Does the word "happens" in the present tense apply only to accidents in the future?
Alberta, Canada
The following excerpt is from McMeekin v. Calder, 1977 CanLII 634 (AB QB):
The issue in Hapke v. Painchaud was the same as that in the present case, and the court there found on the meaning of the amendment that the plaintiff’s cause of action was not barred. However, in my view, the use of the word “happens” in the present tense does not of itself indicate the clear and unambiguous intention of the legislature to have the amendment apply only to accidents in the future.
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