1. Registration
A user name and password is required to use the Key Number Search or view headnoted cases. To obtain a user name and password:- On the Key Number Search page click on "My Account, Register with Us" and fill out the information required on the registration form.
- Pick a user name and password. These must be between 4 and 8 characters in length and should be in lower case.
- When the form is complete click the "Register" button. A confirmation of registration screen will appear and you can return to the Search Page and begin searching.
2. General Information on Searching (Operators, common words, etc.)
Search Engine
The Maritime Law Book National Reporter System Databases feature the ISYS Web Search Engine developed by Odyssey Development. ISYS Web facilitates searching by simple key word or phrase as well as advanced Boolean queries.Search Any Word or Phrase
The ISYS Search Engine will search all words, phrases or numbers with only a few exceptions:- The following eight very common words may be included in a search string, but will be ignored by the search engine: are, an, at, be, is, it, of, the.
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When using the following seven words in a search string they must be preceded by a shift dash: _and, _or, _not,
_in, _label, _except, _to.
When used without a shift dash these words are command words or operators with special meaning for the search engine.
Note that capital letters do not affect your search (i.e., the search engine is not case sensitive, but note that your user name and password must be in lower case).
Similarly French accents do not affect the search.
For example, searching the word "dube" will find "Dubé".
Plurals and tenses of words may be searched by adding an * or ! to your search word, e.g., "dog*" will find dogs, dogged, etc.
Do not use the ampersand (&) in search strings. This search engine uses the word "and" in place of the ampersand.
Quotation Marks:
Do not put quotation marks around search strings.Operators or Command Words
The ISYS search engine uses several operators or command words to facilitate searching. When you choose the "Case & Raw Law Search" option, the most common operators are provided for your convenience on the right hand side of the screen.For example the "and" operator may be used to find cases involving damages to the spleen, by:
- First type the word spleen in the "Search all documents" box
- Click on the "& And which also contain" icon
- Type damages in the "Search all documents" box
- Click "Search" button.
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AND which ALSO contain ... |
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OR which contain ... |
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BUT do NOT contain ... |
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Within 10 words of ... |
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Within a PARAGRAPH of ... |
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In the same PARAGRAPH as ... |
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Followed anywhere by ... |
Alternatively, you may type the command words or operators directly into search strings without utilizing the above links. The following ISYS command words or operators may be used to direct the search engine to perform specific search functions:
Followed Anywhere By (...)
Use this operator to find one word followed anywhere by another word.Example: Jones ... murder
This search string would find documents containing the word Jones followed anywhere else in the document by the word murder.
Finds words in the same paragraph (//)- two forward slashes
Use this operator in a search string to find words within the same paragraph.Example: intention /2/ mens rea
This search string will find cases containing the phrase "intention" within two words of the phrase "mens rea" within the same paragraph.
Example: divorce /0,+10/ maintenance
This search string will find all documents where the word "maintenance" is within ten words after "divorce", but not before (in the same paragraph).
Example: search /-2,0/ warrant
This search string his will find all documents where the word "warrant" is within two words before "search", but not after, within the same paragraph.
Example: directions /5,12/ accomplices
This search string will find documents where the word "accomplices" appears within 5 to 12 words after the word "directions" within the same paragraph, but not within one to four words.
Example: witness /-10,+20/ Crown
This search string will find documents where "Crown" appears from 10 words before to 20 words after "witness" within the same paragraph.
Nearby Paragraphs (\\)- two back slashes
Use this operator to find words or phrases within a given number of paragraphs of each other.Example: intention \2\ mens rea
This search string will find cases where the word "intention" within two paragraphs of the phrase "mens rea".
Example: child abduction \1,12\ parent
This search string will find all documents where the word "parent" is within one to 12 paragraphs after "child abduction".
Example: wrong \6,10\ miscarriage This search string will find all documents where the word "miscarriage" is located within 6 to 10 paragraphs after "wrong".
Example: trial judge \-5,+10\ misdirection
This search string will find all documents where "misdirection" appears between 5 paragraphs before to 10 paragraphs after "trial judge".
(Substitute any word or phrase or number in the examples shown. Note: Double spaces between paragraphs, or any lines which are indented may count as a paragraph)
Wildcards * or !
