James E. Redmond

During a bitter strike at the Giant Mine, a striking miner evaded security, entered the mine, and planted a bomb that killed nine replacement miners.

The surviving family members and a first responder sued the mine's security firm, the territorial government, and the national union in negligence.

The Supreme Court of Canada held that while the security firm and the government owed a duty of care to the miners, they did not breach the standard of care.

The Court also held that the national union and local union were separate legal entities, and the national union was not directly or vicariously liable for the criminal acts of the striking members.

The appeals were dismissed.

The Province of Alberta introduced a new school funding scheme that pooled all revenues in a central fund and distributed them on a per-student basis.

Separate school boards, but not public school boards, were permitted to opt out of the scheme and continue raising funds directly from ratepayers.

The appellants challenged the scheme, arguing it violated a constitutional right to reasonable autonomy, discriminated against public school boards, and violated a principle of mirror equality.

The Supreme Court of Canada dismissed the appeal, holding that school boards do not have a constitutional right to reasonable autonomy, the funding scheme does not discriminate against public school boards as it meets a standard of fairness, and the constitutional provisions do not guarantee mirror equality between public and separate school boards.