Introduction to Public Complaints (5:I)

A. Introduction

This chapter does not address all problems, legal or otherwise, relating to government, but it provides some general information that may assist your client. This section contains general guidelines for dealing with public bodies (e.g., the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, the Egg Marketing Board, or a public university). Individuals involved in the judicial review process should consult the following texts:

David J Mullan, Administrative Law, (Toronto: Irwin Law, 2001).

• Part of the Essentials of Canadian Law series by Irwin Law, this text provides a comprehensive review of administrative law in Canada.

Sara Blake, Administrative Law in Canada, 5th ed (Toronto: LexisNexis, 2011).

• This text provides a simple and clear review of administrative law.

Donald Brown & John M Evans, Judicial Review of Administrative Action in Canada, loose-leaf (Toronto: Canvasback Publishing, 1998).

• This regularly updated three-volume text provides a more detailed review of administrative law.

B. Governing Legislation and Resources

1. Legislation

Federal Courts Act, RSC 1985, c F-7.

Judicial Review Procedure Act, RSBC 1996, c 241.

2. Resources

David Mossop, Kendra Milne & Jess Hadley, Representing Yourself in a Judicial Review, 2d ed (Vancouver: Community Legal Assistance Society, 2010), online: <clasbc.net/publications>.

The Ombudsperson of BC website: http://www.ombudsman.bc.ca.

C. Step One: Informal Review

Disputes with government agencies can often be resolved through informal communication. Agencies often make initial decisions based on misperceptions, without all relevant information. Sometimes the most difficult part of an advocate’s job is to locate the person making the decision or someone in a position to review the decision. Before pursuing more drastic (and often expensive) avenues, try to locate this person and ensure that they have been provided with all relevant information.

D. Step Two: Formal Review

Most government agencies have some sort of formal review process. For some agencies there is little difference between formal and informal review, while others have sophisticated, published processes that closely resemble courtroom procedure. Whatever the problem is and whichever government player is involved, be sure to research the review process before launching a formal appeal. Factors such as cost, location of the hearing, type of submissions heard, and evidence required will all affect the choice of whether or not to pursue a resolution through the formal review process.

Generally, powers of review and review procedures are set out in the statutes and regulations that govern a particular tribunal or court. Agencies themselves further clarify this process. Many publish handbooks for internal use that are available to the general public on their websites or in law libraries. Lawyers with experience in the area may also provide valuable insight. Lawyers at the Community Legal Assistance Society can be helpful when dealing with specific problems, especially those dealing with poverty law topics (EI, WCB, Income Assistance).

NOTE: Pay attention to time limits. Many worthy cases have been lost because an advocate failed to pay proper attention to limitation periods. Some limitation periods are very short.

E. Step Three: Examining an Appeal

If launching an internal review fails to solve a client’s issue, they can either apply for judicial review or contact the BC Ombudsperson. Both of these options can be pursued at the same time, but one option may be preferable to the other in certain circumstances. Generally speaking, clients will be looking to resort to the courts through a judicial review, which will actually render a binding decision on a case. The Ombudsperson is generally to be contacted only where the client does not have a legal cause of action, but still wants to change a part of a government body’s structure that leads to unfairness.

1. Judicial Review

If a client receives an unfavourable decision from an agency’s appeal process, or objects to the appeal process itself, the client may have recourse to the courts. Sometimes regulations give an individual a right to appeal directly to the courts. If so, the client should use this direct right to appeal rather than the general judicial review procedure. However, even if the client has no express statutory right to appeal to the courts, superior courts possess inherent jurisdiction to review administrative action to ensure that administrative decision-makers do not exceed the authority granted to them by statute.

The courts have developed criteria against which to assess the adequacy of government agencies’ decision-making procedures. These criteria form the heart of administrative law. It is not within the scope of this section to attempt a comprehensive overview of the basic principles of administrative law. Interested parties can find an excellent introduction to these fundamental principles in Dunsmuir v New Brunswick, 2008 SCC 9. Bastarache and Lebel JJ for the majority provide the following description at paragraphs 27-28:

As a matter of constitutional law, judicial review is intimately connected with the preservation of the rule of law... By virtue of the rule of law principle, all exercises of public authority must find their source in law. All decision-making powers have legal limits, derived from the enabling statute itself, the common or civil law or the Constitution. Judicial review is the means by which the courts supervise those who exercise statutory powers, to ensure that they do not overstep their legal authority. The function of judicial review is therefore to ensure the legality, the reasonableness and the fairness of the administrative process and its outcomes.

Remember that judicial review should not be contemplated unless all aforementioned avenues have been exhausted.

a) BC Judicial Review Procedure Act

For matters within the jurisdiction of the BC Legislature, the Judicial Review Procedure Act, RSBC 1996, c 241 [JRPA], provides for the judicial review of the “exercise, refusal to exercise, or proposed or purported exercise, of a statutory power” (JRPA, s 2). This includes the power to review decisions “deciding or prescribing (a) the legal rights, powers, privileges, immunities, duties or liabilities of a person, or (b) the eligibility of a person to receive, or to continue to receive, a benefit or licence...” (JRPA, s 1). In a proceeding under the JRPA, the court has broad powers to craft a suitable remedy; most often the case will be returned to the tribunal for reconsideration in light of the court’s findings of law or fact (see Section I.F.4: Available Remedies, below). An application under the JRPA can be brought before a Supreme Court judge in Chambers. Although this is a less expensive procedure than a trial, it may still be beyond the means of most clients.

b) Judicial Review Procedure

A party applying for judicial review must first determine whether the Federal Court or a provincial superior court has authority to decide on the matter. As a general rule, provincial jurisdiction includes tribunals established within provincial constitutional jurisdiction and tribunals created by the province due to a delegation of powers by the federal government.

(1) Federal Court

When considering judicial review of federal tribunals, look at both the Federal Courts Act, RSC 1985, c F-7, and the particular tribunal’s governing statute. Often the governing statute sets out important limitation periods and procedures.

The Federal Court Trial Division hears reviews of most federal tribunals. However, the 16 tribunals listed in section 28 of the Federal Courts Act are reviewed by the Federal Court of Appeal. Examples of federal tribunals that are reviewed by the Federal Court of Appeal include the Canada Industrial Relations Board, Employment Insurance umpires, the Competition Tribunal, and the CRTC.

The procedures for a federal judicial review are set out in s 18.1 of the Federal Courts Act. There is a 30-day limitation period for applications to the Federal Court, which can be extended under s 18.1(2).

(2) Provincial Superior Courts

A tribunal under provincial jurisdiction can be reviewed upon application to a judge in the BC Supreme Court. The procedural rules are described in the BC Supreme Court Civil Rules, BC Reg 168/2009, available in the Practice, Procedure & Policy section of the BC Supreme Court website.

Tribunals that can be reviewed under the JRPA include the Employment and Assistance Appeal Tribunal, the Workers’ Compensation Board, and the Residential Tenancy Branch.

(3) Standing

In general, only the parties who had standing before the tribunal or who are directly affected by the tribunal’s decision may apply for judicial review.

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