Ontario Small Claims Court · Northeast region · claims up to $50,000
Small Claims Court in Hearst.
Hearst claims are filed and heard at Hearst Courthouse, 141 Gaspésie Road. Claims up to $50,000 (Courts of Justice Act s. 23; O. Reg. 626/00 s. 1). The forms are free here, filled from your answers.
The courthouse
141 Gaspésie Road, Hearst, Ontario P0L 1R0
Satellite court location. It is not on the SCJ court-locations page. The ontario.ca page lists a Small Claims contact. [VERIFY] sitting schedule.
This is a satellite sitting place. The clerk's office that issues your claim can be in another town in the same territorial division. Confirm the sitting schedule with the court before you travel. [VERIFY]
Address read from ontario.ca and ontariocourts.ca on 2026-08-23.
Is Hearst the right court?
Rule 6.01 lets you start the action in the territorial division where the cause of action arose, or where a defendant lives or carries on business, or at the court's place of sitting nearest to a defendant. One of those tests must fit this location.
The trial happens where the action started. The court can move it if the balance of convenience substantially favours another place (rule 6.01(2)). A claim cannot be split to fit the $50,000 limit (rule 6.02).
Which court location is the right one? The guideHow to file in Hearst
Small Claims Court Submissions Online
Outside Toronto, claims are filed through Submissions Online (rule 1.05.4), or in person at the counter. Email filing is allowed only when a deadline is 5 business days away or less.
O. Reg. 332/16, as stored 2026-01-06. Fee waiver: O. Reg. 2/05.
The clocks that matter
2 years
Limitation period
From the day you discovered the claim (Limitations Act, 2002, s. 4).
6 months
To serve the claim
From the issue date (rule 8.01(2)). Then file the Affidavit of Service, Form 8A.
20 days
To file a defence
From service (rule 9.01). No defence: the plaintiff can ask for default judgment.
90 days
To the settlement conference
After the first defence is filed (rule 13.01(3)). Every defended case has one.
What people in Hearst sue for
The same money disputes fill every Small Claims list in Ontario. Pick yours: each page has what you must show, the documents that help, the route, and the deadline.
- Unpaid invoice
- Contractor deposit
- Personal loan
- Deposit not returned
- Unpaid wages
- Property damage
- Paid, not delivered
- Roommate owes rent
- Car repair dispute
- Wedding vendor
- Tuition or daycare fees
- Gym membership
- Freelancer not paid
- Subcontractor not paid
- Commercial lease
- E-transfer scam
- Bounced cheque
- Loan to an ex
- Tenant left damage
The Northeast region
2,542 new Small Claims proceedings started in the Northeast region in 2025, out of 65,919 in Ontario [VERIFY source table]. Toronto's count is undercounted after the October 14, 2025 portal change.
Other Small Claims locations in this region
Questions people ask about Small Claims Court in Hearst
- Where is the Small Claims Court in Hearst?
- Hearst Courthouse, 141 Gaspésie Road, Hearst, Ontario P0L 1R0, 705-272-4256. Addresses were read from ontario.ca on 2026-08-23.
- Do I have to sue in Hearst?
- Not always. Under rule 6.01 you start the action where the cause of action arose, where a defendant lives or carries on business, or at the court's place of sitting nearest to a defendant. If the Hearst location fits one of those tests, you can file here (O. Reg. 258/98, r. 6.01).
- How do I file a Small Claims claim in Hearst?
- Outside Toronto, you file through Small Claims Court Submissions Online (rule 1.05.4, in force October 14, 2025) or at the counter. The filing fee is $108 for an infrequent claimant, $228 for a frequent claimant (O. Reg. 332/16, as stored 2026-01-06).
- What is the Small Claims Court limit in Hearst?
- The same as everywhere in Ontario: $50,000, not counting interest and costs (Courts of Justice Act s. 23; O. Reg. 626/00 s. 1, as amended by O. Reg. 42/25, in force October 1, 2025). A claim cannot be split into two to fit under the limit (rule 6.02).
- How long do I have to sue in Hearst?
- In most cases, 2 years from the day you discovered the claim (Limitations Act, 2002, s. 4 and s. 5). After the claim is issued, you have 6 months to serve it (rule 8.01(2)); the defendant then has 20 days to file a Defence (rule 9.01).
Legal services provided by Mithril Law — Jonathan Kleiman, licensed Ontario lawyer. The free tools are legal information, not legal advice.
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