Small Claims Court Limit Increases to $35,000

October 24, 2019, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

Ontario Increases the Claim Limit for Small Claims Court   

In a move that is widely expected to reduce Superior Court backlogs, the Ontario government announced the implementation of a higher claims limit for Small Claims Court. This is the first increase in the limit since 2010 when it was $10,000.

Effective January 1, 2020, the limit will increase from $25,000 to $35,000. This should free up a significant backlog from the superior courts which are among the busiest in Canada. It can take years to have a case heard and settled and can require expensive representation.

Small Claims Court often takes less than a year to hear a case and lawyers or paralegals are not required to attend the court making it much cheaper for individuals and small business to achieve resolution to their claims. People often represent themselves in Small Claims Court or use paralegals and law students to represent them.

Small claims court is used primarily by individuals and business, and some civil cases. Increasing the limit for this court will mean that more of the civil and business cases can be shifted down from Superior Court. This should result in waist time being reduced in Superior Court for important criminal, family and civil cases.

About Deutschmann Law

Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.

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