Ontario. District Court (1984-1989)

• District Court

In 1984, the County Courts of the Province, along with the County Court Judges' Criminal Courts, and the Courts of the General Sessions of the Peace, were amalgamated to form the District Court of Ontario. This brought both civil and criminal jurisdiction together under the one local court. With the establishment of the Ontario Court of Justice in 1989, the District Court, along with the Supreme and Surrogate Courts, were merged to form the Ontario Court (General Division).

The District Court of Ontario had both civil and criminal jurisdiction. In civil cases any amount could be claimed, but cases involving amounts under $1,000 were usually brought to the Small Claims Court. As well, for amounts greater than $25,000 the defendant could have the action moved to the Supreme Court of Ontario. The criminal jurisdiction of the District Court involved handling trials, with or without a jury, for most indictable offences.

Courts of Justice Act, Statutes of Ontario 1984, Chap. 11

Courts of Justice Amendment Act, Statutes of Ontario 1989, Chap. 55

RAD: Rules for Archival Description, 2nd edn (2008)

2026-11-16: migrated to AtoM

Banks, Margaret A. The Evolution of the Ontario Courts, 1788-1981 (1983)

Zuber, The Honourable T.G. Report of the Ontario Courts Inquiry (1987)

Canadian Almanac, 1984-1989

Canadiana Name Authorities, 1996-12-24

Archivist(s):
R. Anger