How to determine which court to apply to when parties are in different areas?
<p>I am considering taking an employer to court. It would be regarding whether or not I'm a contractor or employee (and thus entitled to different benefits). </p>

<p>I am not sure which court I would apply to. I work in BC, the office I work for is in Ontario, but I believe the companies HQ is in Quebec. Which jurisdiction would this fall under?</p>

<h2>One, any or all of these (plus possibly Canadian law)</h2>

<p>For a court or tribunal to have jurisdiction there must be some nexus between the dispute and the jurisdiction of that court or tribunal. Further, the jurisdiction must not be excluded, for example, a tribunal established for resolving family law matters is not going to have jurisdiction here.</p>

<p>As the plaintiff, you get to choose where to bring your case. Smart plaintiffs try to bring it to a forum which is a) convenient to them and b) likely to be sympathetic. For example, no one brings a defamation case in the United States if they can bring it literally <em>anywhere</em> else. This is called forum shopping.</p>

<p>The court or tribunal will decide a) if it has jurisdiction and b) if it is the most appropriate forum. For example, the Supreme Court of Canada has jurisdiction over everything - that doesn't mean its the most appropriate forum for your parking ticket.</p>

<p><strong>Jurisdiction is not exclusive.</strong></p>

contract-law employment canada