John v. Ballingall, 2017 ONCA 579

In this case, the Ontario Court of Appeal confirmed that the limitation period in the Libel & Slander Act, R.R.O. 1990, c.L. 12 applies to the online version of a newspaper. The Court of Appeal rejected the Plaintiff’s argument that the limitation period commenced anew each day that the article was online. Rather, the limitation period began when the Plaintiff first became aware of the allegedly libelous document. The Court of Appeal also found that the Plaintiff’s claim had been properly dismissed under Rule 21 of the Rules of Civil Procedure on the basis of an expired limitation period.