Prometheus Bound or Loose Cannon? Punitive Damages for Pure Breach of Contract in Canada

This Article examines the Supreme Court of Canada's punitive damage awards in pure breach of contract cases in recent years. The Supreme Court reaffirmed this development in its recent and leading decision in Whiten v. Pilot Insurance Co. The Court attempted to craft an approach to the awarding of punitive damages that would avoid the worst excesses of the American experience in Pilot Insurance. The author explores whether the Court succeeded in attaining that laudable objective, concluding that the decision disappoints by failing to supply a convincing reason for extending the scope of punitive damages in the contract context beyond cases of breach of contract.