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Contract Law Insights for Ontario
Practical, plain-English Ontario guides about contracts, agreements, business disputes, leases, unpaid money and legal rights.
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Nine pathways through Ontario contract law
Every Insight sits inside one of nine editorial hubs, each with its own featured guide and related tools.
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.
Construction
Construction contracts, liens, holdbacks, prompt payment, adjudication, change orders and deficiency disputes.
Real Estate
Agreements of purchase and sale, deposits, conditions, closing disputes, assignments and related real estate contracts.
Consumer Contracts
Consumer Protection Act rights, cooling-off periods, cancellations, warranties and common consumer contract disputes.
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“Someone didn't do what they promised”
Understand breach, demand letters, remedies and how disputes get resolved.
“I'm dealing with a residential lease”
Lease terms, renewal, ending a tenancy and common lease problems.
“I have a commercial lease question”
Rent structure, repairs, renewal options, assignment and default.
“I'm in a dispute with a business partner”
Partner duties, common disputes, exit planning and dissolution.
“I'm owed money and need to collect it”
Invoices, debt collection, settlement, judgments and enforcement.
“I need to review, draft or negotiate an agreement”
Service agreements, contractor agreements, NDAs and more.
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Popular guides
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.
Commercial Lease Agreements in Ontario: Key Clauses for Businesses
The clauses that matter most in an Ontario commercial lease, from rent structure to repair obligations.
Partnership Agreements in Ontario: What Every Business Partnership Should Cover
The provisions a written partnership agreement should address, and what happens by default if you never write one.
Unpaid Invoices in Ontario: How to Recover Money You're Owed
A practical, step-by-step sequence for recovering an unpaid invoice, from a first reminder through to court.
Service Agreements in Ontario: Key Terms for Businesses and Contractors
The clauses that keep a services relationship clear, fair and enforceable for both sides.
Construction Contracts in Ontario: Key Terms to Know
Walks through what a solid construction contract should cover — scope, price and payment schedule, change orders, holdback, substantial performance, warranty and dispute resolution — and how CCDC standard forms fit in.
Agreement of Purchase and Sale in Ontario Explained
Explains what an APS is, when it becomes a binding contract, and its core elements — parties, property, price, deposit, closing date, conditions, and included or excluded items.
Ontario’s Consumer Protection Act: What It Covers
An overview of who the Consumer Protection Act protects, which agreements it covers, and the core protections, bans and complaint process it adds on top of ordinary contract law.
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Home Services Contracts in Ontario (HVAC, Security, Solar)
Explains how long-term furnace rental, home security and solar agreements often qualify as future-performance agreements with disclosure and cancellation rights, plus auto-renewal terms.
Wedding and Event Vendor Contracts in Ontario
Walks through cancellation and postponement policies, deposits, force majeure, and vendor no-show liability in venue, photography and catering contracts.
Moving Company Contracts in Ontario: What to Check
Covers binding versus non-binding estimates, mover liability limits, deposit practices, and red flags for moving scams in Ontario.
Unfair or Unconscionable Contract Terms in Ontario
Explains how Ontario courts can refuse to enforce unconscionable terms, and how the Consumer Protection Act bans certain clauses outright in consumer agreements.
Buying a Car in Ontario: Contract Terms to Know
Covers new and used vehicle purchase agreements, OMVIC’s regulation of dealers, as-is sales versus implied warranties, and financing or leasing terms.
Online Purchase Disputes in Ontario: Returns and Chargebacks
Covers how online purchases are treated under the Consumer Protection Act, the difference between a merchant’s return policy and statutory cancellation rights, and credit card chargebacks.
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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.
How Long Do You Have to Sue for Breach of Contract in Ontario?
A plain-English walkthrough of Ontario's general limitation period for contract claims, and the exceptions worth knowing about.
Mediation vs. Arbitration in Ontario: Which Dispute Resolution Option Fits?
Compares how mediation and arbitration actually work in Ontario — voluntary vs. binding, cost, speed, confidentiality, and enforceability — and when a contract requires one or the other.
Taking a Contract Dispute to Small Claims Court in Ontario
A step-by-step walkthrough of pursuing a contract claim in Ontario’s Small Claims Court — the $35,000 limit, filing, costs, evidence, settlement conferences, trial, and appeals.
Contract Damages in Ontario: How Compensation Is Calculated
How Ontario courts calculate contract damages — expectation, reliance, and consequential losses, the duty to mitigate, liquidated damages clauses, and the rare role of punitive damages.
