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Atlantic Insurance Counsel – Winter 2014

PEI Auto Accident Benefits – Behind the Times No More

Nicole McKenna and Janet Clark

Significant changes are coming to the standard automobile policy in Prince Edward Island (“PEI”), including increases to the accident benefits available under Section B and an increase to the so-called “cap” for minor personal injury.

In the fall 2013 sitting of the provincial legislature, the government introduced a bill that would make significant changes to PEI’s accident benefits, cap and definition of “minor personal injury”, with some of these changes being consistent with what has been done in Nova Scotia and others being consistent with prior changes in New Brunswick.

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Section D Denied: The Tucker Cases

Matthew N. Craig

In September 2012, the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador released two concurrent decisions related to a collision between a pedestrian on a crosswalk and an unknown vehicle. The first decision, Tucker v. Unknown Person, dismissed the plaintiff’s application to add his own automobile insurer as a defendant to the action. In the second decision, Tucker v. AXA Insurance, the Court dismissed Tucker’s direct action against his own automobile insurer for Section D policy benefits as the limitation period had expired.

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Trial by Jury when defending an Action by the Crown

Ian Breneman 

Most Canadian provinces have specific legislation dealing with procedural requirements that must be followed when bringing lawsuits against the Crown. In Nova Scotia, that legislation is the Proceedings Against the Crown Act (“PACA”). Exactly what constitutes a “proceeding against the Crown” is broad, and includes claims made by set-off or counterclaim. Even where the Crown initiates a lawsuit, PACA will apply if the defendant countersues or defends on the basis that it owes the Crown less due to a set-off (i.e. because the Crown owes the defendant something as well).

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The Jury Knows Best

Of late, juries in Nova Scotia have taken quite a beating. Over the past couple of years, courts have been more and more likely to strike jury notices on the basis that the issues are too complex for the average citizen. Despite the view that juries are simply not as equipped to handle complex legal claims as a judge, recent experience with a jury trial proved otherwise.

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The ABCs of Damage Apportionment

Sydney Blackmore

Oftentimes, litigation involves multiple tortfeasors. The apportionment of damages between multiple tortfeasors relies on the degree of fault attributable to each of the defendants.

This article will outline the necessary steps and considerations that arise during apportionment calculations.

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Archive

Relief (potentially) in sight – The availability of remission under the Canadian retaliatory tariff regime (Part III)

BY Michelle Chai

By Michelle Chai In Parts I and II of this series, we discussed the remission guidelines and template for submissions published by the Department of Finance Canada (the “Guidelines”) for those…

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Relief (potentially) in sight – The availability of remission under the Canadian retaliatory tariff regime (Part II)

BY Michelle Chai

By Michelle Chai In Part I of this series, we discussed the industries and goods eligible for remission.  In Parts II and III, we attempt to provide a framework for importers…

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Relief (potentially) in sight – The availability of remission under the Canadian retaliatory tariff regime (Part I)

BY Michelle Chai

By Michelle Chai Government has implemented some processes which they hope will provide Canadian businesses and importers with some much-needed relief.  Update: An earlier version of this article was published before…

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Newfoundland and Labrador Court of Appeal sends tort of “Intrusion Upon Seclusion” back into seclusion: Mount Pearl (City) v. Power, 2025 NLCA 16

BY Joe Thorne & Danielle Harris

By Joe Thorne and Danielle Harris After a brief two years of recognition in this province of a common law claim for breach of privacy, it seems its time has…

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Preparing for Canada’s “Modern Slavery Act”: reporting deadline May 31

By Colleen Keyes, K.C., Christine Pound, ICD.D, and Harper Metler The 2024 reports under the Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act (the “Act”) are due…

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New harassment prevention obligations for Nova Scotia employers

By Sean Kelly, Katharine Mack and Tiegan Scott Effective September 1, 2025, amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act passed last year will require employers in Nova Scotia to…

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Non-disclosure agreements: A sword or a shield?

Murray L. Murphy, K.C., CPHR, Katharine Mack and Kate Profit Non-Disclosure Agreements (“NDAs”), legal contracts in which the parties agree to keep information outlined in the agreement strictly confidential, have been the subject…

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What are deceptive design patterns (DDPs)?

Charlotte Henderson and Kaitlyn Clarke Interested in understanding the impacts of AI on your business? Looking to understand how these intersect with concerns around privacy? Curious about the impacts of…

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Effectively identifying and navigating subtle discrimination: A must-do list for employers

By Lynn Iding, CPHR, CCIP and Sheila Mecking Interested in understanding the impacts of subtle discrimination on your business? Curious about the latest legal developments in racial discrimination? Looking to…

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Summary of Bill 14 – Act to Amend the Fair Registration Practices in Regulated Professions Act

By Sheila Mecking and Danielle Bailey-Heelan On March 25, 2025, Bill 14 was introduced by the Acting Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour to amend the Fair Registration Practices…

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