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Conflict OS · Level 0
Court is the last option, not the first. Before litigating, exhaust your options — complaint, escalation, ombudsman, mediation, settlement. Every step documented here becomes admissible evidence if the matter needs to go further.
Capture who, what, where, when, why — with documents, photos, audio, and video.
Record each exchange so the chronology builds itself.
Email, SMS, letters, and calls — kept in one place.
Generate a refund, correction, payment, or complaint request.
Move up the ladder: customer service → supervisor → management.
Refer the dispute to the relevant ombudsman or regulator.
Offer neutral mediation before litigating.
Make offers, counter-offers, and payment plans; reach an agreement.
Weigh costs, risks, delays, and odds before going to court.
If resolution fails, everything documented here feeds Evidence Intelligence and the Timeline Engine for litigation.
Conflict OS
114 ways to resolve a dispute is too many to browse. Describe your situation in a few words, or pick a category.
Conflict OS
Before going to court: how to resolve each kind of dispute — complaint, escalation, ombudsman, mediation. Every documented step becomes admissible evidence.
1. Direct complaintrequired
Written complaint to your branch. Keep a copy and proof of sending.
Suggested wait before escalating: 14 days
2. Internal escalationrequired
Escalate to the institution's senior level.
Customer Care · Office of the President · Bureau de la protection des renseignements personnels
Suggested wait before escalating: 56 days
3. External ombudsmanrequired
File with the bank's external complaints body.
ADR Chambers Banking Ombuds Office (ADRBO) · Ombudsman des services bancaires et d'investissement (OSBI)
Suggested wait before escalating: 90 days
4. Regulator
File with the competent regulator.
Agence de la consommation en matière financière du Canada (ACFC/FCAC) · Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) · Commissariat à la protection de la vie privée
Suggested wait before escalating: 30 days
5. Litigation readiness
Final check: complaint sent, follow-up done, escalations exhausted, waiting periods expired, evidence preserved.
1. Direct complaintrequired
Written complaint to your landlord (in writing). Keep a copy and proof of sending.
Suggested wait before escalating: 10 days
2. Formal demand letterrequired
Formal demand letter (arts. 1594-1595 C.C.Q.): state the remedy, set a clear deadline, announce the recourse.
Suggested wait before escalating: 10 days
3. Conciliation
The TAL offers free conciliation before the hearing.
Tribunal administratif du logement — service de conciliation
4. Litigation readiness
Final check: complaint sent, follow-up done, escalations exhausted, waiting periods expired, evidence preserved.
1. Internal complaint (HR)required
Written complaint to HR or management. Union members: also report to your union representative.
Ressources humaines / HR · Représentant syndical / Union rep (si applicable)
Suggested wait before escalating: 14 days
2. Union grievance (if applicable)
File a formal grievance through your union if your collective agreement allows. Time limit is often 30–90 days.
Syndicat / Union · Arbitre de grief / Grievance arbitrator
Suggested wait before escalating: 30 days
3. CNESST / labour standardsrequired
File with the CNESST (standards, harassment, dismissal). Limit: 45 days for dismissal without just cause.
CNESST · Tribunal administratif du travail
Suggested wait before escalating: 45 days
4. Mediation
Mediation offered by the CNESST or the TAT before hearing.
5. Litigation readiness
Final check: complaint sent, follow-up done, escalations exhausted, waiting periods expired, evidence preserved.
1. Direct complaintrequired
Written complaint to the merchant. Keep a copy and proof of sending.
Suggested wait before escalating: 10 days
2. Formal demand letterrequired
Formal demand letter (arts. 1594-1595 C.C.Q.): state the remedy, set a clear deadline, announce the recourse.
Suggested wait before escalating: 10 days
3. Consumer protection office
File with the OPC; ask for the small-claims kit if needed. SMBs: the OPC can also handle complaints from small businesses affected by unfair commercial practices.
Office de la protection du consommateur (OPC) · Bureau de la concurrence
Suggested wait before escalating: 30 days
4. Litigation readiness
Final check: complaint sent, follow-up done, escalations exhausted, waiting periods expired, evidence preserved.
1. Direct complaintrequired
Written complaint to your insurer (complaints department). Keep a copy and proof of sending.
Suggested wait before escalating: 30 days
2. Insurance ombudsmanrequired
File with the industry complaints body.
OAP (assurance de dommages) · OLHI/OAP-vie (assurance de personnes)
Suggested wait before escalating: 60 days
3. AMF (regulator)
Transfer your complaint file to the AMF.
Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF)
Suggested wait before escalating: 30 days
4. Litigation readiness
Final check: complaint sent, follow-up done, escalations exhausted, waiting periods expired, evidence preserved.
1. Internal reviewrequired
Request internal review of the decision with the body.
Suggested wait before escalating: 30 days
2. Québec Ombudsmanrequired
Free complaint to the Protecteur du citoyen (or the relevant federal ombudsman).
Protecteur du citoyen · Ombudsman de Montréal
Suggested wait before escalating: 60 days
3. Administrative tribunal
Challenge before the competent administrative tribunal (TAQ…), before any judicial review.
Tribunal administratif du Québec (TAQ)
4. Litigation readiness
Final check: complaint sent, follow-up done, escalations exhausted, waiting periods expired, evidence preserved.
1. Complaint to the syndicrequired
Complaint to the syndic of the professional order.
Syndic de l'ordre professionnel
Suggested wait before escalating: 90 days
2. Review committee
If the syndic declines to lodge a complaint, ask the review committee.
Comité de révision de l'ordre · Office des professions du Québec
Suggested wait before escalating: 30 days
3. Litigation readiness
Final check: complaint sent, follow-up done, escalations exhausted, waiting periods expired, evidence preserved.
1. Direct complaintrequired
Written complaint to the contractor. Keep a copy and proof of sending.
Suggested wait before escalating: 10 days
2. Formal demand letterrequired
Formal demand letter (arts. 1594-1595 C.C.Q.): state the remedy, set a clear deadline, announce the recourse.
Suggested wait before escalating: 10 days
3. Warranty / RBQrequired
Claim under the warranty plan (GCR for new builds) and complaint to the RBQ.
Garantie de construction résidentielle (GCR) · Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ)
Suggested wait before escalating: 30 days
4. Mediation / arbitration
Mediation or arbitration under the warranty plan or contract.
5. Litigation readiness
Final check: complaint sent, follow-up done, escalations exhausted, waiting periods expired, evidence preserved.
1. Direct negotiationrequired
Documented attempt to settle amicably with the other party.
Suggested wait before escalating: 14 days
2. Formal demand letterrequired
Formal demand letter (arts. 1594-1595 C.C.Q.): state the remedy, set a clear deadline, announce the recourse.
Suggested wait before escalating: 10 days
3. Mediation
Private or court mediation — you must consider private dispute prevention (art. 1 C.C.P.).
4. Litigation readiness
Final check: complaint sent, follow-up done, escalations exhausted, waiting periods expired, evidence preserved.
1. Discussion / parenting planrequired
Attempt a direct, written agreement (parenting plan, division).
2. Family mediationrequired
Subsidized family mediation (free hours with children) — must be considered before court.
Médiateur familial accrédité · Séance d'information sur la parentalité (obligatoire)
Suggested wait before escalating: 30 days
3. Draft settlement
Draft the settlement to be homologated.
4. Litigation readiness
Final check: complaint sent, follow-up done, escalations exhausted, waiting periods expired, evidence preserved.
1. Request / complaint to the institution (CSC)required
Written request to Correctional Service Canada institutional staff or management. Note the date and keep a copy — the prerequisite to the formal grievance.
Service correctionnel du Canada (SCC)
Suggested wait before escalating: 15 days
2. Offender grievance — initial then final levelrequired
Formal grievance to the institutional head, then to CSC national headquarters. The exact deadline is on the response; this preserves the right to judicial review.
SCC — Directeur de l'établissement · SCC — Administration centrale
Suggested wait before escalating: 80 days
3. Office of the Correctional Investigator
Free, independent complaint to the OCI (federal ombudsman for incarcerated people). In parallel with the grievance; suspends no deadline. The Protecteur du citoyen has NO jurisdiction over federal corrections.
Bureau de l'enquêteur correctionnel (BEC / OCI)
Suggested wait before escalating: 60 days
4. Parole Board of Canada + Appeal Divisionrequired
Conditional-release decisions: written submissions before the PBC. An unfavourable decision is challenged before the Appeal Division (the exact deadline is on the decision).
Commission des libérations conditionnelles du Canada (CLCC / PBC) · Section d'appel
Suggested wait before escalating: 60 days
5. Judicial review — Federal Court / habeas corpus
After the grievance and appeal are exhausted: judicial review of the final decision before the Federal Court (generally 30 days). Habeas corpus in superior court remains available for a residual deprivation of liberty.
