Justyna Hidalgo

In the CCAA proceedings of U.S. Steel Canada Inc., the applicant sought an order declaring Bedrock Industries Canada LLC as the Successful Bidder under a sales and investment solicitation process.

The applicant also sought authorization to enter into a Plan Sponsor Agreement and a support agreement with the Province of Ontario.

Several parties, including a union local, the City of Hamilton, and individual retirees, objected to the motion, raising concerns about pensions, taxes, and the fairness of the proposed transaction.

The court granted the requested relief, finding that the proposed transaction was the best available option, the agreements were necessary to facilitate the restructuring, and the rights of the objecting parties to vote on or oppose the ultimate plan of arrangement were preserved.

A federal Crown corporation applied for a declaration that a municipal by-law regulating the placement of community mailboxes and imposing a permit requirement and moratorium was invalid.

The court held the by-law was void for vagueness because it provided no intelligible standards guiding the director’s discretion over permit approvals.

The by-law also conflicted with federal legislation and regulations governing postal services, frustrating the federal purpose of enabling efficient mail delivery.

Applying constitutional doctrines including paramountcy, interjurisdictional immunity, and federal Crown immunity, the court found the municipality had impermissibly intruded into the federal jurisdiction over postal services.

The by-law was therefore inoperative and of no force or effect in relation to community mailboxes.