CITATION ELEMENTS: style of cause, neutral citation, pinpoint [if required], judge [if required], short form [if required].
EXAMPLE: Radonna Investments Ltd v Rubin, 2012 ONCA 321.
Let's examine each part of the citation for a case with a neutral citation to understand how it is constructed:
example: Radonna Investments Ltd v Rubin
Note:
"Indexed as": for recent cases, an "indexed as" title will appear at the beginning of a case. If you are ever in doubt as to what the style of cause for a case should be, this is a useful bit of information. Check the first page of the judgment and if the case has an "indexed as" reference, use it for citation purposes.
Reference to the Crown: As an element of constitutional monarchy, Canadian executive government authority is formally vested in the King, hence the use of R for the Latin word for king, rex, in legal citations (or, formerly, R meaning regina or queen). This is used mainly for criminal cases prosecuted by the state, although you may also see R as part of a citation for a civil case, in place of such terms as "The Queen", "The King", "The Queen in right of," etc.
Examples:
Use the neutral citation as given by the court. If you do not know what a neutral citation looks like, see the explanation given here.
example: Radonna Investments Ltd v Rubin, 2012 ONCA 321.
Include a pinpoint if you are citing to a particular passage in the judgment. Since your case has a neutral citation, make sure you cite to the paragraph number.
example: Radonna Investments Ltd v Rubin, 2012 ONCA 321 at para 2.
If relevant, the judge's name may be included, followed by "J" for Justice, "JA" for Justice of Appeal, etc. (consult 3.10 of the McGill Guide).
example: Radonna Investments Ltd v Rubin, 2012 ONCA 321 at para 2, LaForme JA.
A short form is required only when there are further references to the case in your work. If there are no further references to the case in your work, a short form should not be used. See Chapter 1.4 of the McGill Guide, 10th edition for the rules on establishing and using short forms.
example: Radonna Investments Ltd v Rubin, 2012 ONCA 321 [Radonna].