Courts of Ontario

Courts of Ontario, Canada, date from the early to mid-17th century. French civil law courts were created in the 17th century in its colony of Canada, one of New France. British common law courts were established in 1764 in the ceded colony then known as the Province of Quebec.^[1]

The western half was designated Upper Canada by the Constitutional Act 1791, which divided the Province of Quebec. Almost immediately after the colony was created, Upper Canada's colonial government abolished French civil law and established English common law courts in private law matters. The union of the Canadas had little effect on the court system in what became Canada West. Periodic reform continued in the region's courts before and after Canada West was renamed Ontario upon Confederation in 1867.

Ontario's courts were reformed and reorganized on several occasions in the 19th century. Major changes included the creation of the Court of Chancery of Upper Canada, a court of equity, in 1837, and the fusion of common law and equity in 1881. Periodic reform continued in the 20th century. In 1972, Ontario acquired another new court, the Divisional Court. Its courts' current names and roles were largely settled by the 1990s.