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ARTICLE · 10 MAY 2021

Filing Trends In British Columbia Class Actions

McCarthy Tétrault
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The class actions landscape in British Columbia has evolved considerably over the past decade, and continued to evolve over the past year, shaped in no small part by the global pandemic.

CanadaLitigation, Mediation & Arbitration
Canadian Class Actions Monitor
Canadian Class Actions Monitor
Andrew Butler
Andrew Butler
Alexandra Cocks
Alexandra Cocks
Jill Yates
Jill Yates
Author LinkedIn connections

The class actions landscape in British Columbia has evolved considerably over the past decade, and continued to evolve over the past year, shaped in no small part by the global pandemic.

A significant change is the increase in volume of proposed class action filings. The number of class actions filed in the last decade has more than tripled.  In 2011, there were approximately 18 proposed class action filings in British Columbia. The number of filings hovered around that number for several years, until 2019 when the number rose sharply to 45 filings, and rose again to 64 filings in 2020.  In the first four months of 2021, there have already been 34 filings. If the filings continue at this pace, the number could exceed 100 filings for the year.

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