Although this appears to be a small claims court action, it doesn,t say what province the claim was filed in. The limit amount of dollars varies from province to province, with B.C having a limit of $25,000 per claim. I see that Alberta may increase their limit at anytime to $50,000, and apparently doesn,t need legislative approval to do so. On the smaller limit scale, it appears that Quebecs limit is $7,000. In the U.S., it is a little different and more interesting, reference the bottom of post.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/crime-and-justice/Alberta+double+limit+small+claims+court/8822684/story.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_claims_court#Small-claims_courts_in_Canada

Monetary limits for small-claims courts in Canada vary by province:

• Alberta: The Provincial Court—Civil hears civil claims up to $25,000.
• Nova Scotia: The maximum claim that may be recovered in the Small-Claims Court cannot exceed $25,000.
• British Columbia: The maximum claim that may be recovered in the Small-Claims Division of the Provincial Court is $25,000.
• Manitoba: Small-Claims Courts adjudicated claims up to $10,000.[3]
• New Brunswick: Claims to the Small-Claims Court of New Brunswick must be less than $12,500.
• Newfoundland and Labrador: The Provincial Court of Newfoundland and Labrador hears civil claims up to $25,000.
• Ontario: The new limit for small-claims is $25,000.[4]
• Quebec: Claims to the Small-Claims Court of Quebec cannot exceed $7,000.
• Saskatchewan: Claims within the Civil Division of the Saskatchewan Provincial Court cannot exceed $20,000 in value.

In general, disputes involving title to land, slander, libel, bankruptcy, false imprisonment, or malicious prosecution must be handled in a superior court and cannot be determined in small-claims courts.

Small-claims courts in the United States[edit]

The movement to establish small-claims courts typically began in the early 1960s, when justice of the peace courts were increasingly seen as obsolete, and officials felt it desirable to have such a court to allow people to represent themselves without legal counsel. In New York State, small claims courts were established in response to the 1958 findings of Governor Thomas E. Dewey's Tweed Commission on the reorganization of the state judiciary. Since then, the movement towards small-claims courts has led to their establishment in most U.S. states.

There is no equivalent to a small-claims court in the federal court. (Note that Congress has set the jurisdictional minimum for diversity jurisdiction cases at $75,000). Magistrate judges are authorized to handle certain preliminary matters. Since the year 2010, the costs of filing fees have increased in almost every state court system. Filing fees typically range from US$15 to $150, depending on the claim amount.

Classes[edit]

Some jurisdictions offer classes in small-claims court procedures. As such courts are open to the public, attendance at a few sessions may be useful to a person involved in a case, whether as plaintiff or defendant.

Small-claims court on television[edit]

Several small-claims proceedings have appeared on television in court shows; however, the settings in these programs are not truly courts of law, even though they attempt to give off the appearance as such; they are merely forms of arbitration. Such shows include The People's Court, Judge Judy, Judge Joe Brown, Judge Mathis, etc.[10]