Some high-profile civil matters emerged over the course of 2013 and are expected to take up some court time during the coming year.
Perhaps most notable are the two actions related to the property acquisition carried out by a group of local investors led by businessman Dan McLaren as part of the Wood innovation and Design Centre, now under construction at the corner of Fourth and George.
The group - Commonwealth Campus Corp. - has been fighting foreclosure proceedings launched by Northern Development Initiative Trust in November 2012 over repayment of a loan the group received to assemble land adjacent to WDIC.
Commonwealth claims both NDIT and then-MLA Pat Bell misled the group about plans to build student housing on land adjacent to WDIC.
In June, Commonwealth launched a lawsuit against the BID Group of Companies claiming it reneged on a promise to purchase the land for $4.1 million. BID has countered that the transaction was subject to making the short list of proponents competing for the contract to construct the WIDC, which did not happen and cost BID a $150,000 deposit in the process.
The cases remain before the court as does one Caribou Brewmasters has launched against Pacific Western Brewing. The brew-on-premises beer and wine-making retailer claims PWB's logo and brand for its Cariboo Brewing line of beers is superseded by its own trade name and logo.
A trial scheduled for January has been postponed because an aspect of the case is now before the Federal Court of Canada.
A trial is scheduled to go ahead in March for Sandra Maureen Stobbe (nee Boughey), now 46, who is suing her former high school basketball coach Roderick Lyle Sauve, now 63, for damages over an alleged sexual relationship.
Sauve was sentenced in June 2012 in criminal court to a nine-month conditional sentence after pleading guilty to gross indecency but is now maintaining many of Stobbe's allegations are wrong and that the relationship occurred when she was of legal age.
And one major case was resolved in 2013 when a B.C. Supreme Court Justice found a Victoria Day 2007 fire that destroyed the Caine Building at Second and Quebec was not deliberately set by its owners Shawn and Rose Millns. Their insurer was ordered to pay out slightly more than $200,000 for damages.
Decisions are expected in the coming months for two other notable cases.
Haldi area resident Tore Pettersen is asking the court to declare the April 2013 council decision to amend the official community plan to allow the rezoning of 5877 Leslie Road for a 30-bed women's therapeutic facility invalid.
Among Pettersen's claims is that the amendments are inconsistent with OCP policies affecting rural residential land.
And a decision is due on local businessman Irvin Leroux's lawsuit against Canada Revenue Agency, which he claims ruined him financially through acts of misfeasance and negligence related to assessments for income and goods and services tax.
As well, Prince George's former Habitat for Humanity affiliate, now known as Hearts and Hands for Homes, is putting up a fight.
Habitat for Humanity is seeking control of the Prince George assets after disaffiliating the local group for allegedly failing to live up to its quality control standards. Hearts and Hands for Homes is countering that Habitat for Humanity has also fallen short and alleges the organization is simply looking for items to liquidate to shore up its own finances.