Use a Wildcard to search for plurals or tenses of words.
Examples: divorc* or divorc!
Using this will find words that start with divorce such as divorcing, divorced, divorces etc.
famil* or famil! will find words such as familiar, family, families.
All word Forms - You may also use the "Return hits on all word forms" option when doing a "Case or Raw Law Search". For example if you search the word "confine" and check the "Return hits on all word forms" you will get documents containing "confine", "confined", "confining", "confinée", etc.
3. Database Content
The National Reporter System (NRS) database is divided into 13 case law databases which as of 2003 contain approximately 120,000 headnoted full text cases, plus a total of 50,000 unedited cases (i.e., cases without headnotes), recent cases pending headnoting and Supreme Court of Canada motions. The NRS headnotes contain the full style of cause of the case, an "Indexed As" title, the procedural history of the case (Summary), summaries of each point of law raised in the case (topics) categorized by key number, and cases, statutes, authors and words and phrases judicially noticed as well as the names of counsel.The NRS databases contain cases from the trial and appellate courts from all provinces and territories in Canada (except Quebec). The databases also include cases from the Federal Court of Canada, both Trial and Appeal Divisions, and the Supreme Court of Canada. Select House of Lords and Privy Council cases are included too. The databases include all cases reported by Maritime Law Book in our comprehensive jurisdictional print series of reports covering date ranges as follows:
| AR | Alberta Reports (1976 to date) |
|---|---|
| BCAC | British Columbia Appeal Cases (1991 to date) |
| BCTC | British Columbia Trial Cases - (1997 to date) |
| FTR | Federal Trial Reports - (1986 to date) |
| MANR | Manitoba Reports (2d) - (1979 to date) |
| NR | National Reporter - (1974 to date) |
| NBR | New Brunswick Reports (2d) - (1969 to date) (and NBR Supp. Cases) |
| NFLD | Nfld. & P.E.I. Reports - (1971 to date) |
| NSR | Nova Scotia Reports (2d) - (1970 to date) |
| OAC | Ontario Appeal Cases - (1984 to date) |
| OTC | Ontario Trial Cases - (1996 to date) |
| SASKR | Saskatchewan Reports - (1980 to date) |
| MOTIONS | Supreme Court of Canada - Motions for leave to appeal -- 1997 to date |
(Note that as of September 1, 2003, the OTC database contains cases from the Canadian territories. These cases may be listed by searching for Nunuvut Cases, Yukon Cases or Northwest Terr. Cases. Previously certain appellate decisions from the Yukon appeared in the British Columbia Appeal Cases and from the Northwest Territories in the Alberta Reports). A separate database is planned for these territorial cases.
4. Key Number Search
Each point of law or issue discussed by a judge in a case is summarized by our editors and included as a "Topic" in the headnote. Each topic is assigned a Key Number. For example "Criminal Law - Topic 5855" is the Key Number assigned to topics in every case involving sentences for robbery. This number can be used to quickly find, for example, all robbery sentencing cases without worrying about how to configure a search or what search words to use. The key numbers are categorized under 151 titles, such as Criminal Law, Family Law, Evidence, etc. (For a complete list, click on "Key Number Search Page", "Select an Area of Law").To find a Key Number, go the Key Number Search Page. User can either peruse the list of key numbers by using the "Select an Area of Law" box or search all the titles and key numbers by word or phrase. Once you see a key number of interest, simply click on the key number and a list of cases containing that point of law will be generated.
Note: Key numbers can also be used in the "Case & Raw Law Search" by using a search string which combines the title and key number as in the following example: Criminal Law - Topic 5855.The Key Number Search performs a global search of all databases. Once you have a hit list you may refine the list to one particular jurisdiction by changing the box at the top of the page from "Current Results" to the jurisdiction of your choice. Then hit the arrow to the right.
When viewing a case, if you see a topic of interest in the headnote, simply click on the title and key number at the top of the topic and a list of cases containing the same key number will be generated.
Note: a Key Number Search finds only cases with headnotes. After completing a Key Number search, you may also want to search unedited cases (See "Case & Raw Law Search" page, "Search Tools") or recent cases pending headnoting using a word or phrase search. For Ontario Trial Cases (O.T.C.) and British Columbia Trial Cases (B.C.T.C) dated after 2005 use only "Case & Raw Law Search" because the key numbers were discontinued in these databases in 2005.
