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Full-Text Articles in Law
Assessing Exclusion Clauses: The Supreme Court Of Canada's Three Issue Framework In Tercon Contractors Ltd V British Columbia (Transportation And Highways), Shannon O'Byrne
Dalhousie Law Journal
The Supreme Court of Canada's 2010 decision in Tercon Contractors Ltd v British Columbia (Transportation and Highways) concerned the enforceability of a broadly drafted exclusion clause in the context of public procurement tendering. It is noteworthy for several reasons. First, the decision unanimously articulated a three-issue framework for determining the enforceability of exclusion clauses. Second, and on a more theoretical front, Tercon offered competing visions as to how contracts are to be interpreted. Though the Supreme Court was unanimous that parties to a contract should-of course-generally be bound by its terms, the majority and dissent followed significantly different paths for …
The Origins Of A Coming Crisis: Renewal Of The Churchill Falls Contract, James P. Feehan, Melvin Baker
The Origins Of A Coming Crisis: Renewal Of The Churchill Falls Contract, James P. Feehan, Melvin Baker
Dalhousie Law Journal
The 1969 Churchill Falls contract between Hydro-Quebec and the Churchill Falls Labrador Corporation has been the subject of political controversy. It has also been challenged in the courts, with appeals reaching to the Supreme Court of Canada. Yet, despite the scrutiny of those court cases, the political rhetoric, and the literature that has been spawned by this matter, an extraordinary element of that contract remains remarkably obscure. It is the contract's renewal clause. At the expiry of the contract's forty-four-year term in 2016, that clause requires an automatic renewal for twenty-five additional years at a fixed nominal price that is …
Conflict Of Interest, Duress And Unconscionability In Quebec Civil Law: Comment On "The Origins Of A Coming Crisis: Renewal Of The'churchill Falls Contract", Sarah P. Bradley
Conflict Of Interest, Duress And Unconscionability In Quebec Civil Law: Comment On "The Origins Of A Coming Crisis: Renewal Of The'churchill Falls Contract", Sarah P. Bradley
Dalhousie Law Journal
As Professor James Feehan and archivist-historian Melvin Baker describe the circumstances in which the fateful renewal provision of the 1969 Churchill Falls hydro contract was negotiated, they suggest that the legal doctrines of conflict of interest or economic duress might offer a basis upon which the contract, or perhaps the renewal provision, could be impugned. In addition to interesting historical insights, their analysis offers the intriguing possibility that the government of Newfoundland may yet succeed in its long-standing battle to rid itself of its obligations under the grossly disadvantageous Churchill Falls contract.
Damages For Mental Distress And Other Intangible Loss In A Commercial Context, Shannon O'Byrne
Damages For Mental Distress And Other Intangible Loss In A Commercial Context, Shannon O'Byrne
Dalhousie Law Journal
As a general rule, contracts law does not permit an award of general damages for mental distress or other intangible loss. There are several rationales for this, including: plaintiffs are to bear their disappointment or upset with mental fortitude; without the rule, courts would be awash in litigation since every breach of contract brings with it some degree of emotional distress; without the rule, plaintiffs may fabricate or exaggerate the degree of their upset; and the rule simply reflects the lack of foreseeability of such loss under Hadley v. Baxendale. Notwithstanding the general rule, courts have awarded mental distress in …
Public Power And Private Obligation: An Analysis Of The Government Contract, Shannon Kathleen O'Byrne
Public Power And Private Obligation: An Analysis Of The Government Contract, Shannon Kathleen O'Byrne
Dalhousie Law Journal
This paper analyzes contracts made by the Government in terms of political theory. From this perspective, it explores the assumptions, utility, and accuracy of the private law model which historically has governed the Government's liability in contract. The paper's overarching objective is to question the propriety of applying private law principles to a public entity, particularly within the context of liberal democratic values to which both the Canadian State and society are pledged. In accord with McAuslan, it regards theoretical inquiry as significant. It asserts that if the current model of State liability collides with fundamental Canadian political constructs, or …