In its decision earlier this year in UBS Securities Canada, Inc. v. Sands Brothers Canada, Ltd., the Ontario Court of Appeal examined the extent to which industry custom and common practice may be utilized in determining whether a contract has been formed between two parties. In particular, the investment industry practice of conducting multi-million dollar deals over the telephone was cited by the Court in finding that a binding agreement for the purchase and sale of shares had been concluded between the parties to this litigation and in ordering specific performance of that agreement.

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The Ontario Court of Appeal has restored an earlier Ontario Securities Commission ruling, which held that the Investment Dealers Association of Canada (now known as the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada, or IIROC) retains the authority to discipline a former member for up to five years after that member has left the organization. The ruling also opens the door to IIROC and other SROs levying court-enforceable fines against former members.

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The Ontario Court of Appeal recently clarified the difference between mutual and unilateral contractual mistake in the case of Royal Bank of Canada v. El-Bris Limited. Laskin J.A., writing for the court, explained that the four prerequisites set out by the Supreme Court of Canada in Performance Industries Ltd. v. Sylvan Lake Golf & Tennis Club only apply to cases of unilateral, not mutual, contractual mistake.

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Contributors: Michael Osborne , Jennifer Cantwell, Sandra Monardo, Michelle Booth, Sonny Ingram, Hooman Zardarzadeh

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Ice supplier Arctic Glacier Inc. tried to crush its fledgling competitor, Polar Ice Express Inc. by unlawfully interfering with its economic relations, an Alberta court found…

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Do high service charges exacted by MBNA for credit card cash advances constitute a criminal rate of interest? This is among the issues certified as a class action by the Ontario Court of Appeal in Markson v. MBNA Canada Bank. The court held that the bank could not rely on its failure to keep data to escape certification.

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