbitrator Through Parties’ Conduct Affirmed by Ontario Divisional Court: Actions Speak Louder than Words
In The Joseph Lebovic Charitable Foundation et al. v. Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto, 2024 ONSC 4400, the Ontario Court of Appeal affirmed the authority of an arbitrator to find his own jurisdiction over issues in dispute between parties in an arbitration, and reminded parties that their conduct can imply their approval of an arbitrator’s jurisdiction. The applicants entered a donor agreement to make a sizable charitable donation to the respondent, payable in installments. In return, the respondent would name its campus in Vaughan after the applicants. The donor agreement included an arbitration clause, where parties would submit to arbitrations for “a dispute arising out of, or in connection with, the agreement.” A dispute indeed arose between the parties over a proposed sale of part of the campus named after the applicants, as well as the applicants’ payment schedule of their donation. Both parties filed Notices of Arbitration under the … Read More
Ontario Court Favours Place of Arbitration over Forum Selection Clause in Asset Purchase Agreement
In Tehama Group Inc v. Pythian Services Inc., 2024 ONSC 1819, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice held that the place of an arbitration, not a forum selection clause in a contract, determines the jurisdiction that recourse against an arbitral award must be taken in. The litigants were parties to a cross-border asset purchase agreement (the “APA”). The APA included an arbitration clause for disputes regarding the calculation of the purchase price, and the parties appointed “the Toronto office” of an accounting firm as arbitrator for these disputes. The APA also included broad forum selection and governing law clauses, which required “any suit, action or other proceeding arising out of this Agreement” to be brought exclusively in the courts of New York and in accordance with its laws. A dispute arose regarding an earnout clause in the APA, and the parties proceeded to arbitration. When the Toronto-based arbitrator rendered an … Read More
Adjournment Request Denied! Ontario Court Recognizes Arbitral Award from China
In the recent decision of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (“ONSC”), Xiamen International Trade Group Co., Ltd. v. LinkGlobal Food Inc., 2023 ONSC 6491, the applicant sought the recognition and enforcement of an arbitration judgment of the Xiamen Arbitration Commission (the “Award”). The underlying arbitration dispute related to a contract entered into by the parties wherein the applicant was to purchase protective masks from the respondent for the purchase price of US $532,224.00. The contract between the parties contained an arbitration clause and a choice of law clause providing that the law of the People’s Republic of China governed any dispute over the contract between the parties. In the arbitral proceeding in China, the applicant sought a refund of the purchase price of the masks and compensation for other costs incurred. A panel of three arbitrators unanimously ruled in favour of the applicant and granted the Award. As the … Read More
Family Business Litigation | Start Up Company Litigation
We have experience acting for, advising and representing those in closely-held company litigation, both arising from family business disputes and start-up company disputes. Family Business Disputes Many businesses in Canada are family businesses or have evolved from family businesses. Family businesses present many unique challenges as they grow, as key members of the company or partnership leave the family business, or when personal relationships of the key members of the family business thereby change or deteriorate. One of the most common differences between a family business and other established businesses, whether or not a shareholders’ agreement, partnership agreement and other legal documentation was used in the formation of the family business, is the informality in operation of the family business, including the often ignored distinction in fact between employees, shareholders, or partners – since family members often take on multiple roles. Please see our webpage on Family and Closely Held … Read More
Service Abroad in Civil and Commercial Litigation
The Hague Service Convention Since 1989 Canada has been a member of Hague Convention of 15 November 1965 on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in Civil or Commercial Matters, (the Hague Service Convention). Incoming Service of Foreign Process We have blogged before about the requirement of the Hague Service Convention that its member States designate a “Central Authority” to accept incoming requests for service. There are alternatives to the Hague Service Convention service of foreign process in Ontario. Service of Ontario Process Abroad As other jurisdictions become, or will become, members of the Hague Service Convention, the Status Table is updated. For instance, see the status of Azerbaijan (November 1, 2023), Singapore (December 1, 2023) and Paraguay (January 1, 2024) on the Status Table. Why Chose Gilbertson Davis LLP? One of the senior commercial litigation lawyers at Gilbertson Davis LLP, though now only practicing in Ontario, has also practiced … Read More
