Late last week two short court orders were posted on the website of the monitors assigned to manage the CCAA proceedings for Imperial Tobacco, Rothmans, Benson and Hedges and JTI-Macdonald.
One of these extends the authority of the Hon. Warren Winkler, who has acted as mediator in this process for 6 years. His power in these proceedings is significant. In addition to those powers and services previously enumerated, this order directs him to "take all steps and actions, and to do all things, necessary or appropriate, in his sole discretion, with respect to the CCAA Plans (collectively, the "Ongoing Services") until further order of this court."
The confidentiality protocol, also extended by this order, excludes disclosure of either the billings associated with these services or the administrative actions taken by this former chief justice in his role as mediator in these files.
The second of these orders specifies that the fees paid to the monitors and their lawyers are subject to review by Mr. Winkler, and that these fees are also not to be made public.
