SESSION CO-CHAIRS:
George A. McAllister, K.C., George A. McAllister, P.C., Fredericton
Kevin C. Toner, K.C., Toner Brown Lawyers/Avocats, Fredericton
Jessica Melanson, Melanson Law, Fredericton 
Mitchell L.H. Fraser, Canty Lutz Grant, Saint John

PROGRAM

8:30 am          WELCOME

8:35 am
Top Five Cases of 2025 & 2026: From Pennies Per Kilometre to Multi-Million Dollar Awards
Cassidy Fraser, McInnes Cooper
•   Trainor v. DeArcos, 2025 NBCA 139
•   Ville de Dieppe v. Jaillet and Caissie, 2025 NBKB 266
•   Prestidge v. Definity Insurance Co., 2026 NBCA 49
•   Allen v. Doiron, 2026 NBKB 49
•   Tapley v. Robertson, 2026 NBKB 89

8:50 am
When Contracts Collide With Coverage: The Contractual Liability Exclusion
Ryan P. Burgoyne, Cox & Palmer
•   Historical development and underwriting rationale behind the exclusion
•   Exceptions to the exclusion
•   Duty to defend versus duty to indemnify

9:05 am
Coming Soon to NB: A Tort of Harassment
Dr. Hilary Young, University of New Brunswick
•   The existence of cyber-bullying    and harassment torts in Canada, incl. NB
•   Why courts have been reluctant to recognize a harassment tort
•   Elements, defences and remedies    for harassment
•   Prof. Young’s best guesses about where this tort is heading

9:20 am
Interpreting Insurance Contracts
Anil Gill, Canty Lutz Grant
•   Core principles of insurance policy interpretation in Canadian law
•   The role of ambiguity, reasonable expectations and coverage conditions
•   How courts analyze exclusions, exceptions and coverage conditions
•   Practical tips for interpretations

9:30 am
Trauma Informed Lawyering
Jessica Melanson & Keisha Mitchell, Melanson Law
•   What is trauma-informed lawyering?
•   How trauma-informed lawyering can benefit your practice
•   How to incorporate trauma-informed principles into your litigation practice

9:50 am
Vexing Insureds in Subrogated Claims
Mitchell L.H. Fraser, Canty Lutz Grant
•   Understanding the insured’s role in advancing, providing and preserving a subrogated claim
•   How an insured’s cooperation, credibility and evidence can affect recovery prospects
•   Risk management tips for deciding when a surbrogated claim is worth pursuing

10:00 am
Everything You Need to Know About Suing a Party Unknown
Jade A. Spalding, K.C. & Devon Gallacher, Cox & Palmer
•   Steps required before filing an action
•   Avoiding failure to seek leave of court before filing an action
•   Impact of limitation period
•   Possible “saving provisions” if time period issues arise

10:10 am          BREAK

10:25 am
$200,000: The Absolute Limit Under the Insurance Act When There Has Been a Breach
Michael Gooding, McInnes Cooper
•   When a policy breach limits, but does not eliminate, an insurer’s payment obiligations
•   How breach, denial of coverage and third-party protection interact in motor vehicle claims
•   Practical guidance for plaintiff and defence counsel, including a motion to be appointed as a statutory third party

10:35 am
Consent to Treatment
Dr. Timothy Christie, Dalhousie University
•   (TBA)

10:55 am
Internet Torts
Erica Brown, Toner Brown
•   Does Facebook “Like” Canadian Law - Douez v Facebook Inc., 2017 SCC 33;
•   Click Here to Agree? Rethinking Consent in the Digital Age - Canada (Privacy Commissioner) v. Facebook Inc., 2024 
    FCA 1401;
•   Swiping Right on Liability: Can Schools Sue Big Tech? - Toronto District School Board v. Meta Platforms Inc., 2025
    ONSC 1499;
•   Patient Zero or Public Scapegoat? - Dr. Ngola v. PNB, RCMP and Meta, 2026 NBKB 38

11:10 am
Court Jurisdiction and Proceedings Transfer Act 
Michael A. Hall, Solicitor, Legislative Services, Office of the Attorney General
•   Overview of the Act
•   Codification of the existing law
•   Changes to the existing law
•   Transfer of proceedings

11:30 am
The Provincial Government’s Efforts to Subrogate
Jason Larose, Fidelis Law
•   Overview of the Family Income Security Act and General Regulation - Family Income Security Act, NB-Reg 95-61 - Their
    definitions and recent legislative changes
•   Counselling your client on the impact of receiving benefits
•   Settling your client’s claim and securing minutes of settlement
•   Dealing with the Social Development aftermath

11:45 am
Which Section of the Insurance Act Applies to Disability Claims
Melanie Melanson & Ronald J. Savoy, Bingham Law
•   Are disability claims governed by Part V (Life Insurance) or Part VI (Accident and Sickness Insurance)?
•   When claiming or terminating disability benefits, who bears the onus of proof?
•   What is the distinction between employer benefit plans and insurance policies?
•   What about the effects of rehabilitation clauses and the duty to cooperate?