Are Verbal Agreements Enforceable in Ontario?
Why verbal agreements are generally enforceable in Ontario, the Statute of Frauds exceptions that require writing, and the practical evidence and risks that come with an unwritten deal.
How to Terminate a Contract in Ontario Without Breaching It
Explains the lawful ways a contract can be ended in Ontario — termination clauses, notice, for-convenience vs. for-cause, mutual release, and frustration — and how getting the mechanics wrong turns a termination into a breach.
Force Majeure Clauses in Ontario: When Performance Is Excused
Covers what force majeure clauses typically excuse, why Ontario courts read them narrowly, how the doctrine differs from common-law frustration, and the notice obligations these clauses usually impose.
Void vs. Voidable Contracts in Ontario: What’s the Difference?
Breaks down the difference between a contract that never legally existed and one that stays binding until the wronged party elects to cancel it, including grounds like illegality, misrepresentation, duress, undue influence, and unconscionability.
Breach of Warranty Claims in Ontario
Explains express vs. implied warranties and how breaching a warranty (damages only) differs from breaching a condition (can end the contract), with common disputes in vehicle, home, and service purchases.
Anticipatory Breach of Contract in Ontario
Covers how a clear advance signal of non-performance (repudiation) lets the innocent party treat the contract as immediately breached or affirm it and wait, plus the risks of each choice.
Specific Performance as a Contract Remedy in Ontario
Explains this discretionary equitable remedy forcing actual performance (mainly real estate/unique goods) rather than damages, and the defences available against it.
Unjust Enrichment Claims in Ontario
Covers the three-part test (enrichment, corresponding deprivation, no juristic reason), how it differs from breach of contract, and common scenarios like undocumented work and property contribution disputes.
How Ontario Courts Interpret Ambiguous Contract Terms
Explains the modern Sattva Capital factual-matrix approach, contra proferentem, the parol evidence rule, and why clear drafting avoids these disputes.
The Duty of Good Faith in Ontario Contracts
Explains Bhasin v. Hrynew’s organizing principle of good faith and the narrower duty of honest performance it created, what that duty does and doesn’t require, and how it surfaces in termination and discretion disputes.
Entire Agreement Clauses in Ontario Contracts
Explains what an entire agreement clause excludes from a contract, why it’s used to prevent disputes over prior promises, and its limits — including fraudulent misrepresentation claims.
Indemnification Clauses in Ontario Contracts Explained
Covers what an indemnity clause shifts onto the indemnifying party, how it differs from a limitation of liability clause, mutual vs. one-sided indemnities, and common carve-outs and caps.
Liquidated Damages vs. Penalty Clauses in Ontario
Explains why a genuine pre-estimate of loss is generally enforceable while a punitive penalty clause is not, how courts tell the two apart, and drafting tips to favour enforceability.
Settling a Contract Dispute in Ontario: Settlement Agreements and Releases
Walks through how Ontario contract disputes typically settle, what a settlement agreement and release usually contains, and how minutes of settlement work at a court settlement conference.
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.
Ending a Lease Agreement in Ontario: Notice, Termination and Common Issues
How leases typically come to an end, what notice usually looks like, and the issues that most often come up when they do.
Ontario Lease Review Checklist: What to Look for Before Signing
A structured walkthrough of the clauses worth reading twice before you commit to a lease.
Rent Increase Rules in Ontario: What Landlords Can and Can’t Do
Explains how the province’s annual rent increase guideline, 12-month minimum, 90-day notice, above-guideline applications, and post-2018 exemptions work together to govern residential rent increases.
Security Deposits and Last Month’s Rent in Ontario
Clarifies that Ontario bars damage deposits and only permits a last month’s rent deposit, how its annual interest and move-out application work, and what landlords can’t do.
Subletting and Assigning a Lease in Ontario
Breaks down the tenant’s right to request consent, the practical and legal difference between subletting and assignment, and what happens if a landlord refuses.
When Can a Landlord Enter a Rental Unit in Ontario?
Covers the 24-hour written notice rule and permitted hours/reasons for entry, the emergency exception, viewings for prospective tenants/buyers, and recourse for improper entry.
The Eviction Process in Ontario: What Tenants and Landlords Should Know
Explains how LTB eviction actually works in Ontario — from the N4/N5/N12/N13 notice stage through filing an L1/L2 application, the hearing, and Sheriff enforcement.
