* Practising through a Law Corporation
Additional Contact Info
- FAX 604 899 5216
- Vancouver
Ryan's Assistant
- Michelle El
- TEL 604 899 5202
- mel@eyfordpartners.com
Practice Areas
Education
- LLB, University of British Columbia (2003)
- BA, Simon Fraser University (1997)
Bar Admissions
- British Columbia, 2004
Ryan Parsons maintains a broad litigation practice, leveraging his extensive experience in civil and commercial litigation, with an emphasis on civil appeals. He is a skilled trial lawyer, including trying cases before civil juries and handling complex post-trial procedural issues. And he has argued numerous cases in the Court of Appeal for British Columbia. Ryan’s clients include individuals, insurers, public and private companies, and regulatory agencies.
Ryan’s clients benefit from the experience he has gained through his diverse, generalist practice. He represents clients in litigation involving bylaw and development disputes with municipalities, contractual and shareholder issues, civil fraud, employment law (employer and employee), insurance and personal injury claims (plaintiff and defendant), and proceedings under the Offence Act. Outside the courts, he advocates for clients subject to administrative and regulatory proceedings, including the registration and discipline of members of the Law Society of BC, the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC, the College of Registered Nurses of BC, the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia, and of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada and the BC Securities Commission.
He obtained his law degree from the University of British Columbia, after which he spent a year clerking for two justices at the Court of Appeal for British Columbia. Before joining Eyford Partners, he practised for seven years in the litigation department of a large national firm.
Notable Cases
Insights
Events & Seminars
Associations
Onni Wyndansea Holdings Ltd. v. Ucluelet (District), 2023 BCCA 342. Counsel for appellant on a challenge to the validity of municipal bylaws downzoning development property on the basis that the bylaws were adopted in bad faith, for an improper purpose, and were unreasonable or, alternatively, that the bylaws did not apply to the property under the lawful non-conforming use provisions of the Local Government Act.
Meisters v. Tompkins, 2023 BCCA 335, [2023] I.R.L. para. M-3405. Counsel for the appellants in case applying section 83 of the Insurance (Vehicle) Act and Part 7 of the Insurance (Vehicle) Regulation to reduce awards for the future loss of income earning capacity and the cost of future care.
British Columbia (Attorney General) v. Le, 2023 BCCA 200, 482 D.L.R. (4th) 20. Counsel for appellants on a constitutional challenge under section 96 of the Constitution Act, 1867, and an administrative law challenge to section 5 of the Disbursement and Expert Evidence Regulation, which limited recovery of certain litigation disbursements to six percent of the damages amount awarded.
Springman v. Surrey (City), 2023 BCCA 130, 2023 BREG para. 51,195. Co-counsel for respondent local authority in a multi-million dollar expropriation proceeding involving claims for compensation for ongoing business losses and for lost real estate market opportunities.
North Vancouver (District) v. Hanlon, 2023 BCCA 114, [2023] 9 W.W.R. 492. Co-counsel for successful respondent on an appeal from a trial judgment awarding the respondent compensation for the full market value of her property following a municipality’s full taking under the Expropriation Act.
Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia v. British Columbia (Attorney General), 2022 BCCA 163, 469 D.L.R. (4th) 596, supplementary reasons on costs, 2022 BCCA 354, application for leave to appeal ref’d (22 December 2022), File No. 40291 (S.C.C.). Counsel for successful appellants on a challenge under s. 96 of the Constitution Act, 1867, to the provisions of the Civil Resolution Tribunal Act granting the Civil Resolution Tribunal certain jurisdiction over the resolution and disposition of “minor injuries” claims arising from motor vehicle accidents.
Del Bianco v. Yang, 2021 BCCA 315, 58 B.C.L.R. (6th) 289. Counsel for successful appellants in leading case interpreting and applying section 83 of the Insurance (Vehicle) Act and Part 7 of the Insurance (Vehicle) Regulation to effect post-judgment deductions to a tort award to take into account no-fault benefits available to a plaintiff.
