Our regular roundup of the weird lawsuits winding their way through Canada’s courts
Nunavut: A cruise company is suing the Canadian government for US$15 million after one of its ships was stranded in the Northwest Passage last summer. No one was injured when the vessel hit a rock shelf near Kugluktuk, but passengers and crew were stuck on the ship for two days until an icebreaker arrived. The cruise ship owner claims the government didn’t tell mariners about the rock shelf.
British Columbia: The City of Surrey has filed a lawsuit against a former city planner, claiming he took bribes from developers and used city money to buy a half-million-dollar home. The former city employee has denied the charges. “The claim against me is baseless and should not be allowed to proceed anywhere. All this has caused my family a lot of stress,” he wrote in his statement of defence.
Alberta: A woman is suing an Edmonton salon for $55,000, claiming she was permanently disfigured after a Brazilian laser treatment. The woman says she suffered serious burns and scarring after the $259 procedure. She alleges her injuries are the result of negligence and that it was implied the treatment would be performed safely by a trained and experienced professional.
Ontario: A Toronto woman once accused of heading a murder-for-hire plot is suing Toronto police and her accusers for $3.35 million. The 72-year-old was arrested last July after a mixed-martial arts fighter told police she had asked him to kill her boss’s business rival, but the charges were withdrawn. The woman alleges police didn’t conduct a proper investigation and failed to recognize the fighter’s story “was neither plausible nor credible.”
Quebec: The family of a man suffering from dementia and Parkinson’s disease is suing a long-term care centre near Montreal for negligence after they say they caught staff verbally abusing him on a hidden camera. In one tape, an attendant is allegedly heard saying, “Fall and you will go to the hospital. I’m tired of taking care of you.”