Loberg Ector LLP

03/19/2026

Re: SCC Grants CCFR Leave to Appeal in CCFR v Canada

The Supreme Court of Canada has just released its ruling on our leave to appeal application, and I am pleased to advise that the SCC will be hearing our appeal!

03/17/2026

BREAKING NEWS: Emergencies Act Update

Loberg Ector LLP was served today with an application by the Attorney General of Canada seeking leave to appeal the Emergencies Act decision to the Supreme Court of Canada, following the successful outcomes obtained by Loberg Ector’s clients, Edward Cornell and Vincent Gircys, along with the other challengers to the federal government’s implementation of the Emergencies Act.

We were successful both at the Federal Court and at the Federal Court of Appeal in this matter.

The application for leave raises the following questions:

1. What principles should courts apply when reviewing a proclamation of a public order emergency under the Emergencies Act?
2. Did the emergency measures adopted in this case unjustifiably limit Charter rights?
3. Can the Governor in Council and Cabinet be treated as one and the same in this context?

If leave is granted, Loberg Ector LLP looks forward to once again representing its clients in a matter of significant national importance and defending the rights of all Canadians at the Supreme Court of Canada.

05/08/2025

Re: CTV News on Eric Drinkwater

"...In March, a judge ruled in favour of claimants against Drinkwater in a lawsuit seeking to recover damages related to a “major Ponzi scheme,” according to law firm Loberg Ector LLP.

A judge awarded the firm’s clients the full amount of their claims, including “$2,278,114.19 for funds advanced under the fraudulent pretext, $185,124.90 in accrued interest, costs on a solicitor and own client full-indemnity basis, and an award of punitive damages of $1 million.”

The court also granted a declaration that Drinkwater acted fraudulently in the scheme..."

https://www.ctvnews(dot)ca/calgary/article/calgary-realtor-charged-after-allegedly-defrauding-clients-out-of-19m/

05/08/2025

Successful Judgment Against Fraudster Culminates in Criminal Charge Laid

On May 8, 2025, the Calgary Police Service announced that they formally charged Eric Drinkwater with one count of fraud over $5,000. The charge comes on the heels of the March 3, 2025 landmark judgment in the case of Piteau et al. v. Drinkwater et al., marking a significant victory for victims of some of the fraudulent real estate investment scheme.

The plaintiffs, represented by Loberg Ector LLP, were awarded millions in damages, full indemnity costs, along with additional punitive damages which were initially set at $1,000,000 but which remain under judicial consideration as to the final amount. In the same matter, in April the Alberta Court of King's Bench also affirmed the award of the extraordinary remedies of a Mareva injunction and an attachment order against the charged fraudster and his related company.

The case centered around Mr. Drinkwater, a former Calgary real estate agent and associate broker at Re/Max Central. Drinkwater orchestrated a Ponzi scheme involving falsified bridge loans for non-existent transactions, convincing investors to provide funds under the pretense of financing legitimate real estate deals. The documents supporting these transactions were forgeries, and no actual deals existed. Evidence presented in court revealed that at least 71 investors were defrauded, with the number potentially exceeding 100.

In the proceedings Blair Ector, a founding partner of Loberg Ector LLP, emphasized the importance of the punitive damages in sending a clear message against such fraudulent activities in Alberta. The firm had initially secured an attachment and preservation order against Drinkwater's assets, ensuring the protection of the plaintiffs' interests to the extent possible in the circumstances, which has since been affirmed in King's Bench.

The Real Estate Council of Alberta (RECA) was named as a statutory defendant solely in its capacity as the administrator of the Real Estate Assurance Fund, which is designed to protect the public from fraudulent industry professionals. Given the likelihood that Drinkwater cannot satisfy the judgment, the Assurance Fund is expected to intervene to compensate the victims.

The legal action continues against Pat Edward Hare, the owner of the brokerage where Drinkwater worked. Hare has defended the claim. Further claims are anticipated concerning parties who facilitated or failed to detect and prevent the fraudulent scheme earlier.

This case underscores the critical role of legal diligence and the mechanisms in place to protect investors from fraudulent practices in the real estate industry.

