News & Insights

Peter Johnson and Ryan Bortolin will be attending this years North Central Local Government Management Association Conference in Prince George, from April 10 to 12. Peter and Ryan will be presenting a workshop on contract law and procurement on April 10, and will be presenting a “Legal Update” on April 11. We look forward to […]

Introduction By its  January 21, 2019 decision in Wu. V. Vancouver (City), 2019 BCCA 23, the BC Court of Appeal has overturned the 2017 decision of the BC Supreme Court in the case of Wu v. Vancouver (City), 2017 BCSC 2072 and has made important findings as it relates to the limits of legal duties […]

Stewart McDannold Stuart will be participating in the upcoming 2019 Local Government Leadership Academy’s Elected Officials Seminars. On January 16 and 17,  Peter Johnson will be presenting a session on “Current Legal Issues” at the seminar for LGLA members, in Richmond. On February 13 and 14, Kathryn Stuart and Ryan Bortolin will be presenting sessions […]

In two recent decisions, Saanich (District) v Brett, 2018 BCSC 1648 (“Saanich”) and Nanaimo (City) v Courtoreille, 2018 BCSC 1629 (“Nanaimo”), the BC Supreme Court considered local government applications to the Court for pre-trial injunctions to terminate unauthorized homeless encampments.  Generally, these cases represent examples of the Court undertaking a balancing of the homeless population’s need for shelter and against the […]

From all of the lawyers and support staff at Stewart McDannold Stuart, we wish you all the best for the holiday season and a happy and prosperous New Year. In lieu of sending greeting cards this year, we have made a donation to the BC SPCA Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre (Wild ARC).

The Village of Chase recently defeated a challenge to the validity of its Property Maintenance Bylaw by local business owners in Chase Discount Auto Sales Ltd. v Waugh, 2018 BCSC 2014. Mr. Justice Grauer of the B.C. Supreme Court dismissed the judicial review petition of the business owners and helpfully summarized the relationship between the […]

Stewart McDannold Stuart is happy to announce that Ryan Bortolin will become a partner at the firm starting January 1st 2019. Ryan began at SMS as an articled student in 2010 and has shown himself to be a talented lawyer with outstanding legal skills and is a highly valued member of the SMS team. Ryan will continue […]

As some already know, I will be retiring from the partnership with Stewart McDannold Stuart after 31 years in the practice of law and 30 years since the founding of the firm of Wilson Staples McDannold & Marley, that evolved over time into Stewart McDannold Stuart. It has been a terrific 3 decades.  I was […]

In Romegioli v. Langley (Township) 2018 BCSC 1867, the B.C. Supreme Court recently had opportunity to judicially review the decision of a bylaw adjudicator upholding over 500 bylaw infraction notices (with associated fees and costs of approximately $270,000) that had been issued to the petitioner, Mr. Romegioli, relating to the operation of a cannabis dispensary. […]

In 1139652 B.C. Ltd. v Whistler (Resort Municipality), 2018 BCSC 1806, the B.C. Supreme Court recently reviewed a decision of the resort municipality of Whistler denying a property owner’s application for a Development Variance Permit (DVP). The Court upheld the decision, finding that it was reasonable.