Police Complaint Commissioner (B.C.) v. Abbotsford Police Department et al., (2015) 381 B.C.A.C. 110 (CA)

• Judge: Newbury, Willcock and Savage, JJ.A.
• Court: Court of Appeal (British Columbia)
• Case Date: December 17, 2015
• Jurisdiction: British Columbia
• Citations: (2015), 381 B.C.A.C. 110 (CA);2015 BCCA 523

Police Complaint Commr. v. Abbotsford Police (2015), 381 B.C.A.C. 110 (CA);

    659 W.A.C. 110

MLB headnote and full text

Temp. Cite: [2016] B.C.A.C. TBEd. JA.021

The Police Complaint Commissioner of British Columbia (appellant/applicant) v. The Abbotsford Police Department, The Attorney General of British Columbia (respondents/respondents)

(CA42705; 2015 BCCA 523)

Indexed As: Police Complaint Commissioner (B.C.) v. Abbotsford Police Department et al.

British Columbia Court of Appeal

Newbury, Willcock and Savage, JJ.A.

December 17, 2015.

Summary:

The Police Complaint Commissioner of British Columbia (PCC) appealed from a decision of Cullen, A.C.J., reported at [2015] B.C.T.C. Uned. 978. The appeal raised two primary issues. The first was one of appellate jurisdiction. It required the court to characterize the nature of the order from which the appeal was taken as either criminal or civil. If it was the former, the appeal had to be quashed as no statutory authority existed for the Court of Appeal to determine the appeal. The second issue was one of substantive law, being whether the PCC in his supervisory role over the conduct of municipal police under the Police Act, and investigators carrying out duties under that Act, could be given access to information, sealed in a packet in a criminal proceeding, that could reveal the identity of confidential police informants.

The British Columbia Court of Appeal held that an application to obtain access to a packet that had been sealed in a criminal proceeding had to be treated as criminal in nature. It followed that the order made by Cullen, A.C.J., was also criminal and that no appeal to the Court of Appeal was available. On that basis, the court quashed the appeal. Even if the appeal had been properly brought, the court would have dismissed it. The court held that aside from the "innocence at stake" exception (which was not engaged here), the police informant privilege, or "secrecy rule," was not to be "balanced" or weighed against other interests or objectives, however worthy. It was a "legal rule of public order by which the judge is bound" and in that sense was "absolute". For the same reason, the "circle of privilege" could not be expanded to include investigators under the Police Act, the PCC himself or others carrying out "disciplinary" or "administrative" duties and not involved directly in criminal law enforcement.

Courts - Topic 2106

Jurisdiction - Appellate jurisdiction - Court of Appeal - Criminal appeals - See paragraphs 51 to 69.

Criminal Law - Topic 5275

Evidence and witnesses - Interception of private communications - Application for - Confidentiality of supporting materials (incl. access to sealed packet) - See paragraphs 70 to 82.

Evidence - Topic 4150

Witnesses - Privilege - Privileged topics - Identity of police informers - See paragraphs 4 to 12 and 70 to 82.

Police - Topic 4287

Internal organization - Public Complaints Commission (incl. adjudicators and investigators) - Evidence and proof - See paragraphs 70 to 82.

Police - Topic 4291

Internal organization - Public Complaints Commission (incl. adjudicators and investigators) - Investigation or inquiry - See paragraphs 70 to 82.

Cases Noticed:

Rex v. Hardy (1794), 24 St. Tr. 199, refd to. [para. 4].

Marks v. Beyfus (1890), 25 Q.B.D. 494 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 4].

Bisaillon v. Keable et al., [1983] 2 S.C.R. 60; 51 N.R. 81, refd to. [para. 4].

Solicitor General of Canada et al. v. Royal Commission of Inquiry into Confidentiality of Health Records, [1981] 2 S.C.R. 494; 38 N.R. 588, refd to. [para. 4].

D. v. National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, [1978] A.C. 171 (H.L.), refd to. [para. 4].

R. v. Barros (R.), [2011] 3 S.C.R. 368; 421 N.R. 270; 513 A.R. 1; 530 W.A.C. 1; 2011 SCC 51, refd to. [para. 6].

R. v. Basi (U.S.) (2009), 395 N.R. 240; 277 B.C.A.C. 305; 469 W.A.C. 305; 2009 SCC 52, refd to. [para. 6].

R. v. Scott, [1990] 3 S.C.R. 979; 116 N.R. 361; 43 O.A.C. 277, refd to. [para. 7].

R. v. Leipert (R.D.), [1997] 1 S.C.R. 281; 207 N.R. 145; 85 B.C.A.C. 162; 138 W.A.C. 162, refd to. [para. 7].

R. v. Stinchcombe, [1991] 3 S.C.R. 326; 130 N.R. 277; 120 A.R. 161; 8 W.A.C. 161, refd to. [para. 7].

Reference re Validity of Section 5(a) of the Dairy Industry Act, [1949] S.C.R. 1, affd. [1951] A.C. 179 (J.C.P.C.), refd to. [para. 10].

