Contracts & Disputes

Fixed-price versus cost-plus versus time-and-materials in Canadian construction, which CCDC form fits each, and the pay-when-paid versus pay-if-paid trap.

How to chase an unpaid invoice in small claims: the demand letter, the monetary limit by province (Ontario $50,000, not $35k), filing, default judgment and interest.

The CCDC 2-2020 family, the defensible small-works contract and the written-contract rules in Ontario, BC, Alberta and Quebec for Canadian tradespeople.

How to document extras, the notice deadlines that kill claims, and the Ontario 10% over-estimate cap on consumer renovations. A trade's plain-English guide.

Deficiency lists versus warranty, why statutory holdback cannot fund repairs, the seasonal-defect problem and how the one-year warranty links to new-home programs.

The deadline to sue for an unpaid invoice: 2 years in most provinces, 3 in Quebec, 6 in the territories, plus how a written acknowledgement resets the clock.

Prompt-payment adjudication, builders liens, small claims and arbitration compared, plus the three clocks an unpaid Canadian sub must track and which route to use first.

What deposit is reasonable in Canada (about 10%, no statutory cap), how to set a progress-draw schedule, and how the statutory holdback fits in.

The clauses that decide who pays: indemnity, pay-when-paid versus pay-if-paid, notice deadlines, force majeure and termination, for Canadian trades.

Negotiation, mediation, prompt-payment adjudication, arbitration and small claims compared: which to use first and the deadline clocks that keep running.