In Peace River Hydro Partners v. Petrowest Corp., the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) refused to stay a receiver’s civil lawsuit in favour of multiple arbitration proceedings, finding the arbitration agreements were made inoperative by court order to facilitate an orderly and single insolvency process. This case helps resolve a tension between the expedience of a single insolvency process and the presumptive enforceability of arbitration agreements. Factual Background Peace River subcontracted various Petrowest entities to…

On June 10, 2021, the Supreme Court of Canada granted leave to appeal a decision with implications for the enforceability of alternative dispute resolution clauses in insolvency proceedings in Canada. Background In Petrowest Corp. v. Peace River Hydro Partners, a receiver was appointed over Petrowest under Canada’s federal Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (“BIA”). In this case, the receiver later assigned the company into bankruptcy and was also acting as its bankruptcy trustee. The receiver/trustee commenced…