Law360 Canada ( November 20, 2018, 8:45 AM EST) -- Appeal by the defendant landlords from an order granting the plaintiff tenant leave to have a dispute heard in the Supreme Court of British Columbia. The plaintiff was a resident of the defendants' hotel, the Regent, a 153-room single residence occupancy building in Vancouver's downtown east side. The plaintiff filed a Residency Tenancies Act (RTA) dispute which sought damages and injunctive relief on behalf of himself and other residents arising from the hotel's deplorable living conditions. The plaintiff intended to certify the dispute as a class action or continue it as a representative proceeding. The City of Vancouver was named as a defendant for failure to enforce certain health and safety bylaws. A Supreme Court justice granted the plaintiff an order granting leave to have his RTA dispute heard in the Court, as it involved a claim exceeding the small claims limit and was linked substantially to the bylaw enforcement claims against the City. Supplemental reasons noted the Court's exclusive jurisdiction to grant punitive and aggravated damages. The Court rejected the landlords' contention that the dispute was within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB). The landlords appealed....