Saint John v. WHSCC, (2008) 338 N.B.R.(2d) 213 (CA)

• Jurisdiction: New Brunswick
• Judge: Turnbull, Robertson and Quigg, JJ.A.
• Neutral Citation: 2008 NBCA 83
• Citation: (2008), 338 N.B.R.(2d) 213 (CA),2008 NBCA 83,338 NBR (2d) 213,[2008] NBJ No 440 (QL),338 N.B.R.(2d) 213,338 NBR(2d) 213,[2008] N.B.J. No 440 (QL),(2008), 338 NBR(2d) 213 (CA)
• Date: 23 October 2008
• Court: Court of Appeal (New Brunswick)

Saint John v. WHSCC (2008), 338 N.B.R.(2d) 213 (CA);

    338 R.N.-B.(2e) 213; 866 A.P.R. 213

MLB headnote and full text

Sommaire et texte intégral

[French language version follows English language version]

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

.........................

Temp. Cite: [2008] N.B.R.(2d) TBEd. NO.034

Renvoi temp.: [2008] N.B.R.(2d) TBEd. NO.034

The City of Saint John, a Body Corporate by Royal Charter (appellant) v. The Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission of New Brunswick and Keith Rowe (respondents)

(44-08-CA; 2008 NBCA 83)

Indexed As: Saint John (City) v. Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission (N.B.) et al.

Répertorié: Saint John (City) v. Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission (N.B.) et al.

New Brunswick Court of Appeal

Turnbull, Robertson and Quigg, JJ.A.

November 20, 2008.

Summary:

Résumé:

The employer appealed against a decision of the Appeals Tribunal of the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission (N.B.), which restored the claimant employee's benefits.

The New Brunswick Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal.

Workers' Compensation - Topic 6963

Practice - Decision of board - Requirement that reasons be given (incl. sufficiency of) - At issue was the sufficiency of the reasons given by the Appeals Tribunal of the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission (N.B.) on the question of whether a claimant was actually working at the time of the injury - The New Brunswick Court of Appeal held as follows: "... the Appeals Tribunal's reasons for decision are not as robust as one might expect of an expert tribunal. However, brevity is not of itself a sufficient ground of complaint so long as the reasons provide the reader with an appreciation of the underlying facts and issue at hand and permit meaningful appellate review when measured against the record presented to the tribunal. In my view, the majority decision meets this expectation" - See paragraphs 15 to 17.

Workers' Compensation - Topic 7008

Practice - Appeals - Review of board's decision by an appeal board or by the courts - Evidence and proof - The employee claimed workplace accident compensation benefits - The claim was first accepted, and then refused on review by the New Brunswick Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission (Commission) - The employee appealed - In the meantime, the employer dismissed the employee after a disciplinary hearing - The Appeals Tribunal accepted new evidence confirming the employee's work hours on the day of the accident and challenging the employee's character - However, the Appeals Tribunal did not consider the new evidence in its decision which restored the employee's benefits - The New Brunswick Court of Appeal held that the Appeals Tribunal did not err in not considering the new evidence where the new evidence respecting the employee's work hours merely confirmed an uncontested fact and the new evidence challenging the employee's character was inadmissible character evidence - See paragraphs 1 to 14.

Accidents du travail - Cote 6963

Procédure - Décision de la commission - Obligation de motiver (y compris si les motifs sont suffisamment étayés) - [Voir Workers' Compensation - Topic 6963 ].

Accidents du travail - Cote 7008

Procédure - Appels - Révision des décisions de la Commission par un tribunal d'appel ou les tribunaux judiciaires - Preuve - [Voir Workers' Compensation - Topic 7008 ].

Cases Noticed:

New Brunswick (Board of Management) v. Dunsmuir (2008), 372 N.R. 1; 329 N.B.R.(2d) 1; 844 A.P.R. 1; 2008 SCC 9, folld. [para. 4].

Gallant v. Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission (N.B.) (2000), 228 N.B.R.(2d) 98; 588 A.P.R. 98 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 4].

Keddy v. Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission (N.B.) et al. (2002), 247 N.B.R.(2d) 284; 641 A.P.R. 284; 2002 NBCA 24, refd to. [para. 4].

D.W. v. Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission (N.B.) et al. (2005), 288 N.B.R.(2d) 26; 751 A.P.R. 26; 2005 NBCA 70, refd to. [para. 4].

Fortis Properties Corp. et al. v. United Steelworkers of America, Local 1-306 et al. (2007), 312 N.B.R.(2d) 224; 806 A.P.R. 224; 2007 NBCA 16, refd to. [para. 4].

Housen v. Nikolaisen et al., [2002] 2 S.C.R. 235; 286 N.R. 1; 219 Sask.R. 1; 272 W.A.C. 1; 2002 SCC 33, refd to. [para. 4].

H.L. v. Canada (Attorney General) et al., [2005] 1 S.C.R. 401; 333 N.R. 1; 262 Sask.R. 1; 347 W.A.C. 1; 2005 SCC 25, refd to. [para. 4].

3Com Corp. et al. v. Zorin International Corp. et al. (2006), 211 O.A.C. 222 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 8].

Waxman et al. v. Waxman et al. (2004), 186 O.A.C. 201 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 8].

Bossé v. Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission (N.B.) (2008), 330 N.B.R.(2d) 192; 845 A.P.R. 192; 2008 NBCA 35, refd to. [para. 15].

Boyle v. Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission (N.B.) (1996), 179 N.B.R.(2d) 43; 455 A.P.R. 43 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 15].

Savoie v. Workers' Compensation Board (N.B.) (1993), 139 N.B.R.(2d) 372; 357 A.P.R. 372 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 15].

Authors and Works Noticed:

Paciocco, David M., and Stuesser, Lee, The Law of Evidence (2nd Ed. 1999), pp. 90 ff, 131, 132 [para. 13].

Sopinka, John, Lederman, Sidney N., and Bryant, Alan W., The Law of Evidence in Canada (2nd Ed. 1999), pp. 431, 477 [para. 13].

Counsel:

Avocats:

Scott A. Brittain, for the appellant;

Matthew R. Letson, for the respondents, the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission;

Keith Rowe, appeared in person.

This appeal was heard on October 23, 2008, by Turnbull, Robertson and Quigg, JJ.A., of the New Brunswick Court of Appeal. The following decision of the Court of Appeal was delivered in both official languages on November 20, 2008, by Robertson, J.A.