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ARTICLE · 28 AUGUST 2026

How To Enforce An Out-of-province Judgment

GGI | Global Alliance
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When a judgment debtor relocates from Alberta to Ontario with assets in the new province, creditors face specific procedural requirements to enforce their judgment. Ontario's Reciprocal Enforcement of Judgments Act provides a framework for registration, but creditors must navigate service requirements, statutory exceptions, and strict time limitations to successfully enforce their out-of-province judgments.

CanadaLitigation, Mediation & Arbitration
David Cooper (Devry Smith Frank LLP)
David Cooper (Devry Smith Frank LLP)
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You successfully obtain a judgment in Alberta, only to discover the judgment debtor has moved to Ontario and has assets there. Now what? Can you immediately enforce your judgment? The short answer is no. 

Conveniently, creditors seeking to enforce judgments in Ontario from other provinces and territories (except for Quebec) can do so by commencing an application in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, pursuant to the Reciprocal Enforcement of Judgments Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. R.5. The Act contains specific requirements, including the method of service of the application, certain exceptions to registration, and the time limit for registration. Once a judgment is registered under the Act in Ontario it can be enforced in Ontario as if it were an Ontario judgment.

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