R. v. Swain, [1991] 1 S.C.R. 933; 125 N.R. 1; 47 O.A.C. 81, refd to. [para. 10].

Schaeffer et al. v. Wood et al. (2013), 452 N.R. 286; 312 O.A.C. 1; 2013 SCC 71, refd to. [para. 11].

Peel Regional Police v. Special Investigations Unit (Ont.) et al. (2012), 292 O.A.C. 103; 2012 ONCA 292, refd to. [para. 11].

Florkow et al. v. Police Complaint Commissioner (B.C.) et al. (2013), 333 B.C.A.C. 284; 571 W.A.C. 284; 2013 BCCA 92, refd to. [para. 11].

Director of Civil Forfeiture (B.C.) v. Hells Angels Motorcycle Corp. et al. (2014), 360 B.C.A.C. 170; 617 W.A.C. 170; 2014 BCCA 330, consd. [para. 29].

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Public Complaints Commission v. Canada (Attorney General) (2005), 336 N.R. 101; 2005 FCA 213, consd. [para. 34].

R. v. Sandhu (R.S.) (2012), 317 B.C.A.C. 85; 540 W.A.C. 85; 279 C.C.C.(3d) 360; 2012 BCCA 73, refd to. [para. 51].

R. v. Mills, [1986] 1 S.C.R. 863; 67 N.R. 241; 16 O.A.C. 81, refd to. [para. 51].

Canadian Broadcasting Corp. v. Dagenais et al., [1994] 3 S.C.R. 835; 175 N.R. 1; 76 O.A.C. 81, refd to. [para. 51].

R. v. Ciancio (S.R.) (2006), 232 B.C.A.C. 1; 385 W.A.C. 1; 2006 BCCA 311, refd to. [para. 52].

Kourtessis et al. v. Minister of National Revenue et al., [1993] 2 S.C.R. 53; 153 N.R. 1; 27 B.C.A.C. 81; 45 W.A.C. 81, refd to. [para. 59].

R. v. Meltzer (1986), 29 C.C.C.(3d) 266 (B.C.C.A.), refd to. [para. 60].

R. v. Cass (1985), 71 A.R. 248 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 60].

Michaud v. Quebec (Attorney General), [1996] 3 S.C.R. 3; 201 N.R. 241, refd to. [para. 60].

Canadian Broadcasting Corp. v. Ontario (2011), 285 O.A.C. 160; 281 C.C.C.(3d) 167; 2011 ONCA 624, consd. [para. 60].

R. v. White (M.J.) (2008), 437 A.R. 130; 433 W.A.C. 130; 2008 ABCA 294, refd to. [para. 60].

R. v. Consolidated Fastfrate Transport Inc. (1995), 83 O.A.C. 1; 125 D.L.R.(4th) 1 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 60].

Angel Acres Recreation & Festival Property Ltd. v. R. et al. (2006), 227 B.C.A.C. 302; 374 W.A.C. 302; 209 C.C.C.(3d) 501; 2006 BCCA 285, consd. [para. 60].

S.F. v. Canada (Attorney General) et al. (2000), 128 O.A.C. 329; 141 C.C.C.(3d) 225 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 70].

Vancouver Sun et al. v. Canada (Attorney General) et al., [2007] 3 S.C.R. 253; 368 N.R. 112; 247 B.C.A.C. 1; 409 W.A.C. 1; 2007 SCC 43, refd to. [para. 79].

R. v. X.Y. (2011), 280 O.A.C. 165; 2011 ONCA 259, refd to. [para. 80].

R. v. Omar (A.) (2007), 221 O.A.C. 76; 84 O.R.(3d) 493; 218 C.C.C.(3d) 242; 2007 ONCA 117, refd to. [para. 80].

A. v. Drapeau (2012), 393 N.B.R.(2d) 76; 1017 A.P.R. 76; 2012 NBCA 73, refd to. [para. 80].

Statutes Noticed:

Criminal Code, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-46, sect. 187 [para. 9]; sect. 487.3 [para. 8].

Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 165, sect. 15(1) [para. 40].

Police Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 367, sect. 100 [para. 40].

Counsel:

D.K. Lovett, Q.C., and M. Tammen, Q.C., for the appellant;

D.G. Butcher, Q.C., and A. Srivastava, for the respondent, The Abbotsford Police Department;

P.W. Hogg, for the respondent, The Attorney General of British Columbia.

This appeal was heard on November 12 and 13, 2015, at Vancouver, B.C., before Newbury, Willcock and Savage, JJ.A., of the British Columbia Court of Appeal. The following judgment of the Court of Appeal was delivered by Newbury, J.A., on December 17, 2015.