Legal & Regulatory
Civil claim limitation periods by province.
Most provinces now use a two-part model: a short BASIC period running from when you discovered the claim, capped by a longer ULTIMATE period running from the act or omission regardless of discovery. Quebec, PEI and the territories work differently — shown honestly below, not forced into a number that doesn't apply.
Ontario, BC, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and (as of its 2022 Act) Manitoba all use 2 years basic / 15 years ultimate. Alberta is the outlier among the modernized provinces at 2 / 10. Quebec uses a single 3-year prescription period with no ultimate split. PEI, Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut never modernized and instead set a different period per claim type.
Inputs
Limitation period
Choose a province and press Look up.
Every jurisdiction
| Jurisdiction | Basic period | Ultimate period | Confirmed |
|---|
Sources, read 24 September 2026: each jurisdiction's own Limitations Act (see the citation shown in the result panel for the one you look up). Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are marked not independently confirmed in this build — their statutes remain category-based (a different period for debt, contract, defamation, etc.) and secondary sources disagree on which category-period to treat as "the" general one, so no single figure is asserted for them.
Common mix-ups
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Often assumedThe two years to sue start counting on the day the harm happened.
What the source saysUnder BC's Limitation Act the two-year basic period runs from the day the claim is discovered, meaning the day you knew or reasonably ought to have known of the loss, who caused it, and that suing is appropriate. [1]
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Often assumedIf I only find out years later, the discovery rule gives me unlimited time.
What the source saysBC's Act also sets an outer limit: a proceeding cannot be started more than 15 years after the act or omission, even if the two-year period has not yet run out. [1]
Checked against these sources on .
Frequently asked questions
What is a "basic" vs an "ultimate" limitation period?
The basic period is how long you have after you discovered (or reasonably should have discovered) the claim. The ultimate period is a hard outer limit that runs from the act or omission itself, whether or not you ever discovered the claim — it exists so a defendant isn't exposed forever.
How long do I have to sue in Ontario?
2 years from discovery, with a 15-year ultimate outer limit, under the Limitations Act, 2002.
Is Quebec's rule different?
Yes. Quebec is a civil-law jurisdiction and uses "prescription" rather than a common-law limitation period: a single general 3-year prescriptive period for personal actions (contract, tort) under article 2925 of the Civil Code of Québec, with no separate discovery/ultimate split.
Why doesn't PEI show a single number?
PEI never adopted the modern basic/ultimate model. Its Statute of Limitations sets a different period per type of claim — commonly cited examples are 2 years for personal injury and 6 years for a simple contract or debt claim — so presenting one figure as "the" PEI limitation period would misstate the law for most claim types.
Not legal advice
Limitation periods have exceptions (minors, incapacity, fraudulent concealment, agreements to extend, and more) that can change the actual deadline for a specific claim. This tool states the general rule only. Confirm against the Act itself, or with a lawyer, before relying on any date.