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* 12 Dec 2008 Ontario boosts small claims court limit Ontario is boosting the monetary limit of the small claims court from $10,000 to $25,000 to help speed up and lower the costs of resolving disputes. The move is one of several reforms implemented on the basis of former associate chief justice Coulter Osborne’s report on the civil justice system. “By acting on my recommendations, the Attorney General is reducing cost and delay for individuals and businesses who use our civil courts,” said Judge Osborne. The new monetary limit comes into effect on Jan. 1, 2010. Additional civil justice reforms include: • Raising the monetary limit for a simplified procedure from $50,000 to $100,000. • Reducing pre-trial costs and delays by requiring advance time lines for sharing information and limiting pretrial examinations for discovery . • Lowering litigation costs and reducing the need for lengthy trials by
making it easier to resolve cases earlier.
Courting justice Editorial- * 15 Dec 2008 By increasing the monetary limit for small claims court from $10,000 to $25,000, Ontario has taken an important step toward making the civil court system more accessible to the people it was made for — average citizens. The move, announced by provincial Attorney General Chris Bentley this week, is in response to a report by former Ontario Associate Chief Justice Coulter Osborne, who was asked by the province to find ways to fix the civil justice system. Why does it need fixing? Because the civil court system, the place where people go when they have run out of other options, is slow and cumbersome and costs more to use than most people can afford. The Toronto Star reported last year that the average three-day civil court trial in Ontario costs an average of $60,000 — well beyond most people’s means. Small claims court, on the other hand, is less expensive and less cumbersome. It is also common for people to represent themselves there, which is why it is known as the People’s Court. Limiting it to claims of $10,000 or less, has limited its usefulness. That now changes, which will have a positive impact on all civil court cases. The province has made other changes, including raising the monetary limit for simplified civil court procedures from $50,000 to $100,000 and reducing pre-trial costs and delays. The changes are overdue and are a good first step in making a cumbersome and costly system work better for everyone.
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