In what circumstances will a court award an award for lost wages based on an estimate of the time required to purchase a business?

In Bell v. Sarnia, one of the claims made by the plaintiffs was for lost wages based on an estimate of the time required to purchase another business. Mr. Justice Rosenberg made an award with respect to this claim. He did so on the basis that the male plaintiff had advised a senior planner of the defendant's zoning department that he was working in Lybia while looking for a business to buy. In reliance on the represen tations of the employees of the defendant, the plaintiff purchased a building and began making renovations to it. The male plaintiff also resigned from his job in Lybia and, therefore, lost the wages he would otherwise have earned. This, Mr. Justice Rosenberg held, was a foreseeable loss.