Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ

2015-Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT-597

Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT Held or Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT Pronouncements

Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT considered the Appellant¡¯s claim that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT erred in procedure in the following ways: firstly, by denying his request to call a specific witness; secondly, by making allegedly conclusory remarks at the oral hearing; and, thirdly, by refusing to admit further evidence on discrimination and retaliation committed against him in 2014. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT did not commit any error of procedure so as to affect the outcome of the present case. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT noted that case management issues, including the question of whether to call a certain person to testify, remain within the discretion of Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT and do not merit a reversal except in clear cases of denial of due process of law affecting the right to produce evidence. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that there was no error in the manner in which Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT exercised its discretion and that it was not persuaded that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT had committed any error in procedure in declining to call the witness. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that, having reviewed the oral recording of the hearing, it was satisfied that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT did not make improper or prejudicial comments or reach premature conclusions. Noting that the evidence Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT refused to admit related to events that arose after the contested decision, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT did not err in not taking it into account in assessing the correctness of the decision under its review. With respect to the merits of the case, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that the Appellant had not persuaded it that the judgment under appeal was affected by any error in law or fact such as to warrant its reversal. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that the Appellant¡¯s contention that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT failed to address his claim that the Administration¡¯s email, which indicated only a limited workload, was undermined by the recruitment of six freelancers the same month was misplaced and Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that there was no error in the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT¡¯s reasoning on this issue. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT held that it was not material to the outcome of the case whether the impugned decision could be said to be tainted by bias or discrimination, as the Appellant had no right to be granted more days of work or any legitimate expectation of being granted more assignments. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT dismissed the appeal and affirmed the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT judgment.

Decision Contested or Judgment/Order Appealed

The Applicant contested the decision not to renew his contract. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT dismissed the application.

Legal Principle(s)

Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµAT will not interfere lightly with the broad discretion of Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµDT in the management of its cases.

Outcome

Appeal dismissed on merits

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The judgment summaries were generally prepared in English. They were translated into French and are being reviewed for accuracy of the translation.