Ontario Contract Law Information Hub
Ontario Contract Law Information Hub
Clear, practical Ontario resources for contracts, agreements, business disputes, unpaid invoices, contract review and legal rights.
Ontario-wide information • Plain-English guides • Practical resources
The Insights Library
Start with Contract Law Insights
Our flagship editorial library — plain-English guides organized into six practical pathways.
Breach of Contract in Ontario: Rights, Remedies and Next Steps
What counts as a breach, the types of breach Ontario courts recognize, and the practical next steps once one has occurred.
Demand Letters in Ontario Contract Disputes: What They Should Include
How a well-written demand letter is structured, what it should say, and why it's often the most useful first step in a dispute.
Lease Agreements in Ontario: Key Terms to Understand Before You Sign
The core terms that appear in most Ontario leases, and what they actually mean for you once you've signed.
Six Pathways
Find your way through Ontario contract law
Every Insight sits inside one of six editorial hubs, each covering a distinct area of contract law.
Contract Disputes
Breach, demand letters, damages, remedies, mediation, arbitration, litigation and limitation periods.
Leases
Lease terms, residential leases, review, negotiation, renewal, termination and disputes.
Commercial Leases
Commercial lease clauses, rent, repairs, renewal options, assignment, subleasing, default and disputes.
Partnerships
Partnership agreements, partner rights, duties, disputes, exit planning, dissolution and continuity.
Money & Enforcement
Unpaid invoices, debt collection, interest, demand letters, settlement, payment plans, judgments and enforcement.
Agreements
Service agreements, contractor agreements, NDAs, employment agreements, settlement agreements and other business contracts.
Reference Library
Browse contracts by type
A quick-reference index of the agreement types Ontario residents and businesses ask about most.
Service Agreement
Governs the scope, payment and terms for services performed between two parties.
Independent Contractor Agreement
Sets out a working relationship structured as independent from employment.
Non-Disclosure Agreement
Restricts how confidential information shared between parties may be used.
Employment Agreement
Sets out the terms of an employment relationship, including duties and termination.
Settlement Agreement
Formally resolves a dispute between parties, usually including a release of claims.
Partnership Agreement
Sets out how business partners share profit, authority, and responsibility.
Shareholder Agreement
Governs how the owners of a corporation work together and resolve disagreements.
Residential Lease Agreement
Sets the terms between a landlord and tenant for renting a residential property.
Get Organized
Practical tools & checklists
Structured resources to help you work through a contract issue step by step.
Contract review checklist
A structured pass through the clauses that most often cause problems later.
Breach of contract next-steps wizard
A step-by-step way to think through what may have happened and what comes next.
Limitation-period guide
A plain-English walkthrough of Ontario's general time limits for contract claims.
Demand-letter checklist
The core elements a demand letter typically needs to be taken seriously.
Unpaid invoice recovery guide
A sequence of practical options, from a polite reminder through to court.
Contract damages guide
How to think about loss, mitigation, and what compensation may reflect.
Glossary
Contract law terms explained
Short, plain-English definitions for the terms that come up most often.
- Breach of contract
- A failure, without lawful excuse, to perform a promise or obligation set out in an agreement.
- Material breach
- A significant failure to perform that goes to the heart of the agreement.
- Demand letter
- A formal written request asking another party to fix a breach or pay an amount owed by a set deadline.
- Limitation period
- The window of time within which a legal claim must generally be started.
- Damages
- Financial compensation a court may award to address loss caused by a breach.
- Mitigation
- The reasonable steps a non-breaching party is expected to take to limit their own losses.
- Specific performance
- A court order requiring a party to actually carry out its contractual obligations.
- Mediation
- A process where a neutral third party helps both sides negotiate their own resolution.
Editorial Standards
Clear, carefully maintained Ontario legal information
Contract Law Ontario exists to make common contract-law topics easier to understand, so you can approach your situation with more clarity and confidence.
Plain-English explanations
Legal concepts are written to be understood without a legal background.
Links to primary sources
Where relevant, guides link to Ontario and Canadian legislation and courts.
Published and updated dates
Every guide notes when it was published and last materially reviewed.
Editorial and legal-review standards
Content is reviewed against a documented editorial and legal-review process.
Legal Reviewer
Ryan J. Manilla, BA, JD
Guides on Contract Law Ontario are reviewed for legal accuracy against a documented editorial process. Content is provided as general legal information only and does not constitute personalized legal advice.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What makes a contract legally binding in Ontario?
Generally, an enforceable contract requires an offer, acceptance of that offer, consideration (something of value exchanged), an intention to create legal relations, and enough certainty of terms for a court to understand what was agreed.
Are verbal contracts enforceable in Ontario?
Many verbal agreements can be enforceable in Ontario, but they are often harder to prove than written contracts. Certain types of agreements, such as some real estate transactions, are generally required to be in writing.
How long do I have to sue for breach of contract in Ontario?
Ontario's Limitations Act, 2002 sets out a basic two-year limitation period for many claims, generally running from when the claim was discovered. Some claims have different rules or exceptions.
What can I do if someone does not pay an invoice?
Common steps include sending a clear payment reminder, issuing a formal demand letter, considering mediation, and if needed, pursuing a claim in Small Claims Court or Superior Court depending on the amount owed.
Do I need a lawyer to review a contract?
You are not always required to have a lawyer review a contract, but a legal professional can help identify risks, ambiguous terms, or missing protections that may not be obvious to someone without legal training.
What's the difference between mediation, arbitration and court?
Mediation uses a neutral third party to help both sides negotiate a resolution without imposing a decision. Arbitration involves a private decision-maker who issues a ruling. Court is the public litigation process overseen by a judge.
Understand your agreement. Know your next step.
Ontario-wide, plain-English contract law information — built to help you make sense of your situation before you decide what to do next.