Ontario Court Records

Research Guides

 * Criminal Justice Records at the Archives of Ontario
 * How to Find a Will in Court Records
 * Ontario Court of Probate and Surrogate Court Records: Wills and Estate Files - A Pathfinder
 * An excellent explanation of court records and their use in genealogy is Gordon Dodd's "Court Records as a Genealogical Source in Ontario" in Don Wilson's Readings in Ontario Genealogical Sources, pages 94-105. WorldCat.

Online Records

 * Court records, 1828-1881. Ontario. Court of Queen's Bench and Court of Common Pleas, Ontario.
 * The Ontario Reports, Containing Reports of Cases Decided in the High Court of Justice for Ontario, index ($)

The Records

 * Court records are subject to access restrictions for 100 years after their creation.
 * Young Offender files are restricted by federal legislation and only the offenders themselves or law enforcement agencies can request access.
 * Most recent records are still held by either the Ministry of the Attorney General, the courts, or the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services and their related agencies (OPP, Centre for Forensic Science, Office of the Fire Marshal, Ontario Parole Board).