British Columbia's limitation period was shortened in 2013 from six years to two, which means that, as a general rule, the right to sue someone is lost two years after the claim first arose. This shortened deadline continues to catch creditors unawares.
Limitation period strikes down mortgage
Limitation periods - Discovery by a proposal vs bankruptcy Trustee
For the purposes of raising a limitations defence, is a trustee in bankruptcy deemed to have 'discovered' a potential claim at the time that it was discoverable by them when they were acting as a proposal trustee? This was the question for the Ontario Supreme Court earlier this year in Re. Saran 2018 ONSC 2998.
Exempt assets and discharge from bankruptcy
Section 67(1) of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (the "BIA") describes the property of the bankrupt that will, and will not, be divisible among the bankrupt's creditors. Exceptions include under section 67(1)(b) "any property that ... is exempt from execution or seizure under any laws applicable in the province within which the property is situated and within which the bankrupt resides." These exemptions, often subject to monetary limits, may include the equity in a vehicle or real property occupied by the bankrupt.
Critical illness benefit payment determined to be compensation for "pain and suffering" and exempt from distribution in bankruptcy.
Upon assignment into bankruptcy, a bankrupt's property vests in the bankruptcy trustee to be distributed to creditors. However, the courts have identified certain exceptions to this general principle, including in a recent decision out of Alberta.