About the register

Independence. Courts Canada is an independent, privately operated register. It is not a court, a tribunal or a government body, and it is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated on behalf of any of them. The name describes the subject matter, not the operator.

What the register is

Canada's courts publish dockets and hearing lists: the matters scheduled before a court on a given day, usually with the names of the parties or the style of cause, the courtroom, and the kind of appearance. The Supreme Court of Canada, the federal courts and many provincial and territorial courts post these lists online. They are public, but each court publishes in its own format and place, most lists show only the current day or week, and none can be searched across courts.

Courts Canada collects those published lists several times a day and keeps them, so that a list can be read after the day has passed and a name can be searched across every court collected. Each line of a published list becomes one entry on the register.

What an entry means

An entry shows that a matter involving the person or party named was scheduled before a particular court on a particular date. Nothing more. It does not mean the person was charged with, found guilty of, or found liable for anything, and it does not record whether the matter proceeded or how it ended. Many appearances are procedural (a first appearance, a set date, an adjournment), and the parties named may be applicants, respondents, appellants or the Crown rather than accused persons. Everyone charged with an offence is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Where entries come from

Only from lists that courts publish on their own websites. The Lists and sources page names every list collected, its publisher and the address it is read from, and the Court directory lists every court in Canada with a note on whether it publishes a list. Each entry carries a source block naming the list and when it was retrieved. Fields are reproduced as published.

Publication bans and youth matters

Courts leave matters subject to a publication ban, and proceedings under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, off their public lists or anonymise them. The register reproduces only what the court published. If an entry ought not to appear, for example because a ban was made after the list was published, see Corrections and removals; such requests are handled first.

Accuracy

Courts amend their lists during the day. The register reads each list several times daily and does not reflect changes made between collections. Where this register and a court's own list differ, the court's list is authoritative.

Who uses it

Journalists checking what is on a docket; lawyers, paralegals and agents confirming an appearance; researchers studying the work of the courts; and members of the public who wish to attend or follow a matter in an open court. The register is not designed for, and must not be used for, background screening of individuals. See the Terms of use.

Contact

Enquiries and corrections: see Contact.