Yolanda Yuanfeng Song

The appellant purchased a pre-construction condominium detached house unit under an Agreement of Purchase and Sale.

On the closing date, the appellant's solicitor advised that certain common elements (a parkette and entrance/exit gates) had not been constructed, contrary to the disclosure statement, and reserved the right to rescind.

The respondent terminated the agreement and forfeited the deposit.

The appellant subsequently rescinded and sought return of the deposit.

The application judge found the appellant breached the agreement and dismissed the application for return of the deposit.

The Court of Appeal upheld this decision, finding no material change in circumstances under the Condominium Act and that time was not of the essence for construction of the common elements.

The defendant brought a motion for summary judgment seeking to dismiss the plaintiff's claims of defamation and libel.

The defendant argued that the statements were true, protected by qualified privilege or fair comment, and that the libel claim was barred due to lack of proper notice.

The court dismissed the motion, finding that there were genuine issues requiring a trial, particularly concerning the truth of the allegations and the presence of malice, which necessitated credibility assessments.

The court also determined that the lack of specific notice for the libel claim was not an absolute bar given the circumstances where the defendant's identity was initially unknown and the publisher promptly retracted the advertisement.