What is a case conference in Ontario Superior Court litigation?

A case conference is a meeting held before a judge in Ontario Superior Court to manage the progress of a lawsuit. Case conferences are used at various stages of litigation to address scheduling issues, resolve procedural disputes without a formal motion, explore settlement possibilities, and ensure the case is moving efficiently toward trial or resolution.

In the commercial list and some other specialized courts, case conferences are a standard scheduling tool. In more routine litigation, conferences may be called by the court when a file appears to be stalled or when the parties have raised issues that need judicial direction.

The judge at a case conference has broad powers to make directions — for example, setting timelines for delivering expert reports, resolving narrow evidentiary disputes, or referring parties to mediation. While a case conference judge generally does not decide the merits of the case, they can issue binding orders about procedure that must be followed.

Parties should come to a case conference prepared to discuss the status of discovery, any outstanding procedural steps, estimated trial length, and available dates. Wasting the court's time at a conference — for example, by appearing unprepared or raising arguments that should have been dealt with before — can lead to cost consequences.