Alexandra M. Tomasovic Little

Following the dismissal of an application for judicial review regarding the refusal to renew a trapline licence, the respondent Minister sought costs.

The applicant did not make any costs submissions.

The Divisional Court awarded the Minister costs of $8,000 on a partial indemnity basis, noting the commercial nature of the dispute and the reasonableness of the quantum sought.

The applicant sought judicial review of the Minister's decision to refuse to renew his commercial trapping licence for a specific trapline and to allocate it to an Indigenous trapper.

The applicant had initially been allocated the trapline, but the Ministry later determined it had erred in rejecting the Indigenous trapper's claim of ancestral connection to the area.

The Divisional Court dismissed the application, finding that the Minister's discretionary decision was reasonable, intelligible, and transparent.

The court also held that the applicant was afforded adequate procedural fairness, as he was kept informed and had no substantive property right to the trapline.