Repairs and Maintenance: Landlord and Tenant Responsibilities in Ontario
Covers the landlord’s statutory duty to keep a unit in good repair regardless of the lease, the tenant’s duty against undue damage, how to request repairs, and LTB remedies like rent abatement.
Month-to-Month Tenancies in Ontario Explained
Explains how a fixed-term lease automatically becomes month-to-month rather than simply expiring, the 60-day/end-of-period notice rule to end it, and how rights compare to a renewed fixed term.
Renting With Pets in Ontario: What Leases Can and Can’t Restrict
Explains that a blanket “no pets” clause is generally void under the RTA, with the narrow exceptions (condo rules, damage, danger, allergies) landlords can still act on.
Co-Signers and Guarantors on an Ontario Lease
Covers what a guarantor actually agrees to, how it differs from a co-tenant, when landlords ask for one, how long the guarantee lasts, and the risks a guarantor takes on.
Roommate Agreements in Ontario: What to Put in Writing
Distinguishes co-tenants from occupants/sub-tenants and explains why a separate roommate agreement helps allocate rent and costs even though it doesn’t bind the landlord.
Illegal Lease Clauses in Ontario: What Landlords Can’t Enforce
Walks through common void clauses (no pets, hearing waivers, no-guest bans, above-guideline rent increases, unauthorized fees) and the general rule that the RTA overrides conflicting lease terms.
Moving Out Checklist: Ending a Tenancy the Right Way in Ontario
Covers proper notice, move-out inspections, key return, last month’s rent deposit/interest, condition documentation, and forwarding address.
Renting a Basement Apartment in Ontario: Legal Basics
RTA protections generally apply to basement/secondary units the same as any other rental, plus fire-safety, shared-utility, and unregistered-unit considerations.
What Happens to My Lease If the Landlord Sells the Property in Ontario?
A sale doesn’t end a tenancy — the new owner takes it subject to existing tenant rights, except the narrow N12 purchaser-occupancy exception.
Tenant Insurance in Ontario: Is It Required?
Not mandated by the RTA itself, but landlords can require it by lease; explains contents vs. liability coverage and uninsured-damage exposure.
N12 Evictions for Landlord’s Own Use in Ontario
Who qualifies under an N12, the compensation requirement, bad-faith penalties, and how tenants can dispute at the LTB.
What to Expect at a Landlord and Tenant Board Hearing in Ontario
How LTB hearings are scheduled and run (often by video/phone), evidence to bring, self-representation vs. a representative, missed hearings, and orders.
Commercial Lease Agreements in Ontario: Key Clauses for Businesses
The clauses that matter most in an Ontario commercial lease, from rent structure to repair obligations.
Commercial Lease Renewals and Options to Renew in Ontario
How renewal options are typically structured, when they need to be exercised, and what to negotiate ahead of time.
Commercial Lease Disputes in Ontario: Rent, Repairs, Default and Termination
The most common sources of commercial lease disputes, and how they're typically addressed.
Personal Guarantees in Commercial Leases: What Ontario Business Owners Should Know
Explains why landlords require personal guarantees from owners of small/new corporate tenants, the difference between limited and unlimited guarantees, negotiating caps or sunset clauses, and what happens to the guarantor on default.
Triple Net (NNN) Leases in Ontario Explained
Breaks down what “net, net, net” means (base rent plus property tax, insurance, and CAM), how NNN differs from gross/modified gross leases, how CAM reconciliation works, and what to check before signing.
Assigning or Subletting a Commercial Lease in Ontario
Covers the difference between assignment and subletting, why commercial leases can validly require “sole discretion” landlord consent, change-of-control clauses, and the original tenant’s lingering liability after a transfer.
Ending a Commercial Lease Early in Ontario
Explains early termination/break clauses, negotiating a surrender, using assignment or subletting as an alternative exit, the financial risk of simply walking away, and demolition/relocation clauses.
Rent Escalation Clauses in Ontario Commercial Leases
Explains how fixed-percentage, CPI-indexed, and fair-market-value rent escalation clauses work in Ontario commercial leases, how they’re negotiated, and how tenants can budget for them.
Leasehold Improvements in Ontario: Who Pays and Who Owns Them?
Covers tenant allowances, who owns fixtures and improvements during and after a commercial lease, make-good/restoration obligations, and the general tax treatment of leasehold improvements in Ontario.
