- Parties: The appellant was the Edmonton Regional Airports Authority. The respondent was Michel Thibodeau. The intervener was the Association of Canadian Port Authorities.

- Subject Matter: In 2018, the respondent filed against the appellant various complaints with the Commissioner of Official Languages. The complaints alleged that several of its communications were only available in English, including some on its website and social media, and that it used unilingual English slogans in various contexts. The commissioner conducted an investigation and concluded in his report that the respondent’s complaints were founded and that the appellant committed several breaches of the Official Languages Act, 1985. The appellant admitted the breaches. The Federal Court awarded the respondent $5,000 in damages under s. 77(4) of the Act as a remedy for the appellant’s violations. The appellant challenged the Federal Court’s judgment.

- Ruling: The appeal court ruled in the respondent’s favour and dismissed the appeal. The Federal Court’s conclusions contained no palpable and overriding error that would allow intervention, the appeal court held. The Federal Court, in exercising its discretion, considered the circumstances as a whole and rightly rejected the respondent’s proposal to award a fixed amount for each complaint, the appeal court added.

- Date: The hearing was set on Apr. 11, 2024. The court released its decision on Nov. 25, 2024.

- Venue: This was a federal case before the Federal Court of Appeal.

- Amount: The appeal court awarded the respondent costs in an unspecified amount.