Guides: Legal Resources: Case Law & Legislation (Primary Resources)

Subscription (Paid) Library Resources - Case Law, Legislation & Forms

These subscription (paid) resources are available to all currently enrolled students, staff and faculty through the Library's collection. A network login is required for access.

The resources listed on this page are all ONLINE resources - for PRINT materials, or to search for print items in the Library's collection, see the 'Books & eBooks' tab.

Lexis Advance Quicklaw This link opens in a new window
Online Canadian collection of court and tribunal decisions, legislation, commentary and legal news. Includes access to Lawyer's Daily (Law360 Canada). Now called Lexis Advance Canada.
Licence Details:
Westlaw Canada This link opens in a new window
Contains O'Brien's Forms (Divisions I, V, VI, VIII), LabourSource, LawSource and CriminalSource. Access to Canadian case law and legislation, Canadian Encyclopedic Digest, Canadian Abridgment Digests and various law journals.
License Details:
Hein Online Academic Canada This link opens in a new window
Access legal journals, primary sources, legal dictionaries and key sources including Supreme Court Reports, Provincial Statutes of Canada and Revised Statutes of Canada.
License Details:
Martin's Online Criminal Code This link opens in a new window
Includes the current Criminal Code and all Criminal Code versions back to 1955, including annotations. Use this database to access point-in-time Criminal Code provisions or investigate changes to specific provisions over the past 50+ years.
Licence Details:
O'Brien's Forms This link opens in a new window
Searchable database of legal forms and precedents for O'Brien's divisions V, VI and VIII (Wills and Trusts, Ontario Family Law and Ontario Court Forms). Access is through Westlaw Canada. Click on O'Brien's Forms on the right hand side.
Licence Details:

Freely Available Databases (not Subscription-Based)

Canadian Resources:

CanLII (Canadian Legal Information Institute)
CanLII provides access to federal, provincial and territorial statutes, regulations and court tribunal decisions. Current case law is also listed.
Canada Gazette, Parts I-III
Official newspaper of the federal government. Contains 1998+. Part I contains notices and proposed regulations. Part II contains official regulations. Part III contains official acts.
Canada Gazette, 1841-1997
Historical collection of the official newspaper of the Government of Canada.
'Charterpedia' (Charter of Rights and Freedoms)
Created by the Department of Justice to celebrate the Charter's 35th anniversary.
Constitutional Documents
Links to the Constitution Act 1867 (formerly the British North America Act), the Constitution Act 1982 and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
E-Laws (Ontario Statutes & Regulations)
Ontario statutes and regulations (includes source law and repealed law).
Federal Orders in Council
Includes Orders in Council (OICs) made from 1990 to the present. For older OICs, contact Library and Archives Canada.
Justice Laws Website (formerly 'Justice Canada'
Consolidated federal statutes and regulations, news releases.
LEGISinfo (Federal Bills)
Legislation currently before the Federal Parliament.
Legislative Assembly of Ontario - Bills
Bills from current and previous parliamentary sessions.
Lexum
Supreme Court of Canada decisions back to 1875, continually updated. Link now goes to SCC's own website - eventually the Lexum version may be phased out.
Supreme Court of Canada Decisions
Content formerly available through Lexum is now available through the SCC's own website.

International (WestLawNext Canada and LexisAdvance Quicklaw may also have relevant content)

African Legal Information Institute (AfricanLII)
GlobaLex
Resources include an overview of the country’s legal system, links to legislation and court materials (as available), and are updated regularly.
World Legal Information Institute (WorldLII)
Over 1800 databases from 123 jurisdictions around the world. Databases include case law, legislation, treaties, law reform reports, law journals and other materials.

Database Video Tutorials & Tip Sheets

Please note: some of the videos may mention database content or options that are not currently part of the Library's subscription. For example, WestlawNext Canada offers a wide range of resources to the broader legal community; however, the Library subscribes to only certain components that are most relevant to the programs taught at the College.

Canadian Encyclopedic Digest (CED)
Available as part of the WestlawNext Canada package.
How to Search the Canadian Abridgment Digests
Available as part of the WestlawNext Canada package.
How to Start your Research with the Canadian Abridgment Digests
Available as part of the WestlawNext Canada package.
O'Brien's Encyclopedia of Forms
Available through WestlawNext Canada as of January 2021.
Lexis Advance Quicklaw - Videos & Tutorials
Scroll down the page to see several videos on searching, working with search results and more. NOTE: some of the content in the Getting Started and Administration videos is not relevant to Durham College users.
Lexis Advance Quicklaw User Guide
Please note that some features may not be available through the Library's educational license (eg. alerts).
CanLII Search Tips