Ground

The moving parties brought a motion to have four applications heard together.

The applications all involved the interpretation of section 13 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act regarding 'advice or recommendations' in different factual contexts.

The court found that hearing the applications together would be in the interests of justice and would not cause substantial prejudice or inconvenience.

The motion was granted and the applications were ordered to be heard together.

The appellant land developers appealed a decision of the Ontario Municipal Board refusing to award disturbance damages for lost developer's profit following the expropriation of a parcel of land by the respondent school board.

The Divisional Court allowed the appeal, applying the Supreme Court of Canada's decision in Dell Holdings to find that disturbance damages are not limited to the expropriated lands and can include the natural and reasonable consequences of the expropriation, such as lost profit on a subdivision development that was virtually complete.

The court awarded the agreed quantum of $437,000 in disturbance damages and dismissed the respondent's cross-appeal.

The defendants appealed an order directing that a certification motion in a class proceeding be heard in Hamilton based on the balance of convenience.

The Divisional Court allowed the appeal, holding that rule 37.03 of the Rules of Civil Procedure applies to determine the venue of a certification motion and that section 12 of the Class Proceedings Act, 1992 does not oust that rule.

The court further held that the balance of convenience is not the proper test for granting leave under rule 37.03(4) to hear a motion elsewhere.