Court File No. 32735 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CANADA (ON APPEAL FROM THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES) BETWEEN: SHEILA FULLOWKA, DOREEN SHAUNA HOURIE, TRACEY NEILL, JUDIT PANDEV, ELLA MAY CAROL RIGGS, DOREEN VODNOSKI, CARLENE DAWN ROWSELL, KAREN RUSSELL and BONNIE LOU SAWLER Appellants (Applicants) – and – PINKERTON’S OF CANADA LIMITED, THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES AS REPRESENTED BY THE COMMISSIONER OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES, NATIONAL AUTOMOBILE, AEROSPACE, TRANSPORTATION AND GENERAL WORKERS UNION OF CANADA, BETTGER, TIMOTHY ALEXANDER ROYAL OAK VENTURES INC. (formerly ROYAL OAK MINES INC. Respondents AND BETWEEN: JAMES O’NEIL Appellant (Applicant) - and - PINKERTON’S OF CANADA LIMITED, THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES AS REPRESENTED BY THE COMMISSIONER OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES, NATIONAL AUTOMOBILE, AEROSPACE, TRANSPORTATION AND GENERAL WORKERS UNION OF CANADA, BETTGER, TIMOTHY ALEXANDER ROYAL OAK VENTURES INC. (formerly ROYAL OAK MINES INC. Respondents ATTORNEY GENERAL OF CANADA and ATTORNEY GENERAL OF ONTARIO Intervenors JOINT RESPONSE FACTUM OF THE APPELLANTS (Sheila Fullowka, Doreen Shauna Hourie, Tracey Neill, Judit Pandev, Ella May Carol Riggs, Doreen Vodnoski, Carlene Dawn Rowsell, Karen Russell, Bonnie Lou Sawler and James O’Neil) (Pursuant to Rules 29(4) and 35(4) of the Rules of the Supreme Court of Canada) BISHOP & MCKENZIE LLP OSLER, HOSKIN & HARCOURT LLP Barristers and Solicitors Barristers and Solicitors 2500-10104-103 Ave. 1900 - 340 Albert Street Edmonton, Alberta, T5J 1V3 Ottawa, ON K1R 7Y6 J. Philip Warner, Q.C. Patricia J. Wilson Tel: 780-421-2464 Tel: 613-787-1009 Fax: 780-426-1305 Fax: 613-235-2867 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Counsel for the Applicants, Sheila Fullowka et al Ottawa Agent for Sheila Fullowka et al TO: REGISTRAR OF THIS HONOURABLE COURT AND TO: James E. Redmond, Q.C. Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP 1000, 10180 – 101 Street 1900 – 340 Albert Street Edmonton AB T5J 3S4 Ottawa ON K1Y 7Y6 Patricia J. Wilson Telephone: (780) 409-8289 Telephone: (613) 235-7234 Facsimile: (780) 423-2368 Facsimile: (613) 235-2867 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Solicitor for the Appellant Agent to Solicitor for the Appellant James O’Neil James O’Neil AND TO: John M. Hope, Q.C. Jeffrey W. Beedell Duncan & Craig LLP Lang Michener LLP 2800 Scotia Place 300 - 50 O'Connor Street 10060 Jasper Avenue Ottawa, ON K1P 6L2 Edmonton, AB T5J 3V9 Tel.: (780) 428-6036 Tel.: (613) 232-7171 Fax: (780) 428-9683 Fax: (613) 231-3191 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Solicitors for the Respondent Agent for Solicitors for the Pinkerton’s of Canada Limited Respondent Pinkerton’s of Canada Limited Peter D. Gibson Jeffrey W. Beedell Field LLP Lang Michener LLP 2000 Oxford Tower 300 - 50 O'Connor Street 10235 - 101 St. N.W. Ottawa, ON K1P 6L2 Edmonton, AB T5J 3G1 Tel.: (780) 423-7631 Tel.: (613) 232-7171 Fax: (780) 424-7116 Fax: (613) 231-3191 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Solicitors for the Respondent Agent for Solicitors for the Government of the Northwest Respondent Government of the Territories Northwest Territories - 3 - Patrick G. Nugent Coleen Bauman Chivers Carpenter Sack Goldblatt Mitchell LLP 101 - 10426, 81 Ave N.W. 500 – 30 Metcalfe Street Edmonton, AB T6E 1X5 Ottawa, ON K1P 5L4 Tel.: (780) 439-3611 Ext: 238 Tel.: (613) 235-5327 Fax: (780) 439-8543 Fax: (613) 235-3041 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Solicitors for the Respondents Agent for Solicitors for the National Automobile, Aerospace, Respondents National Automobile, Transportation and General Workers Aerospace, Transportation and General Union of Canada Workers Union of Canada S. Leonard Polsky Jeffrey W. Beedell MacPherson Leslie & Tyerman Lang Michener LLP 2507, 10088 – 102 Avenue N.W. 300 - 50 O'Connor Street Calgary, AB T5J 2Z1. Ottawa, ON K1P 6L2 Tel.: (403) 693-4300 Tel.: (613) 232-7171 Fax: (403) 508-4349 Fax: (613) 231-3191 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Solicitors for the Respondent Agent for Solicitors for the Respondent Timothy Alexander Bettger Timothy Alexander Bettger Robert G. McBean, Q.C. Stephen J. Grace Parlee McLaws LLP Maclaren Corlett 1500 Manulife Place 1625 - 50 O'Connor Street 10180 – 101 St. N.W. Ottawa, ON K1P 6L2 Edmonton, AB T5J 4K1 Tel.: (780) 423-8580 Tel.: (613) 233-1146 Fax: (780) 423-2870 Fax: (613) 233-7190 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Solicitors for the Respondent Agent for Solicitors for the Royal Oak Ventures Inc. Respondent Royal Oak Ventures Inc. John S. Tyhurst Christopher Rupar Attorney General of Canada Deputy Attorney General of Canada 234 Wellington Street, Room 1251 Department of Justice Ottawa ON K1A 0H8 1212 – 234 Wellington Street Ottawa ON K1A 0H8 Tel: 613-957-4860 Tel: 613-941-2351 Fax: 613-954-1920 Fax: 613-954-1920 [email protected] E-mail: Agent for Attorney General of Canada - 4 - Lise Favreau (LSUC no. 25251P) Robert E. Houston Attorney General for Ontario Burke Robertson Crown Law Office – Civil Law Barristers and Solicitors 20 Bay Street, 8th Floor 70 Gloucester Street Toronto ON M5G 2K1 Ottawa ON K2P 0A2 Tel: 416-325-7078 Tel: 613-236-9665 Fax: 416-326-4181 Fax: 613-235-4430 E-mail: [email protected] Counsel for Attorney General Agent for Attorney General for Ontario TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I. OVERVIEW AND STATEMENT OF FACTS………….