Ontario Superior Court of Justice Finds Expired Arbitration Award Relevant in Motion for Injunctive Relief
In Rogers v. TELUS Communications Inc., 2023 ONSC 5398, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice held that the terms of an expired arbitration decision are relevant when a party seeks injunctive relief that contradicts its terms. The moving and responding parties are both prominent competitors in the Canadian telecommunications market. Under a requirement imposed by the Government of Canada, their customers have the reciprocal ability to “roam” on the other carrier’s network in areas where their own carrier does not provide coverage. This obligation allows Canadian customers to access wireless services across the country. For a time, the parties did not agree on what was displayed to customers when they were roaming on a competitor’s network. The primary dispute was whether the network identifier (“NID”) displayed in the top-left corner of most mobile devices would connote an extension of their own carrier’s network (i.e. “[Carrier]-EXT”), or if it would notify customers … Read More
Recognition of Foreign Judgments and Arbitral Awards – Recent Decision of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice says Ontario Court is Not to Intervene Absent Exceptional Circumstances
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice (“OSCJ”) recently released its decision in Costco Wholesale Corporation v. TicketOps Corporation, 2023 ONSC 573, granting an application to enforce judgments received by the applicant from the United States District Court (Western District of Washington at Seattle) and/or the underlying arbitral awards. At the same time, the OSCJ also rejected the Respondents’ motion to convert the application into an action. Recognition of Awards With regard to the Awards, the OSCJ advises as follows: “In Ontario, foreign arbitral awards are enforceable through the International Commercial Arbitration Act, 2017, S.O. 2017, c. 2, Sched. 5 (“ICAA”). The ICAA provides that the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (“Convention”) has force of law in Ontario. The Convention is set out in Schedule 1 to the ICAA. The ICAA also provides that the Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration (“Model Law”) has force of law in Ontario. The Model Law is set out in Schedule 2 to the ICAA.” The OSCJ notes that the Convention and … Read More
Arbitration and Summary Judgment – Is Summary Judgment Available in Arbitration Matters?
In the arbitration preceding the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (“OSCJ”) decision, Optiva Inc. v, Tbaytel, 2021 ONSC 2929 (CanLII), the respondent successfully brought a motion for summary judgment before a sole arbitrator. The applicant then appealed the arbitrator’s award to the OSCJ, arguing, among other things, that the arbitrator could not, absent consent of the applicant, proceed by way of summary judgment. The OSCJ disagreed with the respondent’s position, instead affirming that the “arbitrator could elect to proceed by summary judgment absent the consent of [the applicant]”. The court cited, as authority for its conclusion, section 20(1) of the Arbitration Act, which states: 20 (1) The arbitral tribunal may determine the procedure to be followed in the arbitration, in accordance with this Act. The OSCJ opined that “summary judgment should be available to the parties in an arbitration subject to the requirement” that the process: Allows the arbitrator to … Read More
Motion by Arbitrator | Application by Arbitrator | Procedure Arbitration
TorontoArbitrator.com Sole Arbitrator – from $450.00 per hour, plus HST Access to Justice Parties Agree That Motions & Applications be Heard and Determined by an Arbitrator Lawyers are already doing this to address the needs of their clients in existing civil and commercial litigation in the courts. The courts in Ontario continue to address access to justice in the time of the coronavirus, providing a triage process to determine which matters are considered urgent and should be heard. Video conference arrangements in the courts have evolved. We are mindful that both criminal and family law matters are likely to take priority both now and when traditional hearings become available post-coronavirus. Due to the current difficulty in obtaining an early date for the hearing of a motion or of an application, commercial and civil litigation lawyers are proactively addressing their client’s needs by arbitrating motions and application. They agree to do … Read More
Business Dispute Arbitrator – Qualified Arbitrator with Reasonable Fees
