Kasia Kosacka

The court determined questions of law in a special case arising from a motor vehicle accident.

The primary issue was whether Dmytro Lavrov's vehicle was insured by Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) at the time of the accident, considering MPI's inter-jurisdictional undertaking and notice requirements for policy suspension.

The court found that MPI was precluded from denying coverage based on Dmytro Lavrov's failure to register his vehicle in Ontario and MPI's failure to provide proper notice of policy suspension under Manitoba law, or equivalent Ontario law.

The third-party claim for contribution and indemnity was not conclusively statute-barred, but the limitation defence otherwise remained outstanding for future determination.

The defendants moved for summary judgment in multiple consolidated medical malpractice actions, arguing that the plaintiffs' claims were statute-barred by the Limitations Act, 2002.

The plaintiffs contended that their claims were only discovered after a 2011 press release and media coverage regarding allegations against Dr. Frank.

The court applied the objective discoverability test, finding that the plaintiffs were aware, or ought to have been aware, of the material facts giving rise to their claims well before the press release.

The information from the press release did not provide new material facts related to their individual care but rather served as evidence to support existing allegations.

Consequently, the court determined that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate due diligence in discovering their claims, and thus, their actions were statute-barred.