Commercial Tenant Eviction and Landlord Remedies in Ontario
Explains why commercial tenancies fall outside the Landlord and Tenant Board process, and how distress, re-entry/forfeiture, and suing for arrears work as faster commercial landlord remedies under Ontario law.
Co-Tenancy Clauses in Ontario Commercial Leases
Explains clauses letting a tenant reduce rent or terminate if an anchor tenant or minimum occupancy level isn’t maintained, why landlords resist them, and how they’re structured/negotiated.
Exclusivity Clauses in Ontario Commercial Leases
Covers clauses barring a landlord from leasing to a competing business, how scope and geographic radius are defined, and remedies for breach.
Insurance Requirements in Ontario Commercial Leases
Covers CGL, tenant contents/business interruption, and landlord building insurance, minimum coverage negotiation, additional-insured status, and proof-of-insurance obligations.
Retail vs. Office vs. Industrial Leases in Ontario: Key Differences
Compares how lease clauses differ by property type — percentage rent/CAM in retail, build-out allowances in office, loading/zoning/environmental issues in industrial.
Negotiating a Commercial Lease in Ontario: Key Points
Practical negotiation points — base vs. additional rent, renewal options, assignment flexibility, guarantee caps, exclusivity, termination rights — and why the first draft favours the landlord.
Letters of Intent for Commercial Leases in Ontario
Explains how an LOI frames the proposed rent, term, and conditions before a formal commercial lease is drafted in Ontario, and which of its clauses are typically binding.
Percentage Rent Clauses in Ontario Commercial Leases
Explains how percentage rent adds a share of gross sales above a breakpoint to base rent in Ontario retail leases, and the reporting and audit rights landlords typically require.
Default and Cure Periods in Ontario Commercial Leases
Explains what counts as a monetary or non-monetary default under an Ontario commercial lease, typical notice-and-cure structures, and the consequences of an uncured default.
Estoppel Certificates in Ontario Commercial Leases
Explains what an estoppel certificate confirms, why landlords’ lenders and purchasers request them, and what a tenant should check before signing one.
Environmental Clauses in Ontario Commercial Leases
Explains why Ontario commercial leases include environmental compliance and indemnity clauses, tenant obligations around spills and assessments, and how the Environmental Protection Act framework interacts with the lease.
Partnership Agreements in Ontario: What Every Business Partnership Should Cover
The provisions a written partnership agreement should address, and what happens by default if you never write one.
Partnership Disputes in Ontario: Common Problems and Practical Next Steps
Why partnership disputes happen, the most common flashpoints, and how they're usually resolved.
Ending a Business Partnership in Ontario: Exit Planning and Dissolution
How a partnership can wind down in an orderly way, and what to plan for before that day comes.
General vs. Limited Partnerships in Ontario
How a general partnership’s unlimited liability differs from a limited partnership’s capped exposure for limited partners, and when each structure fits.
Partnership vs. Corporation in Ontario: Choosing a Structure
How liability, taxation, formalities, and the ability to raise capital typically differ between a general partnership and a corporation in Ontario.
Buying Out a Business Partner in Ontario
How a departing partner’s interest is typically valued and paid out, and what happens when a partnership agreement never addressed a buyout.
Partnership Liability in Ontario: What Partners Are On the Hook For
How joint and several liability, a partner’s actions, and personal asset exposure work under Ontario’s Partnerships Act.
Adding or Removing a Partner in Ontario
Explains what an Ontario partnership agreement should say about admitting or expelling a partner, the default dissolution risk without a continuation clause, and why updating registrations and notifying creditors matters when a partner leaves.
Profit and Loss Sharing in an Ontario Partnership
Covers the Partnerships Act’s default equal-sharing rule, common alternative profit structures, drawings versus retained profit, and how losses mirror profit-sharing by default.
Fiduciary Duties Between Business Partners in Ontario
Explains the duties of good faith, disclosure, and accounting for secret profits that Ontario partners owe each other, the consequences of breaching them, and how this differs from an ordinary commercial relationship.
Partnership vs. Joint Venture in Ontario
Explains how Ontario courts look at substance over labels to distinguish an ongoing partnership from a project-specific joint venture, and how liability and governance typically differ between the two.
Silent Partners in Ontario: Rights and Risks
Covers how a silent/sleeping partner in a general partnership retains unlimited personal liability and information/profit rights despite staying out of management, unlike a properly formed limited partner.
