“We’re looking into it” is not a payment notice.

A notice is a specific legal step

A notice of non-payment explains the amount withheld and the reasons for withholding it under the governing payment regime. Some jurisdictions prescribe a form and the manner in which it must be given.

A phone call or an informal email may not satisfy those requirements. Conversely, a notice is not proof that the underlying position is correct: the dispute can remain open to adjudication or other proceedings.

Start with who owes whom

The owner’s notice and a contractor’s notice to a subcontractor are different obligations. Their windows can run from different events. An upstream notice is not automatically a valid downstream notice.

Ontario’s owner notice is Form 1.1 under O. Reg. 303/18. Other Ontario forms cover different circumstances in the chain. Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have their own requirements.

Keep the notice and its journey together

Preserve the complete notice, its attachments, the correct recipient, the delivery method and the evidence showing when it was given. A draft sitting in a folder is not the same as a served notice.

• Identify the amount being withheld.
• State the reasons required by the applicable rule.
• Check the correct form and recipient.
• Record the service event and keep the evidence.

When the window is close

Use the actual facts to check the window promptly. If time is short or a notice has already been given, seek qualified advice about its effect. This site does not produce or serve a notice and does not decide whether an existing notice is valid.