Toronto Small Claims Court at 47 Sheppard Avenue East: what should you expect?

Toronto's Small Claims Court sits at 47 Sheppard Avenue East in North York (Toronto M2N 5N1). Filing is done online through the Ontario Courts Public Portal, most settlement conferences and motions are held remotely by video, and trials are held in person unless the court decides otherwise. The court hears claims for money or the return of personal property of up to $50,000.

Small Claims Court is a branch of the Superior Court of Justice (Courts of Justice Act s. 22), and it is required to hear and decide cases "in a summary way" (s. 25). This page is about what that means in Toronto in practice: the building, the portal, the hearing formats and what each step asks of you. For how Small Claims cases work in general, see our Small Claims Court guide.

Where is it, and how do you reach the court office?

The same building also has a family court office, with its own telephone line, so check that you are in the Small Claims line when you arrive. If you need an accommodation for a disability, contact the accessibility coordinator as early as possible with the court file number and the date and time of your hearing, as the Ontario court location page asks.

How does a case move through 47 Sheppard, step by step?

1. The claim is filed. Since October 14, 2025, Toronto Small Claims documents are filed through the Ontario Courts Public Portal. The Superior Court says the older Small Claims Court Submissions Online portal stopped taking Toronto filings on October 3, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. A first-time user creates a portal account.
2. Documents go into Case Center. Once a document is accepted for filing, court staff upload it into Case Center, the platform used to view documents at every hearing, whether in person or by Zoom. You register at the Case Center site with the email address on your court documents and receive a link to your case.
3. The defendant has 20 days to file a Defence (Small Claims r. 9.01). Our page on the deadline to respond to a lawsuit explains how the days are counted.
4. A settlement conference is scheduled in every defended action, to be held within 90 days after the first defence is filed (r. 13.01).
5. If it does not settle, a party can request a trial date, and the court may hold a trial management conference before trial.
6. Trial and judgment, followed, if needed, by enforcement such as garnishment.

Which hearings are by video, and which are in person?

The Superior Court publishes default hearing methods for Small Claims matters. The court can choose a different method when appropriate.

To ask for a different method, the court's guidelines say to complete Form 1B, serve it on the other parties and file it with an affidavit of service at least 30 days before the hearing. The person asking has to show why the change is necessary. If all parties agree on a different method, the court should generally accommodate it.

What happens at the settlement conference?

The settlement conference is a confidential meeting before a judge or deputy judge. Its purposes are to resolve or narrow the issues, speed up the case, encourage settlement, help the parties prepare for trial and ensure full disclosure (r. 13.03(1)). The Superior Court says the judicial officer will listen, deal with procedural problems and give an opinion on how the case is likely to be decided at trial. You are free to disagree with that opinion and are not required to settle.

• At least 14 days before the conference, each party must serve and file any document they will rely on at trial that was not attached to the claim or defence, and a List of Proposed Witnesses (Form 13A) (r. 13.03(2)).
• The parties must discuss the issues openly and frankly (r. 13.03(3)), and what is said cannot be disclosed until the case is over unless everyone consents (r. 13.03(4)).
• A party who needs someone else's approval to settle must arrange phone access to that person throughout the conference (r. 13.02(2)).
• For claims under $5,000, the Ministry says a judge can decide the case at the settlement conference if both sides file a signed Consent (Form 13B).
• A different deputy judge presides at the trial.

Why is a case in Toronto at all, and what is a trial management conference?

A Small Claims action must be started in the territorial division where the cause of action arose, or where a defendant lives or carries on business, or at the court's nearest place of sitting to a defendant (r. 6.01(1)). That is why a dispute over work done in Mississauga by a contractor based in North York might still end up at 47 Sheppard. The trial is held where the action was started, but the court can move it if the balance of convenience substantially favours another place, or if the place chosen was not a proper one (r. 6.01(2), (3)).

After a request to fix a trial date, the court may direct a trial management conference before a judge (r. 16.1.01(1)). The Ministry describes its aims as assessing whether the parties are ready, ensuring full disclosure, narrowing the issues, encouraging settlement and setting the trial date if needed. Parties must take part unless the court directs otherwise, and the court can order costs against a party who does not attend or who is so unprepared that the conference is frustrated (r. 16.1.01(2), (4), (5)). The judge who conducts it does not preside at the trial.

What changes the answer?