Registering a Partnership Business Name in Ontario
Walks through the Business Names Act registration requirement for partnerships operating under non-personal names, clarifying that registration is disclosure (not trademark-style exclusivity) and needs periodic renewal.
Non-Compete Clauses in an Ontario Partnership Agreement
Carefully distinguishes partner-to-partner restrictive covenants (assessed under common-law reasonableness) from employee non-competes (banned under the ESA since October 2021), covering scope/duration/geography analysis and non-compete vs. non-solicit.
Decision-Making and Voting Rights in an Ontario Partnership
Explains the Partnerships Act default of majority rule for ordinary business vs. unanimous consent for fundamental changes, how agreements can customize equal vs. weighted voting, and deadlock-avoidance mechanisms.
Who Pays Partnership Debts After Dissolution in Ontario?
Explains that partnership debts are paid from partnership assets first during wind-up, how partners remain jointly and severally liable for any shortfall, and why notifying creditors of a partner’s exit limits liability for new debts.
Family Business Partnerships in Ontario: Common Pitfalls
Covers why family partnerships often skip a written agreement, common flashpoints like unequal contribution, succession expectations, mixed finances, and death or divorce, and why writing things down matters even more among family.
Mediating a Partnership Dispute in Ontario
Explains why mediation suits partnership disputes, how confidentiality and cost/speed compare to litigation, what a typical mediation process looks like, and what a successful outcome typically involves.
Converting a Partnership to a Corporation in Ontario
Covers why growing businesses convert to a corporation for limited liability and capital-raising, the general mechanics of incorporating, and winding up the old partnership.
Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) in Ontario
Clarifies that Ontario LLPs are restricted by the Partnerships Act to regulated professions like lawyers and accountants, explains the liability protection they give, and notes most businesses use a limited partnership or corporation instead.
Unpaid Invoices in Ontario: How to Recover Money You're Owed
A practical, step-by-step sequence for recovering an unpaid invoice, from a first reminder through to court.
Debt Collection in Ontario: Your Rights and the Rules Collectors Must Follow
What debt collectors in Ontario are and aren't allowed to do, and how the collection process typically unfolds.
Enforcing a Judgment in Ontario: Turning a Court Order Into Payment
What happens after you win a claim, and the tools available to actually collect on a judgment.
Writ of Seizure and Sale in Ontario Explained
Explains how a writ of seizure and sale creates a lien against a debtor’s real property and authorizes Sheriff seizure of personal property, how to file and renew it, and what happens when a debtor tries to sell or refinance encumbered property.
Wage Garnishment in Ontario: How It Works
Covers how a judgment creditor garnishes wages via a Notice of Garnishment served on the employer, Ontario’s Wages Act caps, exempt income, and employer obligations.
Statute-Barred Debt in Ontario: When a Debt Becomes Unenforceable
Explains Ontario’s general two-year limitation period under the Limitations Act, 2002, how a partial payment or written acknowledgment can restart the clock, and why collectors can still contact debtors about statute-barred debt.
A Practical Guide to Ontario’s Small Claims Court
Walks through the $35,000 monetary limit, filing a Plaintiff’s Claim, serving the defendant, the settlement conference, trial, self-representation vs. paralegal/lawyer, and collecting on a judgment afterward.
Interest on Unpaid Debts and Judgments in Ontario
Explains how prejudgment and postjudgment interest under Ontario’s Courts of Justice Act work, how contractual interest clauses and the federal criminal interest rate cap interact, and how interest compounds on an unpaid judgment over time.
Examining a Judgment Debtor in Ontario
A plain-English walkthrough of how a judgment debtor examination works in Ontario, how creditors schedule one, what happens if a debtor fails to attend, and how the information gathered guides the next enforcement step.
Collection Agency Rules in Ontario: Know Your Rights
What Ontario’s Collection and Debt Settlement Services Act requires of collection agencies — permitted contact hours, required disclosures, prohibited tactics, and how to file a complaint.
Getting a Default Judgment in Ontario
Explains what happens when a defendant misses the deadline to respond to an Ontario claim, how a plaintiff moves from noting in default to obtaining judgment, and how a defendant can try to set it aside.
What Happens to a Judgment If the Debtor Goes Bankrupt in Ontario?
Explains how a federal bankruptcy or consumer proposal filing triggers a stay of proceedings, discharges most unsecured judgment debts, and what creditors can still do, such as filing a proof of claim.