Cour fédérale du Canada · Cour supérieure (habeas corpus)
6. Litigation readiness
Final check: complaint sent, follow-up done, escalations exhausted, waiting periods expired, evidence preserved.
1. Civil-law foundation (art. 1457 C.C.Q.)required
The civil action in damages against the person who committed the criminal act rests on ordinary civil liability (art. 1457 C.C.Q.). The applicable prescription period depends on the nature of the harm: ten (10) years for bodily injury resulting from a criminal act; imprescriptible for harm resulting from sexual violence, violence suffered during childhood, or spousal violence; the heirs' right to bring or continue the action extinguishes three (3) years after the victim's death; and the ordinary three (3)-year period (art. 2925 C.C.Q.) applies where only property damage is claimed, without bodily injury.
2. Seizure before judgment — asset preservationrequired
The Code of Civil Procedure provides for two seizure-before-judgment regimes: seizure as of right (art. 517 C.p.c.), available in the cases enumerated by law without prior court authorization, and seizure with court authorization (art. 518 C.p.c.), which requires a reasoned application. Seizure before judgment under art. 518 C.p.c. is normally sought without prior notice to the debtor — the court relies on a jeopardy affidavit, and the debtor learns of it at the bailiff's execution. This application does not require a prior demand letter: that's a feature of the recourse itself, not a strategic choice made for you. The debtor may then contest the seizure before the court; the applicable delay is set by the Code of Civil Procedure (arts. 519–523 C.p.c.) and must be confirmed on the notice of execution itself rather than assumed. Whether to seek relief without notice, and the risk of a wrongful seizure, depend on the specific facts of your file — consult a lawyer before filing this application.
3. Parallel criminal track (informational only)
At sentencing, the criminal file may result in a restitution order (ss. 737.1, 738 and 741 of the Criminal Code); the court may take into account amounts already paid or to be paid, but a restitution order does not replace the separate civil action in damages and does not bar it (s. 741.2 of the Criminal Code). This tool provides no advice on the criminal proceeding itself and does not track it — that remains exclusively the Crown's conduct of the case. For anything about the criminal case itself, contact the Crown prosecutor (DPCP) or victim services (CAVAC).
4. IVAC — victim compensation (parallel channel)
IVAC compensation (under the Act to assist persons who are victims of criminal offences and to facilitate their recovery — LAPVIC, CQLR c. P-9.2.1) is an administrative recourse separate from, and pursued in parallel with, the civil action — see the IVAC entry in the government-body directory for its own ladder (contact, review, TAQ), not repeated here. Application deadlines vary: generally three (3) years from when the victim becomes aware of the harm for an offence occurring on or after October 13, 2021; two (2) years for an offence occurring before that date (transitional regime); no deadline for sexual violence, violence suffered during childhood, or spousal violence. A decision can be contested before the Bureau de révision administrative within ninety (90) days of receiving it — confirm these delays on the decision itself. Any amount received from IVAC must be disclosed in the civil action: there is no double recovery, and IVAC may be subrogated to the victim's rights against the person who caused the harm, up to the amount paid.
5. Litigation readiness — seizure status
Final check: the seizure before judgment has been executed by the bailiff, the return of seizure has been filed with the court office, any contestation has been resolved, the amount is confirmed at judgment, and the status of any criminal restitution and/or IVAC compensation is noted on file.
1. Direct complaintrequired
Written complaint to the opposing party (in writing). Keep a copy and proof of sending.
Suggested wait before escalating: 10 days
2. Formal demand letterrequired
Formal demand letter (arts. 1594-1595 C.C.Q.): state the remedy, set a clear deadline, announce the recourse.
Suggested wait before escalating: 10 days
3. Mediation
Consider mediation — the C.C.P. requires considering private modes before court.
4. Litigation readiness
Final check: complaint sent, follow-up done, escalations exhausted, waiting periods expired, evidence preserved.
Conflict OS
Weigh a settlement offer against the cost, delay, and uncertainty of trial. A planning tool — not legal advice or a prediction.
The offer beats the expected value of litigating at this confidence level.
Estimates for planning only. Juge.ca provides legal information, not legal advice, and guarantees no outcome.
Key principles
Start with the facts — then open a case file to centralize everything.
Juge.ca provides general legal information, not legal advice. Every situation is different. Consult a legal professional for your situation.