From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
The U.K. Supreme Court says people who live in glass houses have a right to privacy too.
The court ruled Wednesday that a viewing platform at London's Tate Modern art gallery made residents of glass-walled luxury apartments next door feel like animals in a zoo, and impeded "the ordinary use and enjoyment" of their homes.
The justices overturned earlier lower court rulings that sided with Tate Modern in the long-running privacy battle between the gallery -- one of London's biggest tourist attractions -- and residents of four apartments in the neighbouring Neo Bankside complex.
Justice George Leggatt said that the platform was visited by hundreds of thousands of people a year, who "frequently take photographs of the interiors of the flats and sometimes post them on social media."
"It is not difficult to imagine how oppressive living in such circumstances would feel for any ordinary person -- much like being on display in a zoo," he wrote in the court's majority ruling.
"It is beyond doubt that the viewing and photography which take place from the Tate's building cause a substantial interference with the ordinary use and enjoyment of the claimants' properties."
The court ruled that the gallery had violated "the common law of private nuisance." Three judges backed the majority decision and two dissented.
Tate Modern opened in 2000 in a former power station on the south bank of the River Thames. It helped transform the surrounding Bankside neighbourhood from a riverside backwater into an arts and nightlife hub dotted with luxury apartment towers.
The viewing terrace -- which has been closed since the coronavirus pandemic --is part of a pyramid-shaped extension that opened in 2016 at the gallery, which sees more than 5 million visitors a year. Neo Bankside was completed a few years earlier.
Lawyers for the residents argued the 10th-floor platform, which attracted more than half a million gallery visitors a year, constituted a "relentless" invasion of residents' privacy. They said gallery visitors subjected the apartments to "intense visual scrutiny," with some using binoculars and zoom lenses to get a better look.
The gallery said residents could solve the problem by drawing their blinds or putting up curtains -- and judges at the High Court and Court of Appeal agreed.
But the Supreme Court found that the viewing platform was an "abnormal" use of Tate Modern's land, and the beleaguered residents had a point.
"The claimants cannot be obliged to live behind net curtains or with their blinds drawn all day every day to protect themselves from the consequences of intrusion caused by the abnormal use which the Tate makes of its land," the judges said.
The ruling surprised many legal experts.
"Previous court decisions have suggested that if you happen to be overlooked by others, that is just bad luck and you don't have a legal remedy," said Richard Cressall, partner at law firm Gordons. "The Supreme Court has decided to put a cap on that."
Claire Lamkin, a real estate lawyer at Kingsley Napley, said that although the judges "emphasized the rare circumstances" of the case, "it will no doubt precipitate a wave of copycat cases where people feel a property development near them is highly intrusive."
The residents had asked for the gallery to shield their apartments from view, or to pay damages. The Supreme Court sent the case back to the High Court to decide on the appropriate remedy.
Natasha Rees, a lawyer for the five residents who launched the claim in 2018, said her clients "look forward to working with the Tate as valued neighbours to find a practical solution which protects all of their interests."
Tate Modern said in a statement that "as the case is ongoing, we cannot comment further."
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Careful attention to government statements and legislation is required to get a handle on the level of risk British Columbians’ information is under, as investigators probe multiple breaches under a continued barrage of attacks.
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Hailey and Justin Bieber are going to be parents. The couple announced the news on Thursday on Instagram, both sharing a video that showcases Hailey Bieber's growing belly.
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
The Oscar-winning team behind the nearly US$6 billion blockbuster 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' trilogies is reuniting to produce two new films.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
A P.E.I. lighthouse and a New Brunswick river are being honoured in a Canada Post series.
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.