StatsCanada Earnings Data Ruled Admissible in Injury Trial Without Economist or Other Introductory Witness
Helpful reasons for judgement were recently shared with me finding that StatsCan evidence about wages were admissible in a personal injury trial even without them being incorporated in an economists report or otherwise being introduced by a witness.
In the recent case (Reddy v. Enokson) the Plaintiff was seeking damages following injuries in a vehicle collision. In the course of the trial the Plaintiff sought to introduce data from StatsCan “concerning the average hourly wage rate of persons 15 years and over in Canada“. The Defendant objected arguing “these statistics ought not to replace a proper expert’s opinion. ”
Mr. Justice Blok found the evidence admissible as a public document meeting the admissibility provisions of s. 29 of BC’s Evidence Act.
In reaching this conclusion the Court provided the following reasons: