Alberta v. McGeady,

• Judge: Wakeling, J.
• Neutral Citation: 2014 ABQB 104
• Citation: (2014), 585 A.R. 311 (QB),2014 ABQB 104,355 AR 304,44 Alta LR (4th) 334,[2004] AJ No 946 (QL),63 WCB (2d) 88,585 A.R. 311,585 AR 311,(2014), 585 AR 311 (QB),[2004] A.J. No 946 (QL)
• Date: 07 February 2014
• Court: Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta (Canada)

Alta. v. McGeady (2014), 585 A.R. 311 (QB)

MLB headnote and full text

Temp. Cite: [2014] A.R. TBEd. FE.097

Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Alberta (applicant) v. Dennis McGeady, The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, The Long Term Disability Second Level Appeal Board and The Great-West Life Assurance Company (respondents)

(1203 15127; 2014 ABQB 104)

Indexed As: Alberta v. McGeady et al.

Alberta Court of Queen's Bench

Judicial District of Edmonton

Wakeling, J.

February 18, 2014.

Summary:

The applicant (Alberta) sought an order quashing a decision of the Long Term Disability Second Level Appeal Board which awarded long term disability benefits to an employee.

The Alberta Court of Queen's Bench allowed the application and set aside the Appeal Board's decision.

Administrative Law - Topic 3202

Judicial review - General - Scope or standard of review - [See Administrative Law - Topic 5013 ].

Administrative Law - Topic 5013

Judicial review - Certiorari - Grounds for granting certiorari - Disregard or misinterpretation of a statute or law - The applicant (Alberta) sought an order quashing a decision of the Long Term Disability Second level Appeal Board which awarded long term disability benefits to an employee - The Alberta Court of Queen's Bench allowed the application and set aside the Appeal Board's decision - An Appeal Board, serving as the second level of review of an adjudicator's decision, could not ignore a provision in the Public Service Long Term Disability Income Continuance Plan Regulation which made a class of employees ineligible for long term disability benefits because it was satisfied that the provision should not be applied to an employee on the grounds of fairness and justice - A statutory delegate had to apply the law - It could not ignore a law which it believed would produce unfair and unjust consequences - The standard of review was correctness - Even if the reasonableness standard applied, the result was the same - The Appeal Board's decision was unreasonable.

Crown - Topic 5270

Officials and employees - Pension benefits - Disability pensions - [See Administrative Law - Topic 5013 ].

Cases Noticed:

Conseil de la magistrature (N.-B.) v. Moreau-Bérubé, [2002] 1 S.C.R. 249; 281 N.R. 201; 245 N.B.R.(2d) 201; 636 A.P.R. 201, refd to. [para. 14, footnote 4].

Moreau-Bérubé v. New Brunswick (Judicial Council) - see Conseil de la magistrature (N.-B.) v. Moreau-Bérubé.

Agraira v. Canada (Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness) et al., [2013] 2 S.C.R. 559; 446 N.R. 65; 2013 SCC 36, refd to. [para. 14, footnote 4].

Davidson v. Calgary (City) et al. (2007), 422 A.R. 322; 415 W.A.C. 322; 85 Alta. L.R.(4th) 25 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 14, footnote 4].

Miraculous Growth Investments Inc. et al. v. Safety Codes Council et al. (2011), 515 A.R. 209; 532 W.A.C. 209 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 14, footnote 4].

New Brunswick (Board of Management) v. Dunsmuir, [2008] 1 S.C.R. 190; 372 N.R. 1; 329 N.B.R.(2d) 1; 844 A.P.R. 1, refd to. [para. 20].

McLean v. British Columbia Securities Commission (2013), 452 N.R. 340; 347 B.C.A.C. 1; 593 W.A.C. 1; 2013 SCC 67, refd to. [para. 20, footnote 7].

Toronto (City) v. Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 79 et al., [2003] 3 S.C.R. 77; 311 N.R. 201; 179 O.A.C. 291, refd to. [para. 20, footnote 10].

