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ARTICLE · 23 DECEMBER 2025

Ontario Rule 7 Changes: Important Updates For Litigation Guardians And Counsel Of Record

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On October 6, 2025, Ontario Regulation 173/25 came into force. The regulation, filed on August 8, 2025, amends portions of Ontario's Rules of Civil Procedure, R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 194...

CanadaLitigation, Mediation & Arbitration
Kira Domratchev
Kira Domratchev
Ben Grondin
Ben Grondin
Luke Sabourin
Luke Sabourin
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On October 6, 2025, Ontario Regulation173/25came into force. The regulation, filed on August 8, 2025, amends portions of Ontario's Rules of Civil Procedure, R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 194 (the "Rules")respecting the conduct of proceedings involving parties under disability. The changes reconfigure the procedures and evidentiary requirements for the appointment of litigation guardians and removal of lawyers of record acting for parties under disability.

The legal meaning of a person under disability and general rules

In accordance with Rule 1.03(1), a person is under "disability" if they are:

  1. a minor;
  2. mentally incapable within the meaning of the Substitute Decisions Act, 1992 in respect to an issue in the proceeding [whether they have a guardian or not]; or

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