The plaintiffs in a failed class-action lawsuit over contamination from the former Sydney steel plant and tar ponds have been ordered to pay court costs of more than 700-thousand dollars. However, lawyer Ray Wagner who represented the four Sydney residents named in the suit says his firm will absorb the cost. Wagner says the decision over court costs will have a chilling effect on any future class actions in the province. He adds it also puts up barriers to people of modest means trying to seek justice. Justice David P.S. Farrar turned down a request that there be no order for costs or a nominal award for costs. The ruling means that Nova Scotia’s attorney general gets $300,000 in court costs while the attorney general of Canada gets $400,000.
