Kenneth S. Purchase

The respondent was appointed as a Commissioner of the Public Utilities Board, holding office during good behaviour until age 70.

The provincial government subsequently passed legislation restructuring the Board and abolishing the respondent's position without providing compensation.

The respondent sued for damages for breach of contract.

The Supreme Court of Canada held that the employment relationship between the Crown and a senior civil servant is contractual.

While the legislature has the power to eliminate the position, it cannot escape the financial consequences of breaching the employment contract without explicit statutory language extinguishing the right to compensation.

The appeal was dismissed, affirming the award of damages equivalent to two and one-half years of salary plus pension benefits.

The appellant appealed his convictions for dangerous driving causing death.

The Supreme Court of Canada dismissed the appeal, agreeing with the Court of Appeal that driving at night, more than 20 kilometers over the speed limit, on a curve, and totally on the wrong side of the road constituted a marked departure from the norm.

The matter was remitted to the trial judge for sentencing.