Toronto
416.860.0003
Bar Admission:
1982
A founding partner of McCague Borlack LLP, Howard has been lead counsel on many of its most significant cases. Howard is best known for his ability to handle all types of complex civil litigation where he will find a creative solution to resolve the case or, if necessary, he will take the matter to trial. He has appeared before all levels of courts including the Supreme Court of Canada and has also represented our clients before many tribunals.
Many significant cases Howard handled include major restructurings in Canada, as well as, cases involving the successful recovery of millions of dollars for insurers in subrogation claims, including shareholder fraud, environmental contamination or, construction defects.
Howard has acted on behalf of most major Canadian insurers and reinsurers and has represented and been a special advisor to a number of Boards of Directors and Directors in their personal capacity.
Howard is recognized as a LEXPERT Canadian Leading lawyer in the area of Infrastructure & Construction Law. As well, Insurance Business Canada surveyed insurance companies to find out which lawyers and law firms are setting the standard in the Canadian market. Our firm and Howard Borlack individually made the 5-Star list! Howard has also been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers International® in the field(s) of Construction Law and, Corporate and Commercial Litigation. Howard has received numerous other awards and honours from professional organizations and much recognition from outside organizations and publications. He is most proud of his award from the CBAO for his service to the profession and the Arbor Award from the University of Toronto for outstanding volunteer services. Howard has also been recognized by Lexpert for the skills he provides to our clients.
Howard is a driving force for the firm’s growth and culture, taking pride in the careers of the lawyers he has worked with at the firm.
In TD Insurance and Intact Insurance, McCague Borlack LLP successfully argued that Intact Insurance, not TD insurance, had priority to pay statutory accident benefits to a claimant for personal injuries sustained in an October 30, 2017, motor vehicle accident.
The question before Arbitrator Bialkowski was whom a 17-year-old claimant was principally financially dependent on – the claimant's father (Intact) or the claimant's stepmother (TD). To complicate matters, the claimant was a passenger in the vehicle owned by her stepmother and had recently moved from her biological mother's home to reside with her father and stepmother at the time of the accident.
In Capital Solar Power Corporation v The Ontario Power Authority, Howard Borlack of McCague Borlack LLP represented the Ontario Power Authority before Justice Toscano Reccamo of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice for a claim alleging the tort of misfeasance of public office.
Acting for the Applicants, Howard Borlack, Partner at McCague Borlack LLP had a favourable decision from the Ontario Divisional Court when they recently quashed an award by an Umpire arising from an appraisal pursuant to a homeowners policy and the Insurance Act. The insured's house sustained a fire and was beyond repair. The insured and insurer could not agree on the Actual Cash Value which the insured was entitled to under its Policy. The appraisals on behalf of both the insured and the insurer were approximately the same based to a great extent on comparable houses in the area.
Hemmings v Peng - the issue of remoteness of damage (“legal causation”) in the context of a medical malpractice claim.
The issue of vicarious liability in contractual relationships was called into question in the British Columbia Court of Appeal when a tragic car accident required the court to consider the parties' intentions when entering the contract and the purpose of the applicable legislation.
The Court dismissed LifeLabs LP's ("LifeLabs") application for judicial review.