So, you’re a lender who has a perfected security interest in a large pile of limestone aggregate at a cement plant. Another lender has a perfected security interest in a pile of clay at that same plant. The aggregate and clay are crushed, and then ground and blended with other ingredients, before being heated in a kiln to produce a substance called “clinker”.

In a changing economy, companies are constantly facing new challenges, and none are immune to insolvent suppliers or clients.

It is therefore crucial to be able to identify the early warning signs of a company's insolvency and to be aware of the issues that can arise when a client or a supplier becomes insolvent.

When Insolvency Looms on the Horizon

A recent decision of the Tax Court of Canada highlights the benefits of a broadly drafted general security agreement (GSA) in relation to a secured creditor’s realization on a bankrupt borrower’s intangible assets in the form of GST input tax credits (ITCs).

Summary of Some of the Key Commercial Insolvency Related Amendments to the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act

INTRODUCTION

Background:

Early last week PricewaterhouseCoopers Inc., in its capacity as trustee in bankruptcy for Sequoia Resources Corp., filed a statement of claim against Perpetual Energy Inc., attempting to unwind an asset sale from Oct. 1, 2016. Alternatively, PwC is seeking $217-million in damages. Along with Perpetual, PwC has named certain subsidiaries and its CEO, Susan Riddell Rose, as defendants.

In its statement of claim, the plaintiff is relying upon legal principles associated with oppression, reviewable transactions in insolvencies and regulatory law in support of its action.

This month we review the court's view on open ended suspension of discharge from bankruptcy and the difficulty of 'substituting' a defendant in proceedings where the relevant limitation period has expired:

Suspension of discharge from bankruptcy should not be open ended

The High Court has held that only in the most serious cases of non-co-operation should a discharge from bankruptcy be suspended otherwise than on a specified period or condition basis.

What do a car crash in Alberta, a delinquent farm mortgage in Saskatchewan and an unpaid highway toll ticket in Ontario have in common?

They all ended up in the Supreme Court of Canada.

Introduction

A bankruptcy discharge hearing is the forum for the Court’s determination of a bankrupt’s application for discharge which has been opposed by one or more of: a creditor, the Trustee, or the Superintendent of Bankruptcy. This paper will aim to provide practical advice on preparing for and arguing an opposed discharge, whether from the perspective of the bankrupt, an opposing creditor, or the Trustee.1

Discharge

Companies and human resource managers need to be aware of the potential immigration implications that corporate changes, acquisitions or restructurings may have on temporary foreign workers (TFWs) that they employ in Canada. The immigration and work permit implications must be assessed before changes occur.