OBA Class Actions PROGRAM | Original Program Date: August 11, 2020

The new amendments to the Class Proceedings Act passed Third Reading on July 7 and Bill 161, The Smarter and Stronger Justice Act received Royal Assent on July 8. While not yet in force, these amendments have generated great debate amongst members of the class actions bar. After 28 years in force, the legal framework for class actions law in Ontario will be shifting – with groundbreaking changes to carriage motions, multi-jurisdictional conflicts, class notices and the appeal process at the forefront of that change. Perhaps most significant, though, will be the amendments to the certification test: specifically, the introduction of superiority and predominance requirements.

Our speakers, representing both sides of the Bar and law faculty, were all deeply involved in the process of these amendments and will discuss the changing geography of Ontario class actions and the effect these amendments will have on both the procedural chess match and the “industry” of class actions, while considering what a “made-in-Canada” approach to predominance and superiority might look like in practice.

Join us for this lively debate on the biggest class actions news in nearly 30 years, and gain a nuanced look ahead at how the most significant claims in Canada are about to evolve.

PROGRAM CHAIR

Jeremy Martin, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP

PROGRAM SPEAKERS

Suzanne Chiodo, Western Law
Tina Yang, Waddell Phillips Professional Corporation
Chantelle Cseh, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP