Our semi-regular round-up of the strange cases winding their way through Canadian courts
British Columbia: Six of seven passengers pulled from a burning plane after it crashed near Vancouver International Airport in October 2011 are suing owner and operator Northern Thunderbird Air Inc. for damages. The six survivors claim they saw oil under a wing when boarding and told the crew, yet the plane still took off. Both pilots died of burns suffered in the fire.
Alberta: A Calgary woman has filed a $300,000 suit against the owners of two pitbulls who attacked and nearly killed her last August. The 26-year-old woman is suing two people, as well as the Town of Sundre, which she claims failed to respond when it was warned about the animals. The woman lost an ear and suffered nerve damage to her arm.
Manitoba: The family of a woman killed in 2011 while riding as a passenger on a snowmobile is suing Manitoba Hydro and several others over her death. The 48-year-old woman was decapitated when the snowmobile she was on passed between a hydro pole and a guy wire. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and alleges the company failed to properly mark the wire. The suit also names the driver and two snowmobile clubs.
Quebec: Molson Coors is suing SAB Miller after that company said it would terminate a licensing agreement giving Molson Coors the right to distribute Miller beer in Canada. SAB Miller blames Molson Coors for not selling enough of its suds. In the lawsuit, Molson Coors is seeking an injunction and wants the Ontario Superior Court to force SAB Miller to honour the contract.
Prince Edward Island: The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, a federal reserve fund for the region, is suing a biotech company. The $570,000 lawsuit claims Stirling Products North America Inc. failed to make payments on two projects under the terms of a loan agreement. The company has yet to respond to the lawsuit.