11:55 am          LUNCH

12:55 pm
Causation
Kevin C. Toner, Toner Brown
•   Armstrong v. Royal Victoria Hospital, 2021 SCC 1 and Hemmings v. Padmore - at SCC in February 2026

1:10 pm
The Over the Limits Case
Catherine Hirbour, McInnes Cooper
•   Walking a tightrope when exposure may exceed available policy limits;
•   Plaintiff-side pressure points: Any additional coverage; policy-limits offers under Rule 49; execution judgment leverage;
•   Defence-side duties: Identifying excess exposure early; advising the insured and costs involved with retaining counsel; 
    managing expectations of the insured and insurer and litigation;
•   Practical takeaways on liability admissions, policy-limits agreements, independent counsel, settlement options and good 
    faith claims handling 

1:25 pm
Maximizing Recovery: MVA Settlements When the Client Has LTD Coverage
Lisette LeBlanc, Resolute Legal
•   When are LTD policies considered contracts of indemnity
•   Equity and “Made-Whole” principle
•   Is LTD insured or self-insured
•   Relevant provision of the Insurance Act (NB)

1:40 pm
Same Injury, Different Damages: Thin Skull & Crumbling Skull
Meili Toner, Pink Larkin
•   Distinguishing between pre-existing vulnerabilities and inevitable deterioration
•   Why the distinction matters
•   What evidence matters when proving the claim

1:50 pm
Indivisibility
Chantal Thibodeau, K.C., Fidelis Law
•   (TBA)

2:05 pm
The Case of the Missing Defendant
Brianna Carmichael, Intact Insurance
•   First Steps - Social Media, Skip Traces
•   John Doe’s and Section D
•   Substituted Service
•   Consequences for an absconded defendant (RE: Defendants who were found and served, but then become 
    “unfindable” before i.e. discovery)

2:15 pm
Supreme Court of Canada Decisions
Thomas Slade, Supreme Advocacy
•   Personal Injury - Sinclair v. Venezia Turismo, 2025 SCC 27
•   Torts - Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia, 2026 SCC 16; Resler v. Anglin, 2026 SCC 23
•   Civil Procedure - Patrick Street Holdings Ltd. v. 11368 NL Inc., 2026 SCC 15; Saskatchewan (Environment) v. 
    Metis Nation Saskatchewan, 2025 SCC 4
•   Insurance - Emond v. Trillium Mutual Insurance Co., 2026 SCC 3; Riddle v. Ivari, 2026 SCC 9
•   Evidence - SS&C Technologies Canada Corp. Bank of New York Mellon Corp., 2026 SCC 29

2:35 pm          BREAK

2:50 pm
Non-Waiver Agreements
Robert R. Creamer, K.C & Chris Isnor, Lawson Creamer
•   Why Sign One?
•   Reservation of Rights? What Are They Worth?

3:00 pm
Defamation and Social Media
David Gauthier,K.C., Gauthier and Associates
•   What criticism crosses the line?
•   Liability for sharing defamatory content
•   Identifying anonymous speakers
•   Available remedies

3:15 pm
Getting the Electronic Data
Madison Greco, JS Held (Forensic Engineering)
•   Understanding what electronic data may be available from passenger vehicles, commercial trucks and fleet systems 
    after a collision
•   Special considerations in trucking claims, including ECM data, telematics, GPS, dash cameras and fleet records
•   How engineers can use electronic data to determine important collision factors such as impact speed, braking and 
    driver behaviour

3:30 pm
CUMIS Counsel: When is Independent Counsel Needed?
Matthew Pearn, Whitehead, Miles & Allen LLP
•   An insured can request an independent lawyer be appointed when its insurer’s interests conflict with those of the insured
   (i.e. When coverage is partly denied, or a non-waiver requested)
List of Cases:
•   Sniper Pressure Services Ltd v Northbridge General Insurance Corporation, 2026 ABKB 193;
•   Loblaw Companies Limited v. Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Company of Canada, 2024 ONCA 145; and
•   Brockton (Municipality) v. Frank Cowan Co. Ltd. et al., 2002 CanLII 7392 (ON CA)

3:45 pm
Damages in LTD Litigation: 2026 Update
David Brannen, Resolute Legal
•   Update on all contractual and extra-contractual damages, including mental distress and punitive damages
•   Baker v. Blue Cross: The largest punitive damages award against a disability insurer in Canadian history and 
    what it means for costs awards in LTD litigation, including NB
•   Mitigation and tax issues in LTD claims and settlements
•   Updated table of damage awards, recent developments and future trends

4:00 pm
Working the Boundaries as Defence Counsel
Mitchell L.H. Fraser, Canty Lutz Grant
•   (TBA)

4:15 pm
Five Tips for Plaintiffs in 15 Minutes
George A. McAllister, K.C., George A. McAllister P.C.
•   Protecting counsel from AI problems with experts
•   The admissibility of animations
•   The importance of instructing letters to health care providers
•   Motor vehicle and the voluntary payment of fines
•   Use of graphs and charts

DOCUMENTS

All session materials will be available on the PD website (www.cbapd.org) 24 hours before the session. To access them, please log in to the website, navigate to "My Programs," locate the session title, and click on the "Papers" tab.

CANCELLATION POLICY

A 20% administrative fee will apply to cancellations received in writing by the CBA Branch office up to three (3) business days before the program. After that, no refunds will be issued, but materials and recordings (if available) will be provided. You may substitute another person in your place if you are unable to attend. ABC-NB-CBA reserves the right to cancel sessions due to low registration. 

CPD

This session may be eligible for up to 6.5 hours of mandatory continuing professional development.