On December 14, 2007, Bill C-12 was given Royal Assent. The Bill involves a comprehensive reform of Canada’s insolvency system. A key component of these reforms was the creation of the Wage Earner Protection Program (WEPP). The WEPP provides statutory wage protection for workers when a) their employer becomes bankrupt or subject to a receivership, and b) their employment is terminated as a result.
A statutory demand is a formal demand for payment of a debt made by a creditor to a debtor. It may be used as the basis for an application for a petition to wind up a Cayman company.
Service and content of Statutory Demand
The Companies Winding up Rules 2008 (as amended) provide guidance as to the form and content of a statutory demand as well as the mode of service within the Cayman Islands.
A statutory demand should be in the format of CWR Form 1 and must be signed by:
The Cayman Islands Court of Appeal has provided much needed clarification of the test for validating certain transactions by companies that are subject to a winding up petition, pursuant to section 99 of the Companies Law (2020 Revision) (the "Companies Law").
The Legal Issue of Principle
Ontario has introduced a series of significant amendments to the Personal Property Security Act (Ontario) (the PPSA). The last major amendments to the PPSA occurred in 1989. This Osler Update highlights amendments to the PPSA that are of particular interest to court officers of insolvent enterprises and others taking or enforcing security.
On March 29, 2007 the Federal Government introduced Bill C-52: An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 19, 2007 (Bill C-52). Bill C-52 amends the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (the BIA), the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (the CCAA), the Winding-Up and Restructuring Act, the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation Act (the CDICA) and the Payment Clearing and Settlement Act with respect to eligible financial contracts (EFCs).
Should Lenders be Concerned?
In the United States, claims for “deepening insolvency” have been advanced against lenders and investment bankers to insolvent companies as well as against the officers and directors of insolvent companies. Experience suggests that developments in U.S. commercial laws tend to be imported north of the border.1 Accordingly, lenders should be aware of the existence of the theory of deepening insolvency and the risk of creditors attempting to use it in Canada.
What is Deepening Insolvency?
On June 22, 2007, the federal Budget Implementation Act, 2007 (formerly Bill C-52) received royal assent. Most of the Act came into force on that date, including nearly all of Part 9, which makes important amendments to the eligible financial contract provisions of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA), the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA), the Winding-up and Restructuring Act (WURA), the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation Act (CDIC Act) and the Payment Clearing and Settlement Act (PCSA).
2007 BCSC 267 (B.C. Supreme Court, Feb. 28, 2007)
Trustee in bankruptcy must affirm swap contracts to take advantage of them but is not personally liable if the contracts end up being out of the money - While contract gave buyer a termination right on bankruptcy, it could choose not to exercise this option and leave it to the trustee to decide whether or not to affirm the swap and take the risk that the estate will end up out of the money
