Skip to main content
All toolsOntario & BC · Educational overview

Civil response rules.

A source-linked overview of selected response periods in Ontario and British Columbia.

No date calculation or legal advice. Curia does not calculate a deadline on this page. The records below were checked against official sources but have not been reviewed by litigation counsel. Service rules, deemed-service rules, holidays, registry closures, court orders, transitional provisions, and the facts of a proceeding can change the applicable date. Check the current official sources and obtain legal advice before acting.

Ontario

Ontario statement of defence deadline

Ontario Superior Court of Justice · Civil action commenced by statement of claim

Trigger described in the rule record: Use the legally effective date of service after applying the service and deemed-service rules. Do not enter the physical delivery date unless it is also the effective service date.

Selected service-location periods

Served in Ontario

The defendant was served with the statement of claim in Ontario.

20 calendar days

Served elsewhere in Canada or in the United States

The defendant was served elsewhere in Canada or in the United States of America.

40 calendar days

Served anywhere else

The defendant was served outside Canada and the United States of America.

60 calendar days

Potential extension described by the rule

Timely Notice of Intent to Defend: Rule 18.02 ordinarily adds 10 days when a Notice of Intent to Defend is delivered within the prescribed defence period. This is not an eligibility determination; confirm every statutory and procedural condition.

Important assumptions and limits

  • The input is the legally effective service date for the statement of claim.
  • The ordinary Rules of Civil Procedure apply and no statute, order, agreement, or practice direction changes the time.
  • The selected service-location variant is correct.
  • Intervening weekends and holidays count because the prescribed period is longer than seven days.
  • Service method, service time, deemed-service rules, service outside Ontario, court closure, and filing directions can change the effective date or required steps.
  • A missed deadline may expose a defendant to default consequences. Obtain legal advice immediately.

Rule record 2026-08-03.1 · review status: source-checked, not lawyer-reviewed. Effective and transitional dates have not been confirmed for publication as a calculator.

British Columbia

British Columbia response to civil claim deadline

Supreme Court of British Columbia · Civil action commenced by notice of civil claim

Trigger described in the rule record: Use the legally effective date of service after applying the personal-service and deemed-service rules, including the after-4 p.m. rule where applicable.

Selected service-location periods

Served in Canada

The person was served with the notice of civil claim anywhere in Canada.

21 calendar days

Served in the United States

The person was served with the notice of civil claim anywhere in the United States of America.

35 calendar days

Served anywhere else

The person was served outside Canada and the United States of America.

49 calendar days

Important assumptions and limits

  • The input is the legally effective service date for the notice of civil claim.
  • The Supreme Court Civil Rules apply and the court has not ordered a different period.
  • The selected service-location variant is correct.
  • Intervening weekends and holidays count because the prescribed period is not less than seven days.
  • The response must ordinarily be both filed and served. Service timing, deemed service, registry closure, and court orders can change the result or required steps.
  • A missed deadline may expose a defendant to default judgment procedures. Obtain legal advice immediately.

Rule record 2026-08-03.1 · review status: source-checked, not lawyer-reviewed. Effective and transitional dates have not been confirmed for publication as a calculator.

Research the governing rules and authorities.

Curia supports source-linked Ontario and British Columbia legal research. It does not replace counsel’s deadline analysis.

Try Curia free →