Douglas Lake Cattle Company v. Nicola Valley Fish and Game Club, 2021 BCCA 99, [2021] 9 W.W.R. 231, application for leave to appeal ref’d (29 September 2021), File No. 39628 (S.C.C.). Counsel for the successful appellant in a significant case regarding a landowner’s right to exclude those seeking to traverse private land to recreate and to access crown resources beyond. In the victory, Evan Cooke and Ryan Parsons secured orders regarding the legal status of historical roads and trails, the accurate interpretation of historical legislation and ancient survey documents, and the appropriate limits on awards of special costs for public interest litigants. Following the B.C. Court of Appeal’s decision, Cooke and Parsons successfully opposed their opponent’s Application for Leave to Appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Canadian Plastic Bag Association v. Victoria (City), 2019 BCCA 254, 435 D.L.R. (4th) 488, application for leave to appeal ref’d (23 January 2020), File No. 38828 (S.C.C.). Counsel for appellant in successful challenge setting aside a municipal bylaw banning single-use plastic bags. The case addressed the power of a municipality under the Community Charter to adopt such a bylaw, the dominant purpose of which was to protect the natural environment, without first obtaining the approval of the Province’s Minister of the Environment.
Luis v. Marchiori, 2018 BCCA 317, 427 D.L.R. (4th) 76, supplementary reasons on costs, 2018 BCCA 364. Counsel for the successful defendants in this leading case on recovery of lay witness fees as a disbursement under Supreme Court Civil Rules 14-1(5) and Schedule 3 of Appendix “C”.
Glover v. Leakey, 2018 BCCA 56, 420 D.L.R. (4th) 422. Counsel for successful appellant in leading case on inconsistent pleadings, application to strike defence as an abuse of process, and the power of the court to declare a mistrial after a jury verdict.
667895 B.C. Ltd. v. Delta (Corporation), 2018 BCCA 38, 6 B.C.L.R. (6th) 12. Counsel for successful appellant property owner in case confirming limits on powers of municipality to close a highway and remove its highway dedications under the Community Charter.
Lau v. Royal Bank of Canada, 2017 BCCA 253, 415 D.L.R. (4th) 166. Counsel for respondent account manager in leading employment law decision on the availability of aggravated damages following wrongful dismissal.
Borgfjord v. Boizard, 2016 BCCA 317, 403 D.L.R. (4th) 745, application for leave to appeal ref’d (09 February 2017), File No. 37210 (S.C.C.), additional reasons on costs, 2016 BCCA 495. Counsel for successful appellants in liability appeal involving complex standard of care, and causation, and proximate cause issues.
R. v. Melrose, 2016 BCCA 292, 338 C.C.C. (3d) 413. Counsel for accused in summary conviction appeal raising issues under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Offence Act.
MacKenzie v. Rogalasky, 2014 BCCA 446, 378 D.L.R. (4th) 419, application for leave to appeal ref’d (14 May 2015), File No. 36266 (S.C.C.), additional reasons on costs, 2015 BCCA 231, 73 C.P.C. (7th) 242. Counsel for successful appellants in test case confirming interest or other litigation financing charges are not recoverable disbursements.
Ganitano v. Metro Vancouver Housing Corporation, 2014 BCCA 10, 370 D.L.R. (4th) 195, application for leave to appeal ref’d (15 May 2014), File No. 35766 (S.C.C.). Counsel for respondent tenant in challenge to the court’s power to grant relief from forfeiture to a residential tenant facing eviction.
Vilardell v. Dunham, 2013 BCCA 65, 359 D.L.R. (4th) 524. Counsel for successful respondent in appeal challenging the constitutionality of court hearing fees.
Petrelli v. Lindell Beach Holiday Ltd., 2011 BCCA 367, 340 D.L.R. (4th) 733. Counsel for successful appellant in municipal case involving a lawful non-conforming use and application to strike that defence as an abuse of process by re-litigation.
Jameson House Properties Ltd. (Re), 2011 BCSC 965, 80 C.B.R. (5th) 52. Counsel for successful creditor on summary trial of claims and counter-claims subject to the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-36.
In Re Steinhoff, [2010] IIROC No. 28. Counsel for the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada on successful response to a motion to prohibit publication of and strike Particulars set out in a Notice of Hearing on the basis that disciplinary proceedings ought generally to be open to the public.
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