Ontario: an arbitration-friendly jurisdiction, Court of Appeal confirms
Ontario remains an arbitration-friendly jurisdiction, the Ontario Court of Appeal has confirmed in its recent decision in Haas v. Gunasekaram. In overturning a motion judge’s refusal to stay proceedings under s. 7(1) of the Ontario Arbitration Act, the Court emphasized that courts should enforce arbitration agreements where possible and set out an analytical framework to be used in determining whether a stay of proceedings should be granted. The facts in Haas are straightforward. Haas entered into a shareholders’ agreement with three other investors in a Toronto restaurant. The restaurant failed. Haas sued the other three parties to the shareholders’ agreement ... [more] Full article
Demons for Negotiators
[ As originally published in The Lawyers Weekly, April 01, 2016 ] In a legal climate that relies with growing frequency on alternative dispute resolution, a lawyer’s negotiating skills are ... [more] Full article
Shotgun Clause Robs Shareholders of $750k
The BC Court of Appeal has upheld an arbitrator’s finding that triggering a shotgun clause terminated the selling parties’ interest in a joint venture, thereby eliminating their entitlement to an ... [more] Full article
Injunctions available to enforce foreign arbitral awards, BC court says
The New York Convention permits parties to arbitrations to enforce arbitral awards in any contracting state, including Canada. This means that Canadian courts are not entitled to consider whether the ... [more] Full article
Arbitration Contributors
Kenneth A. Dekker
Kenneth Dekker, a partner of the firm, is a successful trial and appellate lawyer who is valued by his clients as a resourceful and practical litigation counsel. Over more than two decades, Ken has litigated noteworthy cases in a range of fields that include class action defence, securities and broker-dealer litigation and regulatory defence, corporate and shareholder disputes (including oppression and winding up cases), defamation, civil fraud litigation, disputes over contracts, injunctions, professional liability litigation, employment litigation and cross-border litigation issues. Ken has appeared before all levels of courts in Ontario, including the Ontario Court of Justice, the Superior Court of Justice, the Divisional Court and the Court of Appeal for Ontario, as well as before the Supreme Court of Canada. Ken also represents and advises clients in regulatory matters before the Investment Industry Organization of Canada (IIROC), the Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada (MFDA) and the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC). Ken has been ranked as Repeatedly Recommended for Securities Litigation by Lexpert, for Corporate and Commercial Litigation by Best Lawyers of Canada, and he has been given the highest available rating of AV, or pre-eminent, by his peers on Martindale-Hubbell.
Meredith Hayward
Meredith has earned an impressive reputation for her skill and abilities in Commercial Litigation and Administrative Law, appearing at all levels of court in Ontario, before the British Columbia Court of Appeal, and before the Supreme Court of Canada.
