Brkich & Brkich Enterprises Ltd. v. American Home Assurance Co., [1997] 1 S.C.R. 1149

American Home Assurance Co.                                                        Appellant

v.

Brkich & Brkich Enterprises Ltd. and

Mel Hotels Ltd., doing business as

The Commercial Hotel                                                                      Respondents

Indexed as:  Brkich & Brkich Enterprises Ltd. v. American Home Assurance Co.

File No.:  24959.

1997:  April 28.

Present:  La Forest, L’Heureux‑Dubé, Sopinka, Gonthier, Cory, McLachlin and Major JJ.

on appeal from the court of appeal for british columbia

Insurance ‑‑ Replacement cost ‑‑ Property destroyed by fire insured for replacement value only ‑‑ Insured signing contract for reconstruction of hotel and then selling property to third party on condition that hotel would be rebuilt according to terms of contract ‑‑ Policy requirement that insured effect replacement satisfied ‑‑ Insured entitled to recover replacement cost under policy.

APPEAL from a judgment of the British Columbia Court of Appeal (1995), 8 B.C.L.R. (3d) 1, 127 D.L.R. (4th) 115, [1995] 8 W.W.R. 363, 62 B.C.A.C. 186, 103 W.A.C. 186, 31 C.C.L.I. (2d) 160, [1996] I.L.R. ¶1‑3263, reversing a judgment of the British Columbia Supreme Court (1993), 84 B.C.L.R. (2d) 184, [1994] 1 W.W.R. 532, 18 C.C.L.I. (2d) 85, [1993] I.L.R. ¶1‑2291, dismissing the respondents’ action on an insurance policy.  Appeal dismissed.

William M. Holburn, Q.C., and Judith P. Kennedy, for the appellant.

Alan E. Farber and Stephen Tick, for the respondents.

//La Forest J.//

The judgment of the Court was delivered orally by

1                 La Forest J. ‑‑ We are all of the view that the appeal should be dismissed for the reasons given by Finch J.A. in the Court of Appeal.  Accordingly, the appeal is dismissed with costs throughout.

Judgment accordingly.

Solicitors for the appellant:  Alexander, Holburn, Beaudin & Lang, Vancouver.

Solicitors for the respondents:  Oreck, Chernoff, Tick & Farber, Vancouver.