Priorities 2026

Course Chairs
Aminollah Sabzevari — Department of Justice Canada, Adjunct Professor, Peter A. Allard School of Law, UBC, Vancouver
Kayla K. Strong — Nathanson Schachter & Thompson LLP, Vancouver

About the Course Chairs
Aminollah Sabzevari, BSc (Honours), JD, LLM, is an experienced litigator with the Department of Justice Canada. He represents the Federal Crown in complex insolvency proceedings under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act. He has published articles with the Annual Review of Insolvency Law, The Advocate, the Alberta Law Review, CanLII Connects, and the CanLII Authors Program. Aminollah teaches insolvency law (Law 444) and creditors' remedies (Law 443) at the Peter A. Allard School of Law, UBC. He is the recipient of the 2025 Adam Albright Award for Outstanding Teaching by an adjunct professor.

Aminollah is a mentor for law students via the CBA and the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers. He has volunteered as a science fair judge for nearly 20 years, with experience judging at the Greater Vancouver Science Fair, the Edmonton Regional Science Fair, the Calgary Youth Science Fair, and the Canada-Wide Science Fair. Aminollah clerked with the Provincial Court of Alberta and previously practiced in Edmonton before moving to Vancouver.

Kayla Strong is a trial and appellate lawyer who practices in commercial litigation, alternative dispute resolution, and bankruptcy and insolvency. She has regularly appeared as counsel before the BC courts and before administrative and arbitral tribunals. She is recognized as a Recommended Lawyer in Dispute Resolution by The Legal 500 and a Future Star by Benchmark Litigation. Kayla is committed to providing pragmatic solutions to complex problems for her clients. She takes pride in seeking a deep understanding of her clients' issues and providing advice that is tailored to their objectives. Kayla has experience in a wide range of areas including proceedings under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act and the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, receiverships, property development disputes, contract disputes, shareholder and partnership disputes, civil forfeiture, and professional regulatory proceedings.

Kayla is a regular contributor to the legal profession outside the courtroom. She is a co-editor of the Civil Appeal Handbook, and an adjunct professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law, UBC. She has also written chapters for publications on evidentiary and procedural issues in civil litigation.

Kayla is a graduate of the Peter A. Allard School of Law, where she was awarded the gold medal for finishing first in her graduating class. She then served as the law clerk to the Chief Justice of BC, The Honourable Justice Bauman, before entering private practice.

Faculty
Jason Eckford — Vice President, Recovery and Restructuring, MNP Ltd., Vancouver
Tyler S. Galbraith — Jenkins Marzban Logan LLP, Vancouver
Lindsay D. Goldberg — Fulton & Company Law Corporation, Vancouver
Claire Hildebrand — Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP, Vancouver
Aron Hochhauser — Fulton & Company Law Corporation, Vancouver
C. Nicole Mangan — Richards Buell Sutton LLP, Vancouver
Martha Martindale — Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, Vancouver
Jonathan McNair, CPA, CA, CIRP, LIT — Crowe MacKay & Company Ltd., Vancouver
Daniel D. Nugent — Richards Buell Sutton LLP, Vancouver
Peter J. Reardon — Nathanson Schachter & Thompson LLP, Vancouver

Course Materials Contributor
Jeenat Gill — Richards Buell Sutton LLP, Vancouver
Matthew Wong — Fulton & Company Law Corporation, Vancouver

Click here for full bios

• foreclosure overview
• acceleration and reinstatement
• what relief to seek
• foreclosure priority issues

• PPSA vs. PPSA
• PPSA vs. common law and equitable liens
• PPSA vs. statutory liens and trusts
• PPSA vs. garnishment under the Income Tax Act and Excise Tax Act 
• PPSA vs. Bank Act security and maritime mortgages
• PPSA vs. interest in land

• rent distress
• priority against other creditors
• issues arising on the filing of a proposal
• bankruptcy issues
• CCAA issues
• assignment and disclaimer of leases
• fixtures and security options for landlords

• priorities and the lien claimant:
  • between lien claimants
  • between lien claimant and mortgagee
  • between lien claimant and bankrupt estate lien claimant in Companies Creditors Arrangement Act and Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act proceedings
  • between lien claimant and trust beneficiary
  • between lien claimant and the Crown
  • between lien claimant and other creditors
• priorities and trust beneficiary:
  • between trust beneficiaries
  • between trust beneficiaries and the Crown
  • between trust beneficiaries and other creditors

• it depends on who you are and who you ask
• how to entitle or disentitle yourself to a priority

• Crown prerogative over claims of equal degree
• requirements to pay and enhanced requirements to pay
• deemed trusts for payroll source deductions and GST
• Crown's deemed security in bankruptcy
• statutory priorities of the Provincial Crown

• Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act priorities
• other sources for priority rules
• trust property 
• priority creditors
  • wage earners
  • Crown claims
  • unpaid suppliers
  • secured creditors
• preferred creditors
• postponed claim

• use of reverse vesting orders to convey property and priorities considerations
• Hudson's Bay CCAA and the assignment of leases to third parties as part of a sale of the assets of the debtor
• constructive trusts—how do they impact priorities and when are they appropriate?
• deemed trusts and priming charges in insolvency proceedings