Find a Lawyer for Disputes & Claims in Canada

First decide which court: claims for money or the return of personal property worth up to $50,000 go to Small Claims Court; larger claims, and claims for other remedies such as injunctions, go to the Superior Court of Justice. In Small Claims you start by filing a plaintiff's claim (Form 7A) and paying the fee, then serve it on the person or business you are suing. If they defend, there is a settlement conference and, if it does not settle, a trial. These are Ontario's rules; other provinces have their own courts and limits.

Fill in a plaintiff's claim (Form 7A) and file it online if your claim is eligible, in person or by mail, at the courthouse where the problem happened or where the defendant lives or does business. The fee for most people is $108. You then have six months to serve the claim, which the court can extend, and you file proof of service separately. Community Legal Education Ontario offers a free guided tool for the forms.

In Small Claims Court, most people pay $108 to file a claim and $308 to set a trial date. In the Superior Court, a statement of claim costs $243 and setting the case down for trial costs $859. Those are the court fees as of October 2026, and fee waivers are available. If you lose, you can also be ordered to pay some of the other side's costs, which in Small Claims are capped at 15 per cent of the amount claimed in most cases, plus their reasonable disbursements.

In most cases, two years from the day you discovered the claim, and usually no more than 15 years after the event itself, although some claims have no limit. Some claims have much shorter limits: one year to apply to the Human Rights Tribunal, and for libel in an Ontario newspaper or broadcast, six weeks to give written notice and three months to sue.

It often makes sense to start with a letter. Ontario's small claims guide suggests sending a letter or talking to the other side before you sue, because you may reach an agreement without going to court. There is no general rule that you must send one, although a few claims, such as libel in a newspaper or broadcast, need written notice before you can sue. Sending a letter does not by itself extend the two-year limitation period, so if it does not work you still need to start your claim in time.

Small Claims Court in Ontario handles claims up to $50,000, a limit that rose from $35,000 on 1 October 2025. A claim within that limit has to start there unless the Superior Court gives leave. If you are owed more, you can still use Small Claims Court by giving up the amount above $50,000, or sue in the Superior Court.

Ontario does not publish an overall timeline, because it depends on the court and on the parties. The rules set the pace at each step: six months to serve the claim, 20 days for the defendant to file a defence, and a settlement conference within 90 days after the first defence. If the case does not settle within 30 days after the conference, a party must request a trial date.

Yes. In the Superior Court, Ontario's rules expressly allow a lawyer to help with part of your case under a limited scope retainer, for example drafting your claim, defence or application, while you otherwise represent yourself. In Small Claims Court you can also be helped or represented by a licensed paralegal.