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Streamlined Court Procedures
The more steps that have to be taken in the litigation process, the more lengthy and expensive the case becomes. In an effort to reduce the time and costs of bringing an action to trial, the Rules of Court have been amended to provide "streamlined procedures" for claims where the amount in dispute is less than $75,000.00. These procedures can also apply to other matters by consent or by order of the court. The most relevant aspects of the streamlined procedures are as follows:
- both parties must file their Affidavit of Records, listing all relevant records in their possession, within 30 days after filing of the Statement of Defence;
- along with the Affidavit of Records, both parties must provide a list of persons who may reasonably know some matters which are relevant and material to the issues in the action;
- examinations for discovery are limited to six hours in total for each party;
- affidavit evidence can generally be used at the trial.
Hopefully these procedures will have the desired effect of reducing the length and cost of legal actions.