Appeal Book and Compendium in Ontario: Contents and Order

A practical guide for lawyers, paralegals, and law clerks

On an appeal to the Court of Appeal for Ontario or the Divisional Court, the appellant perfects the appeal by filing, among other things, an appeal book and compendium. Its contents are set out in Rule 61.10 of the Rules of Civil Procedure. The appeal book collects the documents that define the appeal; the compendium reproduces the specific pages of the evidence and reasons that the factum actually relies on. Check the current rule and the Court of Appeal's practice direction for any updated requirements before you file.

What goes in the appeal book and compendium

In the order the rule prescribes, the appeal book and compendium contains:

1. A table of contents describing each document, including each exhibit, by its nature and date;
2. The notice of appeal and any notice of cross-appeal or supplementary notice;
3. The order or decision appealed from, as signed and entered;
4. The reasons for the decision, with a further typed or printed copy if the reasons are handwritten;
5. The pleadings or other documents that started the proceeding;
6. Any excerpts from transcripts of evidence that are referred to in the factum;
7. Any exhibits that are referred to in the factum;
8. Any other documents relevant to the hearing of the appeal; and
9. A certificate that the book contains the required documents.

The rule text controls; treat the list above as a map, not a substitute.

Appeal book vs. exhibit book vs. transcript

• The appeal book and compendium holds the defining documents plus excerpts of evidence relied on in the factum.
• The exhibit book (where required) reproduces the exhibits in full.
• The transcript of evidence is filed separately, in the form the court reporter certifies.

The compendium is where preparation most often goes wrong: pages are reproduced without the surrounding context, or the factum cites a transcript page that never made it into the compendium.

Formatting

• Consecutive pagination from the first page to the last, matching the PDF page positions.
• Tabs for each document, numbered to match the table of contents, with a divider page in the electronic book.
• A table of contents that describes each document by nature and date and hyperlinks to it.
• Cover page with the court, the court file numbers (appeal and originating), the style of cause with the parties' appeal-level designations, and the name of the book.
• Searchable text: use native PDFs of the reasons and pleadings, not scans, wherever they exist.

Before you file

1. Every document in the Rule 61.10 list is present, in order.
2. Every transcript and exhibit reference in the factum has a matching compendium page.
3. The signed and entered order — not the draft — is what appears behind the tab.
4. Click every table of contents entry in the PDF and confirm it lands on the right page.
5. The certificate is signed.

Related guides

• How to Prepare a Motion Record in Ontario
• How to Create a Hyperlinked Table of Contents in a PDF Court Bundle
• Court Bundle Requirements: A Practical Checklist
• How to Prepare an Application Record in Ontario

This guide is general information for legal professionals, not legal advice. Court rules and practice directions change — always confirm the current requirements of the court you are filing in before you file.