Alliance Pipeline Ltd. v. Smith, [2011] 1 S.C.R. 160; 412 N.R. 66; 2011 SCC 7, refd to. [para. 20, footnote 10].

Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals v. Nor-Man Regional Health Authority Inc., [2011] 3 S.C.R. 616; 423 N.R. 95; 275 Man.R.(2d) 16; 538 W.A.C. 16, refd to. [para. 20, footnote 10].

Alcohol and Gaming Commission (Ont.) v. 751809 Ontario Inc. (2013), 302 O.A.C. 387; 2013 ONCA 157, refd to. [para. 21].

Allen v. Law Enforcement Review Board (Alta.) et al. (2013), 553 A.R. 140; 583 W.A.C. 140; 2013 ABCA 187, refd to. [para. 21].

Irving Pulp & Paper Ltd. v. Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, Local 30 (2013), 445 N.R. 1; 404 N.B.R.(2d) 1; 1048 A.P.R. 1; 2013 SCC 34, refd to. [para. 22, footnote 11].

J.W. v. Victims of Crime Financial Benefits Program (2013), 560 A.R. 114; 2013 ABQB 212, refd to. [para. 23].

Alcan Canada Products Ltd. v. Metal Foil Workers' Union, Local 1663 (1982), 5 L.A.C.(3d) 1 (Arb.), refd to. [para. 23].

Purba v. Ryan (2006), 397 A.R. 251; 384 W.A.C. 251 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 23].

R. v. Jackpine (R.), [2006] 1 S.C.R. 554; 347 N.R. 201; 210 O.A.C. 200; 2006 SCC 15, refd to. [para. 23].

R. v. Rodgers (D.) - see R. v. Jackpine (R.).

Hamilton Street Railway Co. v. Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 107 et al. (2008), 243 O.A.C. 51 (Div. Ct.), refd to. [para. 23].

L/3 Communications Spar Aerospace Ltd. v. International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Local 1579 (2010), 201 L.A.C.(4th) 85, refd to. [para. 25].

R. v. Zundel (No. 2), [1992] 2 S.C.R. 731; 140 N.R. 1; 56 O.A.C. 161, refd to. [para. 25].

Roncarelli v. Duplessis, [1959] S.C.R. 121, refd to. [para. 27].

Davidson v. Slaight Communications Inc., [1989] 1 S.C.R. 1038; 93 N.R. 183, refd to. [para. 30].

ATCO Gas and Pipelines Ltd. v. Energy and Utilities Board (Alta.), [2006] 1 S.C.R. 140; 344 N.R. 293; 380 A.R. 1; 363 W.A.C. 1, refd to. [para. 30].

Canada (Attorney General) v. Mossop, [1993] 1 S.C.R. 554; 149 N.R. 1, refd to. [para. 31].

Northern Electric Co. v. United Automobile Workers (1972), 1 L.A.C.(2d) 360, refd to. [para. 31, footnote 14].

Bell ExpressVu Limited Partnership v. Rex et al., [2002] 2 S.C.R. 559; 287 N.R. 248; 166 B.C.A.C. 1; 271 W.A.C. 1, refd to. [para. 31].

Edmonton Economic Development Corp. v. United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 401 (2008), 169 L.A.C.(4th) 1, refd to. [para. 34, footnote 15].

Public Service Alliance of Canada v. NAV Canada (2002), 158 O.A.C. 276; 212 D.L.R.(4th) 68 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 34, footnote 15].

Rennie's Car Sales v. Union Acceptance Corp., [1955] 4 D.L.R. 822 (Alta. C.A.), refd to. [para. 34].

Sale v. Wills (1971), 22 D.L.R.(3d) 566 (Alta. S.C.), refd to. [para. 34].

United Steelworkers of America v. Labour Relations Board, [1953] 4 D.L.R. 563 (B.C.S.C.), refd to. [para. 34].