Loberg Ector LLP is a law firm practicing complex commercial litigation in Calgary, Alberta.

🔵 CHARGE LAID 🔵

We have charged a man who is believed to be responsible for defrauding several people who each invested thousands of dollars in various real estate opportunities under the direction of a realtor.

📍 In July 2024, a victim contacted police to report he believed he was scammed after he invested approx. $80,000 over the span of a year with a realtor & had not received any type of repayment despite the financial agreement.

Initially, the realtor proposed a real estate investment deal with the intention of repaying the victim his initial investment, plus interest. After several attempts to communicate with the realtor about a repayment timeline, the victim was provided several excuses & realized he lost money.

Police were contacted & launched an investigation. It was discovered there were several additional victims who were also promised similar investment opportunities & were never repaid.

Between March 2020 & February 2024, while employed with Re/Max Central, the realtor is believed to have solicited numerous loans disguised as investment opportunities by offering short-term, high-interest transactions, leveraging his professional capacity as a real estate agent.

It is believed he told victims he knew of clients who needed funding to close deals on real estate transactions to avoid impacting their credit or borrowing capacity. The realtor explained he would repay the loans in a short timeframe, with profits made from the sale of his client’s homes.

He also guaranteed the transactions, ensuring the victims believed the loans were backed by garnishment of his commission from Re/Max Central should he fail to repay the loans.

It was later determined the investments were fictitious & the supporting documents the realtor provided the victims were falsified. So far, 16 victims have come forward to police with a combined loss of more than $1.9 million.

📌 As a result, we have charged Eric DRINKWATER, 43, of Calgary, with 1 count of fraud over $5,000.

📣 Anyone with information about these, or similar incidents, or who believes they are a victim of fraud, is asked to contact police.

Information?
☎️ CPS: 403-266-1234
🛑 Calgary Crime Stoppers

⚖ Case #: CA24291959 | 5268

🌐 https://newsroom.calgary.ca/man-charged-with-fraud-in-multimillion-dollar-real-estate-investment-scam/

02/06/2025

Canadian Constitutional Foundation Recap

The CCF recaps the story and submissions that Blair Ector brought to the Federal Court of Appeal hearing of the Emergencies Act appeal. You will recall that Canada lost in the Federal Court Trial Division, and they didn't sound any better in the appeal court.

Blair's part on the personal impact these unlawful acts had on regular Canadians is recapped at time index 35:23 to 41:43, and it's well worth knowing.

Click this link to go directly to that part:

Feb 5th was Day 2 in the court of appeal. This is the daily recap of what happened in the legal challenge to Trudeau's use of the Emergencies Act. Support ou...

02/05/2025

Canada v. Cornell et al. - The Emergencies Act Case

Today Blair Ector of Loberg Ector LLP argued his part in the Federal Court of Appeal on the appeal of the Emergencies Act decision wherein the invocation of the Emergencies Act was held to be unconstitutional. Canada appealed their loss, and I don't think the appeal went any better for them than Federal Court did - but as always we'll see when we get the decision. Blair stood with a team of giants in this matter, patriots all.

I do want to say that it's a good thing, professionally and ethically, for the firm to be involved in defending democracy and our rule of law against the abuses of an out-of-control government, and that is what they are.

We don't get paid for this, but we do get to say this:

Not on our watch Trudeau. Not while we are still here. We will not quietly tolerate unlawful government behavior where we have the ability to oppose you, and we will not stand idly by and watch it happen. Not on our watch.

10/24/2024

Loberg Ector LLP partners Michael Loberg and Blair Ector are delighted to announce that Lisa Rodríguez has joined our firm as our newest litigation associate.

Lisa brings an impressive resume with experience working to secure regulatory approvals for some of the biggest resource development projects in Canada. She has experience dealing with a wide range of issues related to energy, the environment, Indigenous groups, and project development.

Lisa loves to give back to the legal community and has volunteered as a mentor, organizer, and moot competition judge for organizations such as the Association of Women Lawyers, the Canadian Bar Association and the University of Calgary. In law school, Lisa was president of the University Runnymede Society, ran marketing and communications for the University chapter of Pro Bono Students Canada, and acted as Vice Chair for the Canadian Bar Association student section.

