Carter Brothers Ltd. v. Registrar of Motor Vehicles (N.B.), (2011) 377 N.B.R.(2d) 291 (CA)

• Judge: Robertson, Bell and Green, JJ.A.
• Court: Court of Appeal (New Brunswick)
• Case Date: June 21, 2011
• Jurisdiction: New Brunswick
• Citations: (2011), 377 N.B.R.(2d) 291 (CA);2011 NBCA 81

Carter Bros. v. Reg. of Motor Vehicles (2011), 377 N.B.R.(2d) 291 (CA);

    377 R.N.-B.(2e) 291; 972 A.P.R. 291

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Sommaire et texte intégral

[French language version follows English language version]

[La version française vient à la suite de la version anglaise]

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Temp. Cite: [2011] N.B.R.(2d) TBEd. SE.030

Renvoi temp.: [2011] N.B.R.(2d) TBEd. SE.030

Carter Brothers Ltd. (appellant) v. The Registrar of Motor Vehicles for the Province of New Brunswick (respondent)

(28-11-CA; 2011 NBCA 81)

Indexed As: Carter Brothers Ltd. v. Registrar of Motor Vehicles (N.B.)

Répertorié: Carter Brothers Ltd. v. Registrar of Motor Vehicles (N.B.)

New Brunswick Court of Appeal

Robertson, Bell and Green, JJ.A.

September 22, 2011.

Summary:

Résumé:

The Registrar of Motor Vehicles concluded that the appellant's 26 boom trucks did not qualify as "special mobile equipment" within the meaning of the Motor Vehicle Act and, therefore, the appellant was not entitled to registration plates bearing the "L" designation. The appellant applied for judicial review.

The New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench, Trial Division, in a decision not reported in this series of reports, dismissed the application. The appellant appealed.

The New Brunswick Court of Appeal allowed the appeal, set aside the Queen's Bench judgment, allowed the application for judicial review and set aside the Registrar's decision.

Administrative Law - Topic 3202

Judicial review - General - Scope or standard of review - [See Motor Vehicles - Topic 6081 ].

Motor Vehicles - Topic 6081

Licensing and registration of motor vehicles - Registration - General - The Registrar of Motor Vehicles concluded that the appellant's 26 boom trucks did not qualify as "special mobile equipment" within the meaning of the Motor Vehicle Act (MVA) and, therefore, the appellant was not entitled to registration plates bearing the "L" designation - The New Brunswick Court of Appeal set aside the Registrar's decision - The legal interpretation which a government official (elected or non-elected) placed on legislation was owed no deference - Nothing that was decided in Dunsmuir v. New Brunswick (2008 S.C.C.) undermined that reality - Accordingly, the appropriate standard of review was correctness - There was an apparent discrepancy between the statutory provision and the regulation - The concept of "special mobile equipment" found in s. 7(6) of the General Regulation did not mirror the definition found in s. 1 of the MVA - The law was clear: a statutory definition applied to regulations made under that statute - Unless the apparent conflict could be resolved according to interpretative principles, the statutory definition had to prevail - Further, the appellant's interpretation was aided by the residual presumption which favoured taxpayers - The presumption came into play when the conventional principles of statutory interpretation were unable to resolve an ambiguity - In the court's view, the appellant's boom trucks qualified as "special mobile equipment" within the meaning of s. 1 of the MVA.

Statutes - Topic 5364

Operation and effect - Delegated legislation - Regulations - Validity of - Conflict with statute authorizing the regulation - [See Motor Vehicles - Topic 6081 ].

Droit administratif - Cote 3202

Révision judiciaire - Généralités - Étendue ou norme de révision - [Voir Administrative Law - Topic 3202 ].

Législation - Cote 5364

Application et effet - Législation déléguée - Règlements - Validité - Incompatibilité avec la loi habilitante - [Voir Statutes - Topic 5364 ].

Véhicules à moteur - Cote 6081

Permis et immatriculation des véhicules à moteur - Immatriculation - Généralités - [Voir Motor Vehicles - Topic 6081 ].

Cases Noticed:

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; 2008 SCC 9, refd to. [para. 2].

Baker v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [1999] 2 S.C.R. 817; 243 N.R. 22, refd to. [para. 7].

New Brunswick (Attorney General) v. Pembridge Insurance Co. et al. (2011), 368 N.B.R.(2d) 134; 949 A.P.R. 134; 2011 NBCA 2, refd to. [para. 7].

New Brunswick (Attorney General) v. Dominion of Canada General Insurance Co. (2010), 366 N.B.R.(2d) 105; 942 A.P.R. 105; 2010 NBCA 82, refd to. [para. 7].

O'Dell v. New Brunswick (Minister of the Environment and Local Government) (2005), 286 N.B.R.(2d) 115; 748 A.P.R. 115; 2005 NBCA 58, refd to. [para. 9].

GreenIsle Environmental Inc. v. New Brunswick (Minister of the Environment and Local Government) (2007), 311 N.B.R.(2d) 161; 803 A.P.R. 161; 2007 NBCA 9, refd to. [para. 9].

Québec (Communauté urbaine) et autres v. Corporation Notre-Dame de Bon-Secours, [1994] 3 S.C.R. 3; 171 N.R. 161; 63 Q.A.C. 161, refd to. [para. 21].

Statutes Noticed:

Motor Vehicle Act, R.S.N.B. 1973, c. M-17, sect. 1 [para. 12].

Motor Vehicle Act Regulations (N.B.), General Regulation, Reg. 83-42, sect. 7(6) [para. 15].

Authors and Works Noticed:

Sullivan, Ruth, Essentials of Canadian Law - Statutory Interpretation (1997), p. 82 [para. 17].

Sullivan, Ruth, Sullivan on the Construction of Statutes (5th Ed. 2008), p. 527 ff. [para. 21].

Counsel:

Avocats:

Chantal A. Thibodeau, for the appellant;

Michael L. Hynes, for the respondent.

This appeal was heard on June 21, 2011, by Robertson, Bell and Green, JJ.A., of the New Brunswick Court of Appeal. The following judgment of the Court of Appeal was delivered in both official languages by Robertson, J.A., on September 22, 2011.