5. Cases & Raw Law Search
General
Use this type of search to do a global or simultaneous search of all caselaw databases and the key number database or to search individual databases. You may search using any word or phrase, with very few exceptions (See Search any Word or Phrase above). You can craft your search using just words and phrases, or you may want to use certain search engine operators to refine your search (See Operators or Command Words above). For your convenience, the most common operators appear on the right hand side of the screen and may be used by simply clicking on the operator you want to use. |
AND which ALSO contain ... |
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OR which contain ... |
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BUT do NOT contain ... |
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Within 10 words of ... |
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Within a PARAGRAPH of ... |
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In the same PARAGRAPH as ... |
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Followed anywhere by ... |
Query Within
Once a hit list has been generated, it may be refined using the search boxes at the top of the screen.Hint: To narrow any hit list to a particular jurisdiction, change from "Current Results" to a jurisdiction of your choice.
Client ID Tag
A client ID tag may be used to identify which particular file you are doing your research for. This may be useful to those who wish to bill their computer research to a particular client. When you generate a usage report (see link on home page) or get your monthly statement, the Client ID Tag you used will show up beside the list of cases viewed. The number will remain the same until you close your browser or change the number. It is not mandatory that a Client ID Tag be used, although your firm administrator or librarian may prefer that you do.Sorting of Results
By default global search results are displayed in order of the database they are found in, with Alberta cases being listed first and Saskatchewan cases being listed last. You may also sort the search results by number of hits, size of document or case name.6. Standard Search
The Standard Search feature was incorporated into the "Case & Raw Law Search" as of May, 2011.7. Search Strings, Hints and Tips
- How Maritime Law Book (National Reporter System) Cases Are Cited
The Maritime Law Book (MLB) databases contain three different categories of cases which will be referred to in the instructions for searching below. They are:1) MLB being edited cases
Recent cases received from the courts that are awaiting editorial enhancement and will be replaced later with either an edited version (headnoted) or unedited version. MLB being edited cases are assigned a temporary citation. (Example: [2001] A.R TBEd. SE.074)2) MLB headnote and full text (i.e., Edited cases)
Cases that are headnoted by our editors and also appear in our printed volumes. MLB edited cases are assigned a permanent citation. (Example: 205 A.R. 321)3) MLB Unedited cases
These cases (formerly known as unreported cases) do not contain a headnote and do not appear in our printed volumes. MLB unedited cases are assigned a permanent citation. (Example: [2001] A.R. Uned. 146) Hint: Searching Only Cases That Are Awaiting EditingTo limit a search to recent cases pending editing, add the phrase "and MLB being edited" to any search string:
- Example: charter of rights and mlb being edited
- This search will find all recent cases that have not yet been headnoted that involve the Charter.
To limit a search to unedited (i.e., unheadnoted) cases only add the phrase "and MLB unedited" to any search string:
- Example: dog and mlb unedited
- This will search only the unedited cases for the word dog.
Hint: Searching Only Headnoted Cases.
To search the headnoted cases only use the Key Number Search or add the phrase - and MLB headnote to any search.