• The amount. The court's limit is $50,000, exclusive of interest and costs (Courts of Justice Act s. 23(1); O. Reg. 626/00, s. 1). Our page on the October 2025 increase to $50,000 covers moving or increasing a claim.
• Missing a conference. If a party fails to attend, the court can impose costs and order another conference; if a defendant misses a first and an additional conference, the court can strike the defence and let the plaintiff prove the claim (r. 13.02(5), (6)).
• Default. If a defendant does not file a Defence, the case can proceed to judgment without them; see setting aside a default judgment.
• Language. Hearings are conducted in English or French, and documents in another language must come with a certified English translation (Courts of Justice Act s. 125). Ontario provides interpretation in any language in Small Claims Court if a party qualifies for a fee waiver, in French in all matters, and in any language when the court orders it.
• Appeals. A final order can be appealed to the Divisional Court only where the amount, excluding costs, is more than $5,000 (Courts of Justice Act s. 31; O. Reg. 626/00, s. 2).

For example: a loan documented in Farsi

This is a hypothetical, not a real client or a result. A small-business owner in Willowdale lends a former business partner $18,000, documented in a short agreement written in Farsi and a series of WhatsApp messages. The partner stops paying. The owner files a Plaintiff's Claim through the Ontario Courts Public Portal, attaching the agreement with a certified English translation, and serves it.

The partner files a Defence saying the money was an investment, not a loan. The court schedules a remote settlement conference. Fourteen days before it, the owner serves and files his translated messages and a list of witnesses. Because he qualifies for a fee waiver, the Ministry provides a Farsi interpreter. At the conference, the deputy judge gives an opinion on the loan question. The parties agree on a payment schedule and file Terms of Settlement. Had they not settled, the case would have gone to an in-person trial at 47 Sheppard before a different deputy judge.

What mistakes do people make at 47 Sheppard?

1. Using the old online portal. Toronto filings moved to the Ontario Courts Public Portal in October 2025.
2. Not registering for Case Center. You need access to see the documents during the hearing.
3. Serving documents late. The 14-day rule before a settlement conference is strict (r. 13.03(2)).
4. Bringing untranslated documents. Documents not in English or French need a certified translation (Courts of Justice Act s. 125(2)(b)).
5. Treating the conference as the trial. The court describes it as an informal, confidential meeting, and a different deputy judge hears any trial.
6. Turning up at the counter outside counter hours. Counter service runs only from 9 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. on weekdays.

What can you do this week?

1. Find your court file number and confirm the case is in Toronto Small Claims Court.
2. Create your Ontario Courts Public Portal account and register for Case Center with the email on your documents.
3. Put every document you will rely on in order, with certified English translations where needed.
4. Prepare your List of Proposed Witnesses (Form 13A).
5. If you need a different hearing method, prepare Form 1B at least 30 days ahead.
6. If you cannot afford court fees, look at the Ministry's fee waiver process; if you qualify, the Ministry also provides interpretation in any language.
7. If a judgment is already against you, read how much of your wages can be garnished.

Frequently asked questions

Does 47 Sheppard hear Superior Court civil cases over $50,000?

No. Claims over the Small Claims limit go to the Superior Court of Justice, whose Toronto civil courthouse is at 393 University Avenue. Claims up to $200,000 there often use Simplified Procedure.

Can I file in person?

The court location page lists counter service hours and in-person payment options, while the Superior Court says Toronto electronic filings go through the Ontario Courts Public Portal. Call the Small Claims line at 416-326-3554 if you are unsure how to file a particular document.

Who will hear my case?

Every Superior Court judge is also a Small Claims Court judge (Courts of Justice Act s. 22(3)), and a deputy judge may preside over claims up to $50,000 (O. Reg. 626/00, s. 1(2)).

Can someone represent me?

Yes. You can represent yourself or be represented by a lawyer or a licensed paralegal. Our Small Claims guide discusses when representation tends to matter.

How do I collect if I win?

If the other side does not pay, enforcement options include garnishment of wages or bank accounts and seizure of property. Our debt recovery page explains enforcement from the creditor's side.

Is the settlement conference confidential?

Yes. Matters discussed cannot be disclosed to others until the action is over, unless all parties consent in writing (r. 13.03(4)).

Getting help

Gambriani Law PC is at Suite 1901, 5000 Yonge Street, in North York near the Sheppard Avenue courthouse, and works with clients in English and Farsi. For the wider civil picture, see our civil litigation guide and our page on contract disputes.

This page is general information about Ontario law, not legal advice about your situation. Court hours and procedures change; check the court's official pages before attending.