Registering a Certificate of Judgment Against Property in Ontario
Explains how registering a judgment against a debtor’s land creates a lien that generally must be paid out before a sale or refinance, and how long it lasts and gets renewed.
Garnishing a Bank Account in Ontario
Explains how a creditor serves a Notice of Garnishment on a debtor’s bank and branch, what the bank must do, and why there’s no percentage cap unlike wage garnishment.
Debt Recovery Strategies for Small Businesses in Ontario
A practical overview for Ontario small business owners covering documented reminders, structured payment plans, when to escalate to a demand letter or Small Claims Court, and weighing a collection agency against legal action.
Settling a Debt for Less Than Owed in Ontario
Covers how debt settlement negotiations typically work, why creditors accept less, getting it in writing, tax flags, and credit-reporting impact.
Consumer Proposal vs. Bankruptcy in Ontario
Explains both as federal Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act processes administered by a Licensed Insolvency Trustee, comparing pros/cons generally.
Bounced Cheques and NSF Payments in Ontario: Your Options
Covers what happens on an NSF cheque, civil recovery options, NSF fees, and when (rarely) criminal issues can arise.
Enforcing a Judgment Against a Corporation in Ontario
Covers writ/garnishment against corporate assets and receivables, the general shareholder/director non-liability principle, and what to do with an asset-less corporation.
What Assets Are Exempt From Seizure in Ontario?
Describes Execution Act exemption categories — clothing, household furniture, tools of the trade, a vehicle, and a principal residence — without quoting specific current dollar thresholds.
Service Agreements in Ontario: Key Terms for Businesses and Contractors
The clauses that keep a services relationship clear, fair and enforceable for both sides.
Independent Contractor Agreements in Ontario: What to Include and Why It Matters
How contractor agreements differ from employment contracts, and the terms that help keep the classification clear.
Non-Disclosure Agreements in Ontario: What They Protect and Their Limits
What an NDA typically covers, common exclusions, and where confidentiality obligations tend to run into trouble.
Employee vs. Independent Contractor in Ontario: Why the Label Matters
Calling someone a “contractor” doesn’t control the legal analysis — courts look at control, tool ownership, profit/loss risk, integration, the dependent-contractor middle category, and the exposure of misclassification.
Non-Compete Agreements in Ontario: What’s Actually Enforceable
Since October 2021, Ontario’s Employment Standards Act generally bans employee non-competes, with narrow exceptions for senior executives and business sales; distinguishes non-solicitation and confidentiality clauses from non-competes.
Sale of Goods Agreements in Ontario
How the Sale of Goods Act implies terms into contracts for the sale of goods unless validly excluded, risk of loss vs. passing of title, remedies for defective goods, and how this differs from a services contract.
Licensing Agreements in Ontario Explained
What a licence grants versus an assignment, exclusive vs. non-exclusive licences, royalty/fee structures, term and termination, and territory/field-of-use scope restrictions.
Loan Agreements and Promissory Notes in Ontario
Covers the difference between a promissory note and a full loan agreement, personal loans between friends/family, the federal criminal interest rate cap, and what to put in writing even for informal loans.
Consulting Agreements in Ontario: Key Terms to Get Right
Explains scope/deliverables, fee structures, IP ownership of work product, confidentiality, independent contractor status language, and termination in consulting agreements.
Letters of Intent in Ontario: Binding or Not?
Explains how an LOI can be fully binding, non-binding, or a hybrid, depending entirely on wording and intentions rather than the document’s label, plus drafting tips.
Asset Purchase Agreements in Ontario
Explains how buying or selling a business through an asset purchase works in Ontario — what’s included, what liabilities stay with the seller, and how it differs from a share purchase.
Shareholder Agreements in Ontario Explained
Covers why a shareholder agreement matters even for small companies, and provisions like transfer restrictions, shotgun clauses, and drag-along/tag-along rights.
Employment Contracts in Ontario: Key Terms to Know
Walks through the core terms of an Ontario employment contract and how the Employment Standards Act sets minimums a termination clause cannot validly undercut.
Severance and Termination Clauses in Ontario Employment Contracts
Breaks down the gap between ESA minimum notice/severance and common-law reasonable notice, and why many termination clauses fail and get struck down entirely.
Franchise Agreements in Ontario: What the Law Requires
Explains Ontario’s Arthur Wishart Act disclosure requirements, the 14-day disclosure window, the statutory right of rescission, and what a franchise agreement typically covers.
