THE CANADIAN EMPLOYEE COMPETITION BLOG

Skycope Technologies Inc. v. Jia, 2023 BCSC 1288 The law provides for a broad range of remedies to address breach of confidence. In a recent decision where the plaintiff had not established any financial loss, the B.C. Supreme Court opted for disgorgement of a large sale by the defendants as…

Several recent decisions are of interest to those advising on, and litigating, employee competition cases. First, the Alberta privacy commissioner finds that employers, in some circumstances, may disclose their former employees’ restrictive covenants to third parties. Two Alberta Courts provide analysis on assessing damages in successful actions for unlawful competition.…

The B.C. Supreme Court has granted an interlocutory injunction restraining the vendor of a trucking company, Sonic Transport Ltd., from competing for a period of five years past the ending of his employment with the purchaser. Diamond Delivery bought Sonic from Leslie and Pam Calder in 2015. Leslie continued to…

During the running of a one-month notice of resignation given to her employer, an investment advisor wrote to the firm’s clients advising of her departure to establish a new business and of their investment options: staying at the firm, move to her new business or going elsewhere. In responding to…

Forward Signs Inc. v. Philcan Group Inc., 2022 ONSC 5593 The Ontario Superior Court lifts an interim injunction on two departed fiduciaries, finding that one year was more than adequate to protect the plaintiffs from the springboard effect of the employees’ rather egregious pre-departure conduct. The absence of evidence of…

GG & HH Inc v 2306084 Alberta Ltd, 2022 ABQB 58 The Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench declines to extend an injunction prohibiting departed pharmacists from contacting the applicant’s patients. While accepting as plausible the pharmacists’ explanation that they relied solely on memory, personal records and community networks to contact…

Mandeville Holdings Inc. v. Santucci, 2021 ONSC 4321 An investment advisor’s negotiated sale of the good will in his book of business to a firm causes the Ontario Superior Court to construe his non-solicitation covenant as part of the sale of a business, not within an employment context. The court issues…

WJ Packaging Solutions Corp. v Park, 2021 BCSC 316 The BC Supreme Court holds that a five-year agreement prohibiting competition by a departed employee is enforceable, with less scrutiny applied as being a commercial agreement. The decision raises interesting considerations for employers contemplating negotiating non-compete or non-solicit covenants with former employees…

City Wide Towing and Recovery Service Ltd v Poole, 2020 ABCA 305 The Alberta Court of Appeal holds that blue-pencil severance may be used to alter restrictive covenants that restrain employee competition, provided the covenant was part of the sale of a business. The practice of “blue-pencil” severance in employment…

Atlantic Lottery Corp. Inc. v. Babstock, 2020 SCC 19 The Supreme Court of Canada has reined in novel uses of the disgorgement remedy in ways that will narrow its availability in employee competition cases. The Court held that disgorgement is not available as a remedy for “waiver of tort”, as the…