The plaintiff brought a negligence action in the Ontario Small Claims Court for damages to a fishing net caused by the defendant's unmarked gas well in Lake Erie.
The defendant challenged the court's jurisdiction, arguing the matter fell under federal admiralty law.
The Supreme Court of Canada held that a provincial legislature has the power under s. 92(14) of the Constitution Act, 1867 to grant jurisdiction to an inferior court to hear matters falling within federal legislative jurisdiction, including admiralty, absent explicit federal legislation to the contrary.
The appeal was allowed and the matter remitted to the Small Claims Court.
