How do I bring an urgent motion on short notice in Ontario Superior Court?

Ontario's Superior Court recognizes that some situations genuinely can't wait for the normal motion scheduling timeline — an asset about to be sold or dissipated, an event happening within days, or urgent interim relief needed to prevent serious harm. In these cases, a party can ask the court to shorten the usual notice period, or in genuinely urgent situations, to be heard on very short notice or even, exceptionally, without notice to the other side at all, with a promise to notify them as soon as reasonably possible afterward. The party seeking this has to actually demonstrate the urgency; simply wanting a faster resolution isn't enough.

Courts are cautious about hearing matters without proper notice, since the other side normally has a right to be heard before an order is made against them, so this kind of relief tends to be reserved for genuinely time-sensitive situations rather than convenience. Practically, this usually means contacting the court's scheduling office directly to explain the urgency and request a special appointment, along with preparing a complete motion record as quickly as possible so the judge has what's needed to decide. Because urgent motions are scrutinized closely, being specific and honest about why the usual timeline won't work matters more than in an ordinary motion.