Searching By Citation
When viewing any case, you can find other cases where that case was judicially noticed by clicking on the citation link at the top of the case just under the tool bar. You may also find a case in the National Reporter System databases by searching for the citation assigned to that case by our editors. The spacing in the citation is critical to finding your case. The following spacing is used consistently in our citations as in the examples below: (for what these citations mean see How Maritime Law Book (National Reporter System) Cases Are Cited above)
Alberta Reports
14 A.R. 1
[2003] A.R. TBEd. AU.132
[1997] Alta. Uned. 19
British Columbia Appeal Cases
179 B.C.A.C. 82
[2003] B.C.A.C. TBEd. JA.010
[2002] B.C.A.C. Uned. 66
British Columbia Trial Cases
[2003] B.C.T.C. 839
[2002] B.C.T.C. TBEd. FE.244
[2003] B.C.T.C. Uned. 26
Federal Court Reports (Trial Division)
66 F.T.R. 161
[2003] F.T.R. TBEd. MA.101
[2003] F.T.R. Uned. 22
Manitoba Reports
122 Man.R.(2d) 161
[2001] Man.R.(2d) Uned. 57
[2003] Man.R.(2d) TBEd. JN.044
National Reporter
201 N.R. 161
[1997] N.R. Uned. 26
[2002] N.R. TBEd. AU.002
New Brunswick Reports
161 N.B.R.(2d) 1
[2003] N.B.R.(2d) TBEd. MY.019
[2003] N.B.R.(2d) Uned.78
[2003] N.B.R.(2d) (Supp.) TBEd. AP.031
[2001] N.B.R.(2d) (Supp.) No. 57
Newfoundland & P.E.I.R. Reports
227 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 117
[2003] Nfld. & P.E.I.R. Uned. 9
[2003] Nfld. & P.E.I.R. TBEd. JL.031
Nova Scotia Reports
213 N.S.R.(2d) 115
[2003] N.S.R.(2d) Uned. 12
[2003] N.S.R.(2d) TBEd. AU.051
Ontario Appeal Cases
170 O.A.C. 285
[2003] O.A.C. Uned. 225
[2003] O.A.C. TBEd. SE.084
Ontario Trial Cases
[2003] O.T.C. 477
[2003] O.T.C. TBEd. SE.066
[2002] O.T.C. Uned. 224
Saskatchewan Reports
25 Sask.R. 66
[2003] Sask.R. TBEd. JA.122
[2003] Sask.R. Uned. 27
Searching By Names of Parties
Each headnote contains the style of cause which originally appeared on the judgment and an "Indexed As" name or title assigned to the case by our editors. You can search the Indexed As titles or in the Styles of Cause by using the "Search Tools" feature on the "Case & Raw Law Search" page. Alternatively you can use the following search strings:
Hint: Searching using "Indexed As"
To search for names appearing in the "Indexed As" titles or to find
a particular "Indexed As" name:
- Example: Jones in Indexed
- Note that this type of search does not locate names found only in the style of cause.
To search only the style of cause for names in the headnotes, use the following:
- Example: Smith ... Indexed As
Hint: Clicking on the Indexed As name of a case will link you to other cases having an identical Indexed As Name.
Searching By Court Name
Hint: To find cases decided by a particular court, (e.g., Supreme Court of Canada), use the following search string: Label Supreme Court of Canada ... [End headnote]. Similarly to find cases from the Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench, search: label Manitoba court of queen's bench ...[end headnote]Any court name can be substituted using the following court names (note that some court names have changed over time)
- Alberta Court of Queen's Bench
- Alberta Court of Appeal
- British Columbia Supreme Court
- British Columbia Court of Appeal
- Federal Court
- Supreme Court of Canada
- Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench
- Manitoba Court of Appeal
- Nova Scotia Supreme Court
- Nova Scotia Court of Appeal
- New Brunswick Court of Appeal
- New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench
- Newfoundland Supreme Court (and more recently Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court)
- Newfoundland Court of Appeal (and more recently Newfoundland and Labrador
- Court of Appeal)
- Prince Edward Island Supreme Court
- Ontario Court of Appeal
- Divisional Court (i.e., Court of Ontario)
- Saskatchewan Court of Queen's Bench
- Saskatchewan Court of Appeal
- Yukon Territory Court
- Yukon Territory Supreme Court
- Yukon Court of Appeal
- Nunavut Court of Justice
- Northwest Territories Supreme Court
- Northwest Territories Court of Appeal
Searching By Judge's Name
Any name, including judge's can be searched.Hint: To narrow your search to cases where a particular judge sat use the following search string:
- Example: Indexed \0,10\ Sopinka
- Substitute any judge's name for "Sopinka"
Searching The "Words and Phrases" Portion of the Headnotes
When preparing headnotes, if a particular word or phrase has been discussed or interpreted by a judge, a notation of this is made by our editors under the heading "Words and Phrases" in the headnote. Hint: To search only these special "Words and Phrases" notations in the headnotes use the "Search Tools" feature on the "Case & Raw Law Search" page. Alternatively you can craft your own search string using the following example:- Example :Label words \1,1\ Label treatment
- Substitute any word or phrase for the word treatment.
