Case information
Conduct a refined search of the Supreme Court of Canada database to obtain details on the status of a matter before the Court.
41807
Kourosh Esfandiar Bakhtiari, et al. v. His Majesty the King in Right of the Province of British Columbia (Minister of Finance), et al.
(British Columbia) (Civil) (By Leave)
Docket
Judgments on applications for leave to appeal are rendered by the Court, but are not necessarily unanimous.
| Date | Proceeding | Filed By (if applicable) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-10-17 | Close file on Leave | |
| 2025-10-16 | Copy of formal judgment sent to Registrar of the Court of Appeal and all parties | |
| 2025-10-16 | Judgment on leave sent to the parties | |
| 2025-10-16 |
Judgment of the Court on the application for leave to appeal, The application for leave to appeal from the judgment of the Court of Appeal for British Columbia (Vancouver), Number CA49298, 2025 BCCA 67, dated March 11, 2025, is dismissed with costs. Dismissed, with costs |
|
| 2025-09-15 | All materials on application for leave submitted to the Judges, for consideration by the Court | |
| 2025-06-20 |
Applicant's reply to respondent's argument, (Book Form), Missing: -Proof of service (Received June 25, 2025) , Completed on: 2025-06-25, (Printed version filed on 2025-06-23) |
Kourosh Esfandiar Bakhtiari |
| 2025-06-13 | Certificate (on limitations to public access), (Letter Form), 23A, (Printed version filed on 2025-06-13) | Attorney General of Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) and Ward Hindson |
| 2025-06-13 | Correspondence received from, (Letter Form), Attorney General of Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) and Ward Hindson will not file a response in this matter, (Printed version due on 2025-06-20) | Attorney General of Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) and Ward Hindson |
| 2025-06-12 | Certificate (on limitations to public access), (Letter Form), 23A, (Printed version due on 2025-06-19) | His Majesty the King in Right of the Province of British Columbia (Minister of Finance) |
| 2025-06-12 |
Respondent's response on the application for leave to appeal, (Book Form), Missing: -Proof of service (Received June 13, 2025) , Completed on: 2025-06-16, (Printed version filed on 2025-06-13) |
His Majesty the King in Right of the Province of British Columbia (Minister of Finance) |
| 2025-05-14 | Letter acknowledging receipt of a complete application for leave to appeal, FILE OPENED | |
| 2025-05-09 | Certificate (on limitations to public access), (Letter Form), 23A, (Electronic version filed on 2025-05-13) | Kourosh Esfandiar Bakhtiari |
| 2025-05-09 | Notice of name, (Letter Form), (Printed version filed on 2025-05-13) | Kourosh Esfandiar Bakhtiari |
| 2025-05-09 | Application for leave to appeal, (Book Form), Amended Cover Page (Rec'd 2025-06-06), Completed on: 2025-05-14, (Printed version filed on 2025-05-13) | Kourosh Esfandiar Bakhtiari |
Parties
Please note that in the case of closed files, the “Status” column reflects the status of the parties at the time of the proceedings. For more information about the proceedings and about the dates when the file was open, please consult the docket of the case in question.
Main parties
| Name | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Kourosh Esfandiar Bakhtiari | Applicant | Active |
| Technocorp Venture Capital inc. | Applicant | Active |
v.
| Name | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| His Majesty the King in Right of the Province of British Columbia (Minister of Finance) | Respondent | Active |
| Attorney General of Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) and Ward Hindson | Respondent | Active |
Counsel
Party: Kourosh Esfandiar Bakhtiari
Counsel
511-55 East Cordova Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6A 0A5
Telephone: (604) 694-1919
FAX: (604) 608-1919
Email: jason@gratlandcompany.com
Party: Technocorp Venture Capital inc.
Counsel
511-55 East Cordova Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6A 0A5
Telephone: (604) 694-1919
FAX: (604) 608-1919
Email: jason@gratlandcompany.com
Party: His Majesty the King in Right of the Province of British Columbia (Minister of Finance)
Counsel
Mark Witten
Legal Services Branch, Litigation Group
3rd floor, 1001 Douglas Street
Victoria, British Columbia
V8W 2C5
Telephone: (250) 387-3129
FAX: (604) 660-5476
Email: sarah.bevan@gov.bc.ca
Agent
331 Somerset Street West
Ottawa, Ontario
K2P 0J8
Telephone: (613) 282-1712
FAX: (613) 288-2896
Email: msobkin@sympatico.ca
Party: Attorney General of Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) and Ward Hindson
Counsel
British Columbia Regional Office
900-840 Howe Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6Z 2S9
Telephone: (778) 772-6318
Email: samson.rapley@justice.gc.ca
Agent
50 O’Connor Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0H8
Telephone: (613) 295-0765
Email: SCCAgentCorrespondentCSC@justice.gc.ca
Summary
Keywords
Charter of Rights and Freedoms — Right to equality — Analogous grounds — Whether statelessness is or could be an analogous ground under s. 15 of the Charter?
Summary
Case summaries are prepared by the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada (Law Branch). Please note that summaries are not provided to the Judges of the Court. They are placed on the Court file and website for information purposes only.
Mr. Bakhtiari was a citizen of Iran. In 1995, he came to Canada. He obtained refugee status. He is the sole shareholder, director and officer of Technocorp Venture Capital Inc. Under the Property Transfer Tax Act, RSBC 1996, c. 378, a corporation controlled by a foreign national that acquires residential property within specified geographic areas must pay additional property transfer tax. Technocorp Venture Capital Inc. acquired residential property in a specified area. British Columbia assessed additional transfer tax. Mr. Bakhtiara commenced an action seeking a declaration that the additional transfer tax breaches ss. 7 and 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Supreme Court of British Columbia granted an application to strike the claims. The Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal.
Lower court rulings
Motion to strike claims granted
Appeal dismissed
Filed documents
The memorandums of argument on an application for leave to appeal will be posted here 30 days after leave to appeal has been granted unless they contain personal information, information that is subject to a publication ban, or any other information that is not part of the public record. You may also obtain copies of the memorandum by filling out the Request for Court records form or by contacting the Court’s Records Centre either by email at records-dossiers@scc-csc.ca or by telephone at 613‑996‑7933 or at 1‑888‑551‑1185.
If you have questions about a memorandum of argument or want to use a memorandum of argument, please contact the author of the memorandum of argument directly. Their name appears at the end of the memorandum of argument. The contact information for counsel is found in the “Counsel” tab of this page.
Downloadable PDFs
Not available
Related links
The factums of the appellant, the respondent and the intervener will be posted here at least 2 weeks before the hearing unless they contain personal information, information that is subject to a publication ban, or any other information that is not part of the public record. You may also obtain copies of factums by filling out the Request for Court records form or by contacting the Court’s Records Centre either by email at records-dossiers@scc-csc.ca or by telephone at 613‑996‑7933 or at 1‑888‑551‑1185.
If you have questions about a factum or want permission to use a factum, please contact the author of the factum directly. Their contact information appears on the first page of each factum.
Downloadable PDFs
Not available
Related links
The condensed books of the appellant, the respondent and the intervener will be posted here upon receipt of the electronic version, 2 days prior to the scheduled appeal hearing. You may also obtain copies of condensed books by filling out the Request for Court records form or by contacting the Court’s Records Centre either by email at records-dossiers@scc-csc.ca or by telephone at 613‑996‑7933 or at 1‑888‑551‑1185.
If you have questions about a condensed book or want permission to use a condensed book, please contact the author of the condensed book directly. Their contact information appears on the first page of each condensed book.
Downloadable PDFs
Not available