As discussed at our last A.M. Pension Webinar on December 11,
2018, there have been a number of significant legislative and
case-law developments in the area of pensions and benefits law in
2018. In Part I of a two-part blog post, we discussed some of the
key legislative developments in Ontario and the federal
jurisdiction. In this post, we highlight some of the key case-law
developments in Canada.
Challenges under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Lubianesky v. Gazdag (Alberta)
In Lubianesky v. Gazdag, Ms. Lubianesky sought a
declaration that the provisions in Alberta's Employment
Pension Plans Act ("EPPA") that allowed only married
spouses, not common-law spouses, to agree to divide benefits on
relationship breakdown violated the equality provisions of the
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
("Charter") on the grounds of marital status.