Particle.news
Download on the App Store

B.C. Supreme Court Certifies Class Action Over Lytton Wildfire Against CN and CP

The judge said the plaintiffs' train-causation claims have some basis in fact.

Overview

  • Justice Ward Branch’s Dec. 2 ruling allows a consolidated class proceeding to move forward against Canadian National and Canadian Pacific over the 2021 fire.
  • The decision notes allegations that railway operations where CN and CP tracks run parallel through Lytton contributed to the blaze.
  • Carel Moiseiwitsch and Jordan Spinks were named representative plaintiffs, citing destroyed property, prolonged displacement and mental-health harm.
  • The class covers people who suffered losses, with subclasses for families of those who died and for owners of property not covered by insurance.
  • Multiple lawsuits followed the disaster that killed two and destroyed much of Lytton during a record heat dome, and a competing class action was denied in 2023.