Industrial Development Bank v. Schultz (1970), 16 D.L.R.(3d) 581 (Sask. C.A.), refd to. [para. 34].

Morishito v. Richmond (Township) (1990), 67 D.L.R.(4th) 609 (B.C.C.A.), refd to. [para. 34].

R. v. Cameron, [1927] 2 D.L.R. 382 (B.C.C.A.), refd to. [para. 34].

United States of America v. Allard and Charette, [1991] 1 S.C.R. 861; 122 N.R. 352; 40 Q.A.C. 274, refd to. [para. 36].

R. v. Paul, [1982] 1 S.C.R. 621; 42 N.R. 1, refd to. [para. 36].

Saskatchewan Government Insurance Office v. Anderson (1966), 57 W.W.R.(N.S.) 633 (Man. Co. Ct.), refd to. [para. 36].

Peel (Regional Municipality) v. Ontario (Attorney General) and Viking Houses, [1979] 2 S.C.R. 1134; 29 N.R. 244, refd to. [para. 37].

R. v. McIntosh (B.B.), [1995] 1 S.C.R. 686; 178 N.R. 161; 79 O.A.C. 81, refd to. [para. 37].

Alberta Teachers' Association v. Information and Privacy Commissioner (Alta.) et al., [2011] 3 S.C.R. 654; 424 N.R. 70; 519 A.R. 1; 539 W.A.C. 1, refd to. [para. 42].

Nolan et al. v. Superintendent of Financial Services (Ont.) et al., [2009] 2 S.C.R. 678; 391 N.R. 234; 253 O.A.C. 256, refd to. [para. 45].

Nolan v. Kerry (Canada) Inc. - see Nolan et al. v. Superintendent of Financial Services (Ont.) et al.

United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers, Local 537 v. Canadian General Electric Co. (1971), 22 L.A.C. 149, refd to. [para. 55, footnote 17].

Statutes Noticed:

Public Service Long Term Disability Income Continuance Plan Regulation, sect. 6(1), sect. 15 [para. 19].

Authors and Works Noticed:

Brown, Donald J.M., Beatty, David M., and Deacon, Christine E., Canadian Labour Arbitration (4th Ed. 2006) (2013 Looseleaf, Release 33), p. 2.8 [para. 31, footnote 14].

Lavine, Douglas, Salad, a Glass of Red Wine, and a Discussion about How to Effectively Answer Questions in Appellate Argument (2013), 14 J. Appellate Prac. and Process 25, p. 35 [para. 60, footnote 18].

Manning, John, The Absurdity Doctrine (2003), 116 Harv. L. Rev. 2387, pp. 2388 [para. 36]; 2389 [para. 31, footnote 13]; 2390 [para. 36].

McLachlin, Beverley, The Role of Administrative Tribunals and Courts in Maintaining the Rule of Law (1998), 12 Can. J. Ad. L. & Prac. 171, p. 174 [para. 30].

Scalia, Antonin, and Garner, Bryan, Making Your Case (2008), p. 189 [para. 60, footnote 18].

Scalia, Antonin, and Garner, Bryan, Reading Law: The Interpretation of Legal Text (2012), generally [para. 34]; pp. 237 to 238 [para. 35].

Sullivan, Ruth, Sullivan on the Construction of Statutes (5th Ed. 2008), pp. 175 to 177 [para. 36].

Wakeling, Thomas, Reflections on Oral Advocacy (1981), 46 Sask. L. Rev. 163, p. 176 [para. 60, footnote 18].

Wakeling, Thomas, The Oral Component of Appellate Work (1979), 5 Dalhousie L.J. 584, pp. 598, 603 [para. 60, footnote 18].

Counsel:

Nicole Pfeifer (Alberta Justice), for the applicant;

Micah Field (Blakely & Dushenski), for the respondent, The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees.

This application was heard on February 7, 2014, before Wakeling, J., of the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench, Judicial District of Edmonton, who delivered the following reasons for judgment on February 18, 2014.