Waivers and Release Agreements in Ontario: Are They Enforceable?
Explains what liability waivers try to accomplish, when Ontario courts enforce them, the notice requirement, and limits around gross negligence and minors’ waivers.
Vendor and Supplier Agreements in Ontario
Covers key vendor/supply contract terms, the Sale of Goods Act’s implied terms, exclusivity/minimum-purchase commitments, and what happens when a vendor relationship breaks down.
Amending a Contract in Ontario: How Changes Should Be Documented
Explains the risk of verbal side understandings, no-oral-modification/entire agreement clauses, and proper written amendment practice.
Are Electronic Signatures Legally Binding in Ontario?
Covers the Electronic Commerce Act, 2000’s general rule, practical exceptions, and what makes an e-signature process defensible.
Standard Form Contracts in Ontario: Are They Enforceable?
Explains why take-it-or-leave-it contracts are generally enforceable, the notice requirement for onerous fine-print clauses, and the Consumer Protection Act, 2002 overlay.
Construction Contracts in Ontario: Key Terms to Know
Walks through what a solid construction contract should cover — scope, price and payment schedule, change orders, holdback, substantial performance, warranty and dispute resolution — and how CCDC standard forms fit in.
Construction Liens in Ontario: How They Work and Filing Deadlines
What a construction lien secures, who can claim one, Ontario’s 60-day preservation and 90-day perfection deadlines, and what registering a lien does to title.
Holdback Requirements Under Ontario’s Construction Act
Covers the mandatory 10% holdback, why it exists, basic versus finishing holdback, when it becomes releasable, and annual or phased release on longer projects.
Prompt Payment Rules in Ontario Construction Contracts
Covers the proper invoice requirement, the cascading 28-day and 7-day payment timelines, notices of non-payment, and how the regime is meant to keep money flowing down the payment chain.
Interim Adjudication for Ontario Construction Disputes
Explains the fast interim adjudication process under the Construction Act — which disputes qualify, how notice and appointment work, the 30-day decision timeline, and how it differs from mediation, arbitration and litigation.
Home Renovation Contracts in Ontario: What to Include
Key terms every homeowner-renovator contract should cover — scope, pricing, milestone-based payment, permits, change orders, cleanup and warranty — plus red flags to watch for.
Subcontractor Agreements in Ontario
What a general contractor–subcontractor agreement should cover, including pay-when-paid versus pay-if-paid clauses, prompt payment, insurance and indemnities, and the lien rights subcontractors keep regardless of contract wording.
Construction Deficiency Claims in Ontario
How to tell a deficiency from normal wear, document it properly, use holdback as leverage, and the options available when a contractor won’t fix defective work.
Substantial Performance in Ontario Construction Projects
What substantial performance means under the Construction Act, how it’s determined, and why publishing a certificate starts lien deadlines and can trigger holdback release.
Change Orders in Ontario Construction Contracts
Explains why scope changes need a written change order rather than a verbal instruction, covering price, schedule and holdback impacts, the typical approval process, and the risks unrecorded extras create for owners and contractors alike.
Performance and Labour & Material Bonds in Ontario
Breaks down what a performance bond protects versus a labour and material payment bond, when bonding is typically required, and how a bond claim against the surety generally proceeds.
Discharging or Vacating a Construction Lien in Ontario
Walks through an owner’s options when facing a registered lien — paying it out, negotiating a holdback-based arrangement, or posting security to vacate the lien from title — plus what happens when a claimant misses the Construction Act’s deadlines.
Homeowner vs. Contractor Disputes in Ontario
Covers common flashpoints such as incomplete work, overruns, delays and quality, practical first steps, holdback and lien dynamics from the homeowner’s side, and escalation through Small Claims or Superior Court.
Agreement of Purchase and Sale in Ontario Explained
Explains what an APS is, when it becomes a binding contract, and its core elements — parties, property, price, deposit, closing date, conditions, and included or excluded items.
Real Estate Deposits in Ontario: Rules and Risks
Covers how deposits are held in trust rather than paid to the seller, when deposits are forfeited versus returned, and what happens when a deposit release is disputed.
Financing, Inspection and Other Conditions in an Ontario APS
Covers financing, home inspection, status certificate and sale-of-existing-home conditions, how conditions are waived, good-faith requirements, and the consequences of a missed deadline.
