( Available in French only )
Un jugement, deux mises en garde : pénalités pour retard abusives et travaux extracontractuels sans approbation formelle
Introduction Récemment, la Cour supérieure s’est prononcée sur le caractère abusif des clauses de pénalité pour retard contenues dans les documents d’appel d’offres dans le cadre de l’étude du bien‑fondé de la réclamation de l’entrepreneur Groupe Civicam inc. (« Civicam...
Net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) buildings in Quebec in record time
(Special thanks to Feriel Fatiha Djemame) On April 7, 2016, the Government of Quebec (the “Government”) released the 2030 Energy Policy (the “Policy”)[1], which sets out Quebec’s goal of becoming a North American leader in energy efficiency and renewable energy...
Alberta Court of King’s Bench reaffirms corporate veil test in the construction context
In the 2022 case, Parks v McAvoy, 2022 ABQB 294, the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench (as it then was) evaluated whether a general contracting company’s director could be personally liable for damages when that director had performed work on...
( Available in French only )
L’importance de la procédure contractuelle de résiliation
Introduction À la suite de la résiliation d’un contrat visant la numérisation de dossiers de patients archivés au sein de trois hôpitaux de la région de Québec, le Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec (« CHUQ ») a été condamné à payer à...
Ontario’s construction dispute interim adjudication: Pros and cons
It has been several years now since Part II.1, Construction Dispute Interim Adjudication (“Adjudication”), was brought into the Construction Act, RSO 1990 c C.30 (the “Act”). As a result of the transition provisions of the Act, it has taken some...
Door open for rescission of surety bonds despite potential impact to third parties
The recent decision of Urban Mechanical Contracting Ltd. et al v Zurich Insurance Company Ltd., 2022 ONCA 589 (“Urban”) has sent waves through the construction industry. In Urban, the Ontario Court of Appeal refused two applications seeking to overturn a...
( Available in French only )
La règle du plus bas soumissionnaire : le coût réel des travaux compte!
La règle du plus bas soumissionnaire est une prémisse selon laquelle le donneur d’ouvrage doit octroyer le contrat au soumissionnaire qui propose le plus bas prix dans le cadre d’un appel d’offres. Ainsi, le prix de la soumission est habituellement...
Supreme Court confirms that conservation zoning can be de facto expropriation
On September 29, 2022, the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed the application for leave to appeal filed by the City of Mascouche (the “City”) in Ville de Mascouche v. Dupras, 2022 CanLII 88678 (SCC). This confirms the Québec Court of...
Ontario Superior Court clarifies priority of construction lien claimants over building mortgages
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice in BCIMC Construction Fund Corp. et al. v. 33 Yorkville Residences Inc et al.[1] recently held that construction lien claimants are entitled to one holdback fund of 10%, regardless of the number of building...
Divisional Court’s strict enforcement of the prompt payment and adjudication regimes under the Construction Act (Ontario)
A recent decision from the Ontario Divisional Court suggests that applications for judicial review will likely fail when orders by an adjudicator under the Construction Act remain unpaid prior to an application for judicial review, and where no stay has...
