Gideon McMaster

This endorsement addresses the costs arising from a trial where the Plaintiff, 2599475 Ontario Inc., was successful in proving the cause of a truck engine failure.

The Plaintiff sought partial indemnity costs of $17,038.68, while the Defendant, 2549445 Ontario Inc. trading as House of Diesel, argued for a reduction, citing the Plaintiff's lower recovery than initially sought and the Defendant's partial success on damages and in resisting a summary judgment motion.

The court awarded the Plaintiff $15,000 in partial indemnity costs, finding the quantum generally reasonable but applying a modest reduction due to the Plaintiff having advanced duplicative and unjustified damage claims.

The appellants, C.O. and N.P., appealed convictions for failure to provide necessaries of life and an order for a new trial on unlawful confinement, stemming from the unsanitary conditions in their apartment and the confinement of their four-year-old daughter, J. The Court of Appeal dismissed both appeals, affirming that risk of harm is an element of the necessaries offence under s. 215(2)(a)(i) of the Criminal Code and that the conditions of confinement are relevant to the "lawful authority" defence under s. 279(2).

The court found the trial judge erred in refusing to take judicial notice of the health risks posed by the cumulative unsanitary conditions.

The matter was remitted for sentencing on the necessaries charge.

The Crown appealed the acquittals of the respondents on charges of failing to provide necessaries of life and forcible confinement of their four-year-old child.

The trial judge erred by requiring proof of actual risk of harm for the necessaries charge under s. 215(2)(a)(i) of the Criminal Code, and by not considering the egregious conditions of confinement for the forcible confinement charge.

The appeal court found that a sanitary environment is a necessary of life and the child was in necessitous circumstances, overturning the acquittal on necessaries.

For forcible confinement, the court held that the parents' authority to confine ceases when conduct is abusive or harmful, remitting this charge for a new trial.