Assigning an Agreement of Purchase and Sale in Ontario
Explains assigning a buyer’s rights before closing, common in pre-construction condos, including builder or seller consent requirements and assignment fees.
What Happens If a Buyer or Seller Fails to Close in Ontario?
Covers remedies for the non-breaching party, including damages for a resale shortfall, specific performance, deposit forfeiture, and what happens when a buyer’s financing falls through.
Status Certificates in Ontario Condo Purchases
What a status certificate is, why it’s typically made a condition in resale condo deals, and what buyers and their lawyers look for inside one.
New Home Builder Contracts and Tarion Warranty in Ontario
How buying a new-build differs from a resale, typical builder agreement terms like delayed closing and deposits, and what Tarion’s warranty periods generally cover.
Real Estate Listing Agreements in Ontario
What a seller’s listing agreement with a brokerage typically covers, including commission, term, holdover periods and exclusivity, under Ontario’s TRESA framework.
Title Insurance in Ontario Real Estate Deals
What title insurance protects against, the difference between owner’s and lender’s policies, how it differs from a lawyer’s title search, and when it’s typically purchased at closing.
Seller Disclosure Obligations in Ontario Real Estate
Explains Ontario’s buyer-beware starting point for patent defects, the narrow exception for known latent defects, the optional SPIS and its legal effect, and a buyer’s own inspection responsibility.
Can You Back Out of a Real Estate Deal in Ontario?
Covers why there’s generally no cooling-off period once an APS is firm, the deposit-forfeiture and damages consequences of backing out without a basis, and the narrow legitimate exits available.
Co-Ownership Agreements for Ontario Property
Explains joint tenancy versus tenancy in common, why a separate co-ownership agreement is needed beyond the deed, and partition and sale as a last-resort court remedy.
Rent-to-Own Agreements in Ontario: Risks and Red Flags
Explains the lease-plus-option structure behind rent-to-own deals, the risk of forfeiting rent and option credits, common red flags, and what to check before signing.
Ontario’s Consumer Protection Act: What It Covers
An overview of who the Consumer Protection Act protects, which agreements it covers, and the core protections, bans and complaint process it adds on top of ordinary contract law.
Cooling-Off Periods for Consumer Contracts in Ontario
Explains the general 10-day cancellation right for direct sales and some internet or future-performance agreements, when the clock starts, and which categories don’t come with one.
Door-to-Door Sales Contracts in Ontario: Your Cancellation Rights
Why direct sales get extra disclosure and cancellation protection, what happens if you’ve already paid or received goods, and categories recently restricted or banned in Ontario.
Cancelling a Gym Membership Contract in Ontario
Covers gym and personal-development service agreements under the Consumer Protection Act, cancellation rights including location closures, auto-renewal rules, and disputing continued charges.
Timeshare Contracts in Ontario: Cancellation Rights
Covers timeshares as a specifically regulated consumer contract category, required disclosures, cancellation rights, and what to check before signing.
Internet and Cell Phone Contracts in Ontario: Your Rights
Covers disclosure and cancellation rights for internet and cell phone agreements, early termination fees, the federal Wireless Code, and device unlocking.
Extended Warranty Contracts in Ontario: Are They Worth It?
Explains how extended warranties work as a separate contract layered on top of a manufacturer’s warranty, typical coverage and exclusions, and cancellation rights.
Online Purchase Disputes in Ontario: Returns and Chargebacks
Covers how online purchases are treated under the Consumer Protection Act, the difference between a merchant’s return policy and statutory cancellation rights, and credit card chargebacks.
Buying a Car in Ontario: Contract Terms to Know
Covers new and used vehicle purchase agreements, OMVIC’s regulation of dealers, as-is sales versus implied warranties, and financing or leasing terms.
Unfair or Unconscionable Contract Terms in Ontario
Explains how Ontario courts can refuse to enforce unconscionable terms, and how the Consumer Protection Act bans certain clauses outright in consumer agreements.
Moving Company Contracts in Ontario: What to Check
Covers binding versus non-binding estimates, mover liability limits, deposit practices, and red flags for moving scams in Ontario.
Wedding and Event Vendor Contracts in Ontario
Walks through cancellation and postponement policies, deposits, force majeure, and vendor no-show liability in venue, photography and catering contracts.
Home Services Contracts in Ontario (HVAC, Security, Solar)
Explains how long-term furnace rental, home security and solar agreements often qualify as future-performance agreements with disclosure and cancellation rights, plus auto-renewal terms.
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