Bodnar v. Community Savings Credit Union et al., 2015 BCCA 504

• Judge: Bennett, Garson and Savage, JJ.A.
• Court: Court of Appeal (British Columbia)
• Case Date: September 18, 2015
• Jurisdiction: British Columbia
• Citations: 2015 BCCA 504;(2015), 380 B.C.A.C. 202 (CA)

Bodnar v. Com. Savings Credit Union (2015), 380 B.C.A.C. 202 (CA);

    655 W.A.C. 202

MLB headnote and full text

Temp. Cite: [2015] B.C.A.C. TBEd. DE.013

Andrew Bodnar (respondent/plaintiff) v. Community Savings Credit Union, North Shore Credit Union, Chemainus Credit Union, Comox Valley Credit Union, Kootenay Savings Credit Union, Vantageone Credit Union, Village Credit Union, Greater Vancouver Community Credit Union, Coastal Community Credit Union, and Vancouver City Savings Credit Union (appellants/defendants)

(CA42247; 2015 BCCA 504)

Indexed As: Bodnar v. Community Savings Credit Union et al.

British Columbia Court of Appeal

Bennett, Garson and Savage, JJ.A.

December 4, 2015.

Summary:

Bodnar, as representative plaintiff, sought to certify a class action, alleging that the defendant credit unions charged clients a criminal interest rate through overdraft charges.

The British Columbia Supreme Court, in a decision reported [2012] B.C.T.C. Uned. 589, granted the certification order. The credit unions appealed the certification. The main issues raised were whether Bodnar raised sufficient commonality of issues for certification under the Class Proceedings Act, whether limitation issues could or should be certified as subclasses or at all, and whether the class action was the preferable way to proceed.

The British Columbia Court of Appeal, Garson, J.A., dissenting in part, dismissed the appeal.

Practice - Topic 208.1

Persons who can sue and be sued - Individuals and corporations - Status or standing - Class actions - Creation of sub-classes - Limitations issues - See paragraphs 35 to 49.

Practice - Topic 209.3

Persons who can sue and be sued - Individuals and corporations - Status or standing - Class or representative actions - Certification - Considerations (incl. when class action appropriate) - See paragraphs 24 to 34 and 50 to 56.

Cases Noticed:

Parsons v. Coast Capital Savings Credit Union (2007), 240 B.C.A.C. 268; 398 W.A.C. 268; 2007 BCCA 247, refd to. [para. 1].

MacKinnon v. Vancouver City Savings Credit Union, [2004] B.C.T.C. Uned. 761; 2004 BCSC 1604, refd to. [para. 2].

Smith v. Vancouver City Savings Credit Union, [2010] B.C.T.C. Uned. 120; 2010 BCSC 120, refd to. [paras. 2, 80].

MacKinnon v. National Money Mart Co. et al., [2005] B.C.T.C. 271; 2005 BCSC 271, refd to. [para. 2].

Kilroy v. A OK Payday Loans Inc. (2007), 240 B.C.A.C. 151; 398 W.A.C. 151; 2007 BCCA 231, refd to. [para. 2].

Bodnar et al. v. Cash Store Inc. et al. (2006), 227 B.C.A.C. 109; 374 W.A.C. 109; 2006 BCCA 260, refd to. [para. 2].

Campbell et al. v. Flexwatt Corp. et al. (1997), 98 B.C.A.C. 22; 161 W.A.C. 22; 44 B.C.L.R.(3d) 343 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 23].

Steele et al. v. Toyota Canada Inc. et al. (2011), 306 B.C.A.C. 132; 516 W.A.C. 132; 2011 BCCA 98, refd to. [para. 23].

Dell'Aniello v. Vivendi Canada Inc., [2014] 1 S.C.R. 3; 453 N.R. 150; 2014 SCC 1, refd to. [para. 24].

Knight v. Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd. et al. (2006), 225 B.C.A.C. 291; 371 W.A.C. 291; 2006 BCCA 235, refd to. [paras. 41, 72].

Novak et al. v. Bond, [1999] 1 S.C.R. 808; 239 N.R. 134; 122 B.C.A.C. 161; 200 W.A.C. 161, refd to. [paras. 41, 69].

Caputo et al. v. Imperial Tobacco Ltd. et al., [2004] O.T.C. 112 (Sup. Ct.), refd to. [para. 47].

Hollick v. Metropolitan Toronto (Municipality) et al., [2001] 3 S.C.R. 158; 277 N.R. 51; 153 O.A.C. 279; 2001 SCC 68, refd to. [para. 51].

Fischer et al. v. IG Investment Management Ltd. et al., [2013] 3 S.C.R. 949; 452 N.R. 80; 312 O.A.C. 128; 2013 SCC 69, refd to. [para. 51].

AIC Limited v. Fischer - see Fischer et al. v. IG Investment Management Ltd. et al.

Sun-Rype Products Ltd. et al. v. Archer Daniels Midland Co. et al. (2008), 257 B.C.A.C. 218; 432 W.A.C. 218; 2008 BCCA 278, refd to. [para. 61].

Ounjian v. St. Paul's Hospital et al., [2002] B.C.T.C. 104; 2002 BCSC 104, refd to. [para. 66].

Brooks v. South Fraser Regional Health Region et al. (2009), 269 B.C.A.C. 103; 453 W.A.C. 103; 2009 BCCA 150, refd to. [para. 66].

Dheensaw v. Saanich Police Department et al. (2014), 364 B.C.A.C. 24; 625 W.A.C. 24; 2014 BCCA 447, refd to. [para. 66].

Edgeworth Construction Ltd. v. Thurber Consultants Ltd. (2000), 147 B.C.A.C. 92; 241 W.A.C. 92; 2000 BCCA 453, refd to. [para. 68].

Rumley et al. v. British Columbia (1999), 131 B.C.A.C. 68; 214 W.A.C. 68; 1999 BCCA 689, affd. [2001] 3 S.C.R. 184; 275 N.R. 342; 157 B.C.A.C. 1; 256 W.A.C. 1; 2001 SCC 69, refd to. [para. 78].

L.R. v. British Columbia - see Rumley et al. v. British Columbia.

Hansard Spruce Mills Ltd., Re, [1954] 4 D.L.R. 590; 13 W.W.R.(N.S.) 285 (B.C.S.C.), refd to. [para. 80].

Statutes Noticed:

Class Proceedings Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 50, sect. 4, sect. 7 [para. 7].

Counsel:

R. Berrow and R. Coad, for the appellants;

P.R. Bennett and M.W. Mounteer, for the respondent.

This appeal was heard on September 18, 2015, before Bennett, Garson and Savage, JJ.A., of the British Columbia Court of Appeal. The decision of the court was delivered on December 4, 2015, and the following opinions were filed:

Bennett, J.A. (Savage, J.A., concurring) - see paragraphs 1 to 57;

Garson, J.A. (dissenting in part) - see paragraphs 58 to 93.