Turns out that Justice Morawetz will no longer be asked to grant Canada's tobacco companies with a further six month suspension of the lawsuits against them. The hearing that had been scheduled for October 1st has been adjourned.
Instead of asking for a six month stay, the companies are being granted a one-month extension. This is being done without any hearing or public viewing of the decision-making.
The next day on which day the parties to this long-standing insolvency case will assemble again before the judge is now set for Hallowe'en.
This decision was made quasi-public when the monitor's reports were circulated to the hundred or more individuals whose names appear on the service list and who receive official documents. The monitor's reports are dated on Friday September 27th, but the first one was not made public until just over 24 hours before the scheduled hearing.
The reports give no explanation for the change -- but each carries a near-identical text: "The Stay Period is currently set to expire on September 30, 2024. The Applicant is seeking the extension of the Stay Period up to and including March 31, 2025. After discussions, the Monitor, the Applicant and other stakeholders have agreed to extend the Stay Period until October 31, 2024. The Applicant’s motion to extend the Stay Period to March 31, 2025 will be adjourned to October 31, 2024."