Lisa won various awards including the Grant McKibben Prize for her significant contribution to law school activities, the R.A. MacKimmie Award, and a Pro Bono Students Canada Outstanding Community Outreach Award for her significant contributions.

Loberg Ector LLP is extremely proud to have such an excellent team of lawyers, and Lisa is a great new addition. We invite you to connect with Lisa, and to reach out to our firm at any time to discuss how we can help you.

Lisa is fully fluent in Spanish and is a certified translator, expanding once again our ability to serve greater portions of the international market.

Welcome Lisa!

08/21/2024

Loberg Ector LLP is pleased to announce its sponsorship of the Phillip C. Jessup Moot at the University of Calgary Faculty of Law for 2024-2025.

Firm associates Timothy Chan and Brendan Hill are coaching a team of talented University of Calgary law students as they litigate complex issues of national sovereignty and international treaty obligations in a highly competitive environment.

Timothy and Brendan are themselves both former Jessup competitors. As a law student, Timothy was the recipient of the Owen Saunders Prize in Public International Law, a McGillivray Moot finalist, and has continued to judge the Jessup international rounds since then. Brendan is also the previous winner of the Blackstone Medals Debate. They will be supported by the diverse experience of the firm’s other litigators, whose collective litigation experience spans from Canada to the Cayman Islands, the UK, South Africa, and the Netherlands at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

The U of C Mooting Program produces exceptional litigators. We are proud to support student education at one of the best schools in Canada.

A special thanks goes from our firm to Professor Elizabeth Whitsitt, chair of the University of Calgary Mooting and Debating Committee, for enabling this partnership.

You can participate in both non-credit and credit moots during your time at UCalgary Law.

06/28/2024

We are hiring eager and brilliant litigation associates who want to work on interesting commercial litigation matters with a team of like-minded lawyers. We offer full mentorship and challenging cases, and all the tech and support you could want. We pay above market with performance bonuses, we offer full benefits, and we provide an exceptional working experience for your law career. If you want to discuss this opportunity in confidence, we want to hear from you.

Contact us at [email protected], or our Managing Partner at [email protected], for a confidential conversation about joining us.

06/28/2024

Loberg Ector LLP partners Blair Ector and Michael Loberg are pleased to announce that Braeden M. Claringbull has joined our firm for his articles. Braeden's client-focused dedication and drive toward excellence made him a welcome addition to our team, and his recent experience working in the litigation department of the Alberta Securities Commission adds his skills to our existing securities and investment litigation practice.

Welcome Braeden!

06/28/2024

Loberg Ector LLP partners Blair Ector and Michael Loberg are pleased to announce that Danielle Weiss has joined our firm for her articles.

Danielle has a Juris Doctor from the University of Calgary, two diplomas, Chemical Technology and Instrumentation Engineering, in addition to her undergraduate degree, a Bachelors in Technology Management, all received from the Northern Alberta Institute in Technology. Prior to attending the University of Calgary, Danielle worked at the pharmaceutical company manufacturing site.

During law school, Danielle volunteered with Pro Bono Students Canada working on the Indigenous Legal Research project as a member, and then as a project leader for two years. Danielle also participated in a credit moot, the National Family Law Negotiation Competition, in which her team placed third. Danielle also worked for the legal team at the University of Calgary Cu***ng School of Medicine throughout her time in law school.

Welcome to the firm Danielle!

05/17/2024

Mareva injunctions, freezing orders and attachment orders are powerful tools in litigation, as they help secure assets to keep them available during the pendency of litigation. Today we are happy to report another win for Loberg Ector LLP clients at the Alberta Court of King's Bench, as our litigator Brendan Hill appeared before Madam Justice K***z and obtained a pre-judgment attachment order over the assets of a defendant in a corporate oppression action, with additional penalties and costs awarded in favor of our client.

Brendan and our commercial litigation team are well-equipped to obtain these kinds of orders when they are required, ensuring that when our clients obtain favorable judgments and orders, they are in the best possible position to collect on them.

Need help? Reach out to Brendan or any member of our firm.

We do complex commercial litigation.