…... 1 Overview: The Respondents raise grounds of foreseeability and damages……………………………………………………. 1 Statement of Facts: • The deaths were foreseeable…………………………… 1 PART II. STATEMENT OF ISSUES………………………………….….. 13 Issue 1: The deaths were reasonably foreseeable……………... 13 (a) Justice Lutz is entitled to deference…………….. 13 (b) All the Respondents foresaw the deaths...……… 13 Issue 2: Personal Consumption Rates (Damages)….………… 13 (a) The Respondents’ arguments are not properly before this Court…………………………………. 13 (b) Justice Lutz did not err in his choice of Personal Consumption Rate……………………… 13 PART III. STATEMENT OF ARGUMENT……………………………… 14 Issue 1: The deaths were reasonably foreseeable……………. 14 (a) Justice Lutz is entitled to deference ………....... 14 (b) All the Respondents foresaw the deaths …….... 15 Issue 2: Personal Consumption Rates (Damages)…………… 16 (a) The Respondents’ arguments are not properly before this Court………………………………... 16 (b) Justice Lutz did not err in his choice of Personal Consumption Rates………………….....16 PART VI. LIST OF AUTHORITIES…………………………………………..21 PART VII. STATUTORY PROVISIONS............................................................22 Part I: Overview and Statement of Facts Overview: The Respondents raise grounds of foreseeability and damages 1. The Respondents seek to uphold the Court of Appeal’s judgment on a ground not relied on by the Court of Appeal, namely, on the ground that Justice Lutz made a “palpable and overriding error” when he found that the deaths of the nine miners were foreseeable.1 Certain Respondents also purport to attack Justice Lutz’s findings on “PCR’s”, though the Court of Appeal did not find that Justice Lutz committed any error in that regard.2 2. Pursuant to Rules 29(4) and 35(4),3 the Appellants therefore file this Factum in response. The deaths were foreseeable 3. Even before the strike started, the GNWT recognized that if Royal Oak continued operating during the strike, inadequate security would expose the replacement workers to risk. In a memo dated May 15, 1992,4 the GNWT wrote: The Giant Mine site is not secure…. Accordingly, there is considerable concern within the Department of Safety and Public Services about the safety of any “replacement workers”, as well as concern about the safety of management personnel, Mine Safety Inspectors, and any other persons required to go underground. 4. On May 27, after the strike began, the Director of the Safety Division, the Acting Director of Mine Safety and the Fire Marshal (MacRae, Gould and Bell) advised GNWT’s Deputy Minister of Safety and Public Services (Quirke) to shut the Giant Mine because:5 1 Justice Lutz found foreseeability in RFJ para. 658-664, 745, 902 (Appellants’ Joint Record, Vol. I, pp 9-11, 37, 87); the Court of Appeal sustained Justice Lutz’s finding at para. 55 (Appellants’ Joint Record, Vol. III, p 107); the Respondents argue that Justice Lutz’s finding was erroneous in Bettger’s Factum, paragraph 61, Pinkerton’s Factum, paragraph 64, CAW’s Factum, paragraph 37 ff.; GNWT’s factum, paragraph 15 2 The damages issues are raised in GNWT factum paragraph 86 ff., Bettger’s factum paragraph 134, Pinkerton’s factum paragraph 117; the Court of Appeal declined to rule on damages in CAMJ para. 207 (Appellants’ Joint Record, Vol. III, p 185). 3 Rules of the Supreme Court of Canada 4 Exhibit 761 (Appellants’ Joint Supplementary Record, Tab S26, p. 7) 5 Exhibit 762 (Appellants’ Joint Record, Vol. XII, Tab 153, pp 76-78) Page 2 1. There has been vandalism and acts of arson well within the confines of the mine site. This has placed the on site workers at extreme risk. 2. Given the inability of Royal Oak Mines to maintain the security of the site, the next act of vandalism or arson could result in fatalities to on site persons. 5. On the following day, Gould wrote Dennis Patterson (the GNWT’s Minister of Safety and Public Services)6 describing a number of the strikers’ recent attacks and saying that he would issue a closure order, because “the occupational health and safety of employees is endangered”.7 6. On the same day, the CASAW’s national office published a bulletin stating:8 Although the strike is only five days old as I write, the situation has begun to develop into a vicious and dangerous confrontation…. Fires have been breaking out inside the plant regularly.