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This article applies to:

  • Product: Westlaw Canada
  • Subject: Research

Get started with BestCase Library

BestCase Library contains Canada Law Book (CLB) report series, Canadian Criminal Cases, Dominion Law Reports, Labour Arbitration Cases, and a collection of unreported decisions dating back to 1977. It also includes CLB’s case summary services, such as All-Canada Weekly Summaries and Weekly Criminal Bulletin, and a note-up citator feature.

Access BestCase Library

Go to the
Products
 tab, then select
BestCase Library
.

Search BestCase Library

You can search BestCase Library to find the cases you need.
  1. Go to the search box, enter your search terms or Boolean Terms & Connectors query, and then select
    Search
    .
  2. Select
    Advanced
     on the toolbar to get a customized template to help structure your search, then select
    Search
    .
    note
    You can search for Headnote only in an Advanced Search. Enter your search terms in the
    Headnote
     field then select
    Search
    .
  3. Browse your list of results.
  4. Go to
    View
     to select a specific reporter.
  5. Go to
    Narrow
     to filter your list of results.

View different versions of a case

  1. When viewing a full text decision, go to
    Case Views
     to get the different views available for that decision. Your choices include one or more of the following:
    • Source - Carswell's view with Abridgment classifications and headnotes.
    • L.A.C. – Labour Arbitration Cases with C.L.B. classifications and headnotes.
    • C.L.A.S. – Canadian Labour Arbitration Cases with C.L.B. classifications and headnotes.
    • A.C.W.S. – All-Canada Weekly Summaries with C.L.B. classifications and headnotes.
    • D.L.R. – Dominion Law Reports with C.L.B. classifications and headnotes.
    • Supreme Court of Canada – English and Supreme Court of Canada – French.
  2. To open the PDF version of the law report, select
    Law Report
     on the toolbar.
  3. To open the PDF version of the original decision, go to
    Case Views
    , select
    Source
    , and then select
    PDF Original
     on the toolbar.