A few readers have asked me why some of my citations contain square brackets “[ ]” while others contain parentheses “( )”?
This is because I follow the uniform citation of the McGill Law Journal, Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation, 6th ed. (Toronto: Carswell, 2006).
In summary, let me explain how the citation works.
For case laws, the format is as follows:
style of cause (year of decision), [year of reporter] volume reporter (series) page (jurisdiction)
An example would be:
R. v. Latimer, [2001] 1 S.C.R. 3
meaning
The case R. v. Latimer, which was reported in the first volume of the Supreme Court Report in 2001 starting on page 3. The jurisdiction is omitted because the Supreme Court Report informs the readers that the case was decided by the Supreme Court of Canada.
While
Griffiths v. Zambosco (2001), 54 O.R. (3d) 397 (C.A.)
means
The case Griffiths v. Zambosco, which was decided in 2001 by the Court of Appeal, reported in the Ontario Report, 3rd series, volume 54, starting on page 397.
For legislation, the format is as follows:
Title, Statute volume jurisdiction year (session or supplement), chapter
An example would be
Residential Tenancies Act, S.O. 2006, c. 17
which means
The Residential Tenancies Act is of the Statute of Ontario, which was passed in 2006 in chapter 17.
If you see an “R” preceding “S.O.,” it denotes “revised.”
Now you know!
