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ARTICLE · 27 AUGUST 2013

When Government Computer Systems Fail

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
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​It more than sucks when you need to renew your registration over valuable rights but can't because of technical difficulties with the government's online registry.

CanadaGovernment, Public Sector
Neil Guthrie
Neil Guthrie
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It more than sucks when you need to renew your registration over valuable rights but can't because of technical difficulties with the government's online registry. That is what happened to Ruth Carter in Valterra Resource Corp v British Columbia (Chief Gold Commissioner), 2013 BCSC 1172, when she tried to renew her mineral claims. In days of yore, mineral claims were established by being the first person to plant wooden stakes in the ground containing (one hoped) deposits of ore. Nowadays, BC has an online registry of mineral titles, which allows claims to be staked -- and renewed -- electronically. When the system works, that is. At the time Carter needed to renew her claims, the system was down and her registrations expired through no fault of her own. During their lapse, Valterra Resource and two individuals staked online claims over the tenures that had been Carter's. Carter requested the Chief Gold Commissioner (CGC) to reinstate her claims, which he eventually

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