Business Disputes Arbitrator | Business Claims Arbitrator | Experienced Business Dispute and Business Claim Arbitrator | Independent and Qualified Arbitrator with Reasonable Fees and Good Availability Sole Arbitrator – $450.00 per hour, plus HST Experience David Alderson, LL.B, LL.M (Commercial and Corporate), Qualified Arbitrator accepts arbitrator appointments, both as sole arbitrator and as panel arbitrator, for business disputes and business claims, including corporate disputes, shareholder disputes, joint venture disputes, family business disputes, closely held business disputes and start-up business disputes, as well as sale of business disputes. He is qualified, independent, and offers appointment on reasonable fees and with good availability. The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has appointed David as arbitrator in commercial arbitration matters and he regularly sits as an arbitrator in business and commercial disputes. David is a member of the Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society, and has successfully completed the Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society Gold Standard Course in … Read More
Reinsurance Arbitrator
David Alderson has reinsurance law practice experience in Canada, Bermuda and London, England, and offers appointment as a sole arbitrator and panel arbitrator in both domestic and international reinsurance arbitration. He is an experienced, independent and qualified arbitrator. David has been appointed sole arbitrator by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in commercial arbitration matters and regularly sits as an arbitrator in commercial arbitration. Click here for Reinsurance Arbitrator webpage. Sole Arbitrator – $450.00 per hour, plus HST Background David Alderson has acted for and represented ceding insurers, reinsurers, retrocessionaires, brokers and other intermediaries and has provided coverage and claims advice and representation in relation to many types of reinsurance agreements and arrangements, including quota share, excess of loss, treaty and facultative agreements. He has advised and acted in a wide range of reinsurance matters. His preferred reinsurance arbitration appointments include, but are not limited to, aviation risks, broker’s liability, … Read More
Case Management Arbitrator – Arbitration | Motion Arbitration and Discovery Dispute Arbitration
TorontoArbitrator.com Sole Arbitrator – $450.00 per hour, plus HST Access to Justice The courts in Ontario continue to address access to justice in the time of the coronavirus, providing a triage process to determine which matters are considered urgent and should be heard. Video conference arrangements in the courts have evolved. We are mindful that both criminal and family law matters are likely to take priority both now and when traditional hearings become available post-coronavirus. Case Management Arbitration | What Can be Agreed to be Referred to Arbitration? We have been offering “case management” arbitration and “case management” arbitrators throughout the pandemic. Moving court-based litigation to arbitration can include the entire contemplated proceedings; the remaining proceeding if court-based litigation has been commenced; or only procedural parts / interlocutory steps of the proceedings, such as: pleadings motions; document production and discovery issues; undertakings and refusals motions; other procedural motions; and while … Read More
Experienced Commercial Arbitrator with Reasonable Hourly Fee Rate
David Alderson – Experienced Commercial Arbitrator with Reasonable Hourly Fee Rates Sole Arbitrator – $450.00 per hour, plus HST Experienced and Qualified Commercial Arbitrator David has been accredited by the ADR Institute as Canada as a Qualified Arbitrator (Q.Arb). He accepts appointments as a commercial, international commercial, business dispute, real estate, commercial leasing, construction, condo, technology, marine, reinsurance and employment arbitrator, at reasonable hourly rates and with good availability. David has acted as counsel in both domestic and international arbitration, including institutional and ad hoc arbitration. David has completed the Foundations in Judicial Competencies Series, and has been granted a Certificate of Completion by the Ontario Bar Association. Trusted Arbitrator Appointed by the Court and by Agreement of Parties The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has appointed David as sole arbitrator in commercial arbitration matters. On other occasions his appointment has been mutually agreed by the parties and their respective legal counsel. Membership … Read More
Toronto Arbitrators – Reasonable Fee & Good Availability
Sole Arbitrator – from $450.00 per hour, plus HST Gilbertson Davis LLP Arbitration Chambers Arbitrators All of the Gilbertson Davis LLP Arbitration Chambers arbitrators are senior legal practitioners who also accept appointments as arbitrators. They are distinguished in their respective areas of practice and have differing legal practice backgrounds, through diversity of their legal experience in the world of reinsurance, insurance, business disputes, shareholder disputes, partnership disputes, commercial disputes, commercial leasing, construction, employment law, condo law, IT and IP, sale of goods, franchise, international trade & distribution, and marine matters, through language skills, and from foreign legal experience and accreditations. This makes a Gilbertson Davis LLP Arbitrator uniquely qualified for your consideration. Accepting Appointments & Arbitration During the Pandemic Gilbertson Davis LLP Arbitration Chambers is open, and the chambers arbitrators are accepting appointment and progressing arbitration proceedings, despite the pandemic. Through our experience in the case management of arbitration, we … Read More