Searching Statutes Noticed
To search the databases for everywhere a statute is mentioned, simply search the name of the statute.Hint: To search only the "Statutes Noticed" portion of the headnotes for a particular section or sections of a statute use the "Search Tools" feature on the "Case & Raw Law Search" page. Alternatively use a search string similar to the following:
- Example 1: sect. 298 in Criminal Code
- Example 2: sect. 15(1) in Canadian Charter
- Example 3: sect. 4 in Statute of Frauds
- Example 4: (sect. 3 or sect. 4) in Limitation of Actions
- Example 5: (sect. 298 or sect. 299 or sect. 300) in Criminal Code
Hint: When viewing the "Statutes Noticed" portion of any headnote, if you see a section of interest, just click on the sect. link to get a list of other cases involving that same section.
Searching Cases Noticed
You may search for any cases noticed by the case name or the name of the parties (e.g., searching Dolphin Delivery will list all cases where this case has been judicially considered). Any time a case is referred to by a judge, our editors include a notation of this in the "Cases Noticed" portion of the Headnotes.Hint: To search for "Cases Noticed" in the headnotes use the "Search in Headnote" option in the "Search Tools" on the "Case & Raw Law Search" page. Alternatively use the following search strings:
- Example 1: label cases noticed ... Dolphin Delivery ... label counsel
- Example 2: label cases noticed ... 71 N.R. 83 ... label counsel
- Substitute any name or citation in these search strings.
- Click on a case name and the next screen will list other cases that referred to that case.
- Click on the citation following the case name to see the full text of that case.
Searching Authors and Works
Any author's name, or name of an article, book, etc. may be searched. Hint: To search only the "Authors and Works" portion of the headnotes use the "Search in Headnote" option in the "Search Tools" on the "Case & Raw Law Search" page. Alternatively use the following:- Example: Label Authors ... Linden ... Label Counsel
- Substitute any author, name of journal, article etc. for Linden.
Searching for Names of Counsel
Any name, including names of counsel may be searched. Hint: To search the "Counsel" portion of the headnote, use the following search:- Example: Label counsel ... Bellows ... [End headnote]
- Substitute any name for Bellows.
Searching Court File Numbers
Search for any file number by simply typing that number in any query box:- Example 1: CA016475
- Example 2: 2001 BCCA 536
Hint: There are no periods in neutral citations (e.g., 2002 ABQB 727). Also when a file number contains a forward slash, as in New Brunswick cases, the slash must be omitted from the search. For example the file number C/C/83/93 must be searched as CC8393. However dashes may be included in file numbers, e.g., T-984-95.
Searching By Judgment Date
A date range search feature can be found on the "Case & Raw Law Search".-
To search for a judgment from a specific date use the following search string:
- Example: Label January 24, 1994
- Substitute any date.
- Example: Label January /2/ 1994
- Substitute any month.
- Example 1: ([1986] or 1986) ... mlb
- Searches all cases for particular year. Substitute any year.
- Example 2: ([199*] or 199*) ... mlb
- Searches all cases for particular decade. Substitute any decade.
- Example: ([1986] or 1986) ... mlb and dog
- Example 1: 1999 ... mlb
- Searches edited cases for particular year.
- Example 2: 198* ... mlb
- Searches edited cases for particular decade.
- Example 1: [1999] ... mlb
- Searches unedited cases for particular year.
- Example 2: [199*] ... mlb
- Searches unedited cases for particular decade.
- Example: Label MLB Case Comment
- You may also search by a particular author's name.
- Example: dog* ... [end headnote]
- This search will find cases where the word dog (s) appears in any headnote.
- Click on the citation at the top of headnote below the tool bar
the next screen will list other cases where this case was judicially considered
- Click on the "Indexed As" name
the next screen will list other decisions with the same "Indexed As" name (i.e. a case history)
- Click a topic number
the next screen will list other cases that have the same topic or point of law. - Click on a case name in Cases Noticed
the next screen will list other cases that referred to the case noticed.
- Click on the citation following the case name in Cases Noticed
the next screen will show the full text of the case cited.
- Click on a section number in the Statutes Noticed
the next screen will list other cases where this section was judicially considered
Note: The above search strings will find both edited and unedited cases.
To limit searching